Salt and Sanctuary is singular in its success at sussing out the essence of Souls, if not in world-building, but at least in "feel". Mind you that the former element is a crucial complement to the latter, making Souls Souls. I could map out the grand cosmology of the Dark Souls trilogy and even draw thematic lines to Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, but I couldn't tell you a thing about the lore behind the fog-filled alkaline island of S&S.

It's a compromised achievement, but what an achievement it is nevertheless. Heft is key to making combat consequential in Souls. In Salt and Sanctuary, claymores (or should i say kureimoas) cleave bodies, hammers crush heads, pistols blast fire on faces, and successful ripostes end in explosions of blood, gold, and salt. Accomplishing all this after removing depth is remarkable.

This weightiness doesn't burden the movement, which is all the more emphasized in the flattened world where vertical traversal is integral. It's slow going in the beginning, but its Metroidvaniness will have the player zipping about the intricately interconnected levels. It distinguishes the game from its biggest inspiration, and it just feels right to wall jump and air dash. It also led to most of my deaths with the many long falls and dissipating platforms that expand every area. It's a strange reproduction of the risk/reward tension of progression in Souls, but what's a Souls experience without frustration born out of a lack of patience?