Dust and Salt

About

"Dust and Salt" is a text-based narrative adventure set in a low-power, medieval fantasy world, where your choices shape the story of a young warrior seeking vengeance. Travel through a detailed world map, engage in tactical turn-based battles, and indulge in vivid writings, offering a rich and non-linear experience, reminiscent of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Forge alliances, make difficult decisions, and navigate the delicate balance between justice and tyranny.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 110 reviews

story48 positive mentions

The game features beautiful artwork and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
The narrative is engaging with multiple choices that can lead to different outcomes, providing some replay value.
It offers a unique blend of choose-your-own-adventure storytelling with basic tactical combat, appealing to fans of both genres.

The combat system is overly simplistic and lacks depth, making battles feel trivial and unchallenging.
The game suffers from a rushed storyline, particularly in the latter half, which detracts from the overall pacing and immersion.
Many choices can lead to unexpected and confusing outcomes, often resulting in frustrating trial-and-error gameplay.

story
122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
5%
The story is generally described as a standard fantasy revenge plot, with some engaging elements and meaningful choices that enhance replayability. While the writing and art are praised, many reviewers noted that the pacing feels rushed, particularly towards the climax, and the overall narrative lacks depth compared to other choose-your-own-adventure games. Despite its clichés, the game offers an immersive experience for those who appreciate story-driven gameplay, though it may not satisfy players seeking complex combat or a groundbreaking storyline.
- “The soundtrack is top notch, the art is lovely, the writing is by and large quite decent, and the story, whilst fairly standard, is engaging enough.”
- “The story was intriguing and the art well-favored.”
- “A gamebook with an exciting storyline and interesting choices.”
- “The entire combat system and the importance of it to the story and progression, plus the weird checkpoint system, kills all replay value.”
- “Not to mention the story feels rushed, and the only reason why it took me two hours to play is because I had to go back and forth from checkpoint to checkpoint to redo choices.”
- “Overall, the story is not too exciting, but totally okay, with meaningful choices and branches.”
music
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
28%
8%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its atmospheric and tribalistic qualities, particularly highlighting the contributions from Danheim. While some players find the soundtrack to be catchy and memorable, others note that it can become repetitive and limited in variety. Overall, the music is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, enhancing the overall experience despite some criticisms of its repetitiveness.
- “The first thing which impressed me was the fascinating music; it creates a great atmosphere.”
- “I think the art is very impressive and the music in the game is surprisingly amazing.”
- “Rich text, story worthwhile (even though a bit cliché), amazing soundtrack.”
- “This is basically a poorly written visual novel, albeit with decent artwork and music that gets old fairly quickly.”
- “The music is fine, but repetitive and limited to a couple of tracks.”
- “I can't recommend the sound as it's the equivalent of the loading screen music from Witcher 3 and entirely innocuous.”
graphics
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
12%
The graphics in the game are generally described as limited but visually appealing, with particularly nice artwork on the overland map. While the overall aesthetic is praised, some users noted inconsistencies, especially with the battle units, and suggested that the game leans more towards a text-based experience rather than a visually driven one. Despite these critiques, the art style is appreciated, and the game's visuals contribute positively to the storytelling.
- “The artwork is gorgeous and the story does grab you.”
- “I am really happy to see a new Bulgarian studio releasing a game of such genre, storytelling, and graphics.”
- “This game totally blew me away, from the beautifully crafted narrative design to the gorgeous artwork on the world map; I wasn't expecting such a stellar experience.”
- “The graphics are sparse overall.”
- “The graphics are limited - what is in the game looks good, but it's definitely a text-based game, not a visual one.”
- “As someone else mentioned, a little more in the way of artwork might help the game along; what's already there fits perfectly - probably a budget issue, though.”
gameplay
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
50%
14%
The gameplay is characterized by a compelling blend of storybook elements, an overland map, and turn-based grid combat, providing a diverse experience. While the combat is simple yet engaging, the core focus lies in decision-making and narrative immersion, with challenging battles encouraging multiple playthroughs. However, some players found the initial pacing slow and the gameplay lacking in depth, leading to mixed feelings about overall engagement.
- “Really compelling gameplay and high production value for the cost and size of the team.”
- “Having a map, on which you can move to visit the different places of the world, brings a nice diversity to the gameplay.”
- “Excellent translations and challenging gameplay - particularly the battles!”
- “Gameplay wise, there is nothing.”
- “Unfortunately, I cannot find in me the effort to go on, even if I know that after this long intro of fake choices, there is a different gameplay.”
- “Mind you, 4 months ago I actually finished the intro and went to the gameplay part - but even then it did not grab me.”
replayability
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
45%
15%
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the ability to experience different story outcomes based on moral choices, others criticize the limited options and a flawed combat system that detracts from replay value. Many agree that while it offers a few hours of entertainment, it lacks the depth and polish needed for multiple playthroughs, leading to a general sentiment that it may not be worth revisiting after the initial experience.
- “You will have an impact on the story based on your morality decisions, and as such, the story itself provides a lot of replay value.”
- “It's a bit too short, but on the other hand, there's enough replayability to last you for another run or two.”
- “Replayability is also good, as you can experience the story in several different ways.”
- “The entire combat system and the importance of it to the story and progression, plus the weird checkpoint system, kills all replay value.”
- “Well written, but the replay value is pretty low as the options basically boil down to 'right option,' 'not right option but basically the same outcome as the right option,' and 'you die.' It's a good read though, and it's worth spending a few bucks on if you want to kill a couple of hours, but once you beat it, you probably won't pick it back up.”
- “One of those where the devs put too much effort into making the game replayable and not enough into polishing a one-time playthrough, which makes me not willing to play anymore after all.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players consistently highlight the game's humor as a standout feature, describing it as both amazing and genuinely funny.
- “Amazing game and funny”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is widely regarded as a significant strength, with many users recommending it, especially for fans of the associated band. The immersive environment enhances the overall experience, making it a standout feature.
- “Definitely a huge asset for this game – and you should check the band if you are into this kind of atmosphere!”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the emotional aspect of the game compelling, noting that the characters are well-developed and foster a strong emotional attachment, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The characters are convincingly represented, as the author makes you become emotionally attached to them.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, as the trial and error mechanics require repeatedly clicking through slow animations to return to previous points, which detracts from the overall experience.