Salt

About

Salt is a single player and multiplayer open world role playing game with a horror theme. It was developed by Lavaboots Studios and was released on February 6, 2018. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Salt" is a horror-themed, open world exploration game that can be played solo or with up to one other player in co-op mode. The game features a good story, varied gameplay, and attractive visuals accompanied by a fantastic soundtrack. Players can explore islands, complete quests, and loot rare items while upgrading their ships and encountering other characters. However, the game is poorly optimized, filled with bugs, and requires a lot of grinding. The main quest and over 50 side quests, filled with lore and secrets, provide plenty of content to discover.

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76%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,509 reviews

graphics92 positive mentions

grinding50 negative mentions

The game offers a relaxing and tranquil atmosphere, perfect for exploration and sailing.
The unique cartography system allows players to create their own maps, enhancing the sense of adventure.
The game has a charming art style and beautiful visuals, especially during sunsets and sunrises.

The combat system is simplistic and can feel clunky, lacking depth and variety.
The game feels unfinished and lacks content, with many islands feeling empty and repetitive.
There are numerous bugs and performance issues, which detract from the overall experience.

graphics
311 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
54%
16%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players describing them as simplistic, cartoonish, and reminiscent of older titles. While some find the visuals charming and fitting for the gameplay, others criticize them as lacking detail and polish, leading to a disconnect between the art style and the overall experience. Despite the graphical shortcomings, many players appreciate the game's atmosphere and immersive qualities, suggesting that the gameplay compensates for the visual limitations.
- “The graphics give me a euphoric feeling as its simple design reminds me of games from the early years.”
- “The graphics are nice, there is a lot of content, lots to do.”
- “The visuals are very appealing, everything appears hand-drawn and has a golden hue, which adds some great atmosphere.”
- “The graphics are disappointing, even seemingly in comparison with the screenshots.”
- “The graphics are pathetic and although there may be a story in there somewhere I'm too annoyed by the game to be bothered to find out.”
- “The graphics are simple, so if you want something to make your graphics card scream with effort this isn't it.”
story
215 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
81%
5%
The game's story is largely minimal and serves as a backdrop for exploration rather than a driving force, with players encouraged to create their own narratives through journaling and questing. While there are quests available, many players find them repetitive and lacking depth, often revolving around simple fetch tasks or combat challenges. Overall, the game offers a sandbox experience where the joy of exploration and personal storytelling outweighs the thin main storyline.
- “Salt is about your story, not about loot or PvP dominance, just your journey from castaway to pirate billionaire.”
- “If you want a really good sailing and exploration game with enjoyable lore and story, then you could do a lot worse than Salt.”
- “Overall, Salt is a fun little open-world sandbox game with lots of exploration, a bit of quest structure if you want it, a variety of weapons and armor in ascending tiers of rarity/power, and some interesting mechanics that evoke the feeling of exploring an unknown world and charting your own course on your adventures.”
- “The storyline, as thin as it is, is predictably linear.”
- “The quests are a bit simplistic (find this item and bring it back is the most common) but there is some depth to certain questlines, like the innkeeper's.”
- “This is a huge sandbox, but there's nothing to do in it; the world is empty, just a few pirates or NPCs, no towns, nothing that makes a huge world like this alive. The quests are terrible too, and in general, there's no sense of reward in doing anything, and the game in general feels unfinished.”
gameplay
196 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
64%
10%
The gameplay of Salt 2 has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its focus on exploration and discovery, as well as its charming atmosphere and unique map mechanics. However, criticisms highlight repetitive gameplay loops, shallow combat mechanics, and a lack of depth in content, leading to a sense of monotony over time. While some find enjoyment in its simplicity and the potential for adventure, others express disappointment in its unpolished mechanics and limited variety, suggesting it may not meet the expectations set by its predecessor.
- “Gameplay and controls are solidly focused on discovery and exploration.”
- “The gameplay gave me such a great feeling of adventure and truly sparked my love for sailing and boats.”
- “Overall, Salt is a fun little open-world sandbox game with lots of exploration, a bit of quest structure if you want it, a variety of weapons and armor in ascending tiers of rarity/power, and some interesting mechanics that evoke the feeling of exploring an unknown world and charting your own course on your adventures.”
- “Salt 2 has now been released which I definitely will not be purchasing now. The 'changes' in Salt 2 could have very easily been implemented into Salt. I have watched gameplay of 2 and it mainly seems to just be a re-texture with some new minor systems. The devs are also already showing off DLC content for 2, which, keep in mind, is also only early access. Very disappointing. I understand that as a game studio you need money; however, taking money from your original players only to now go and promise to create the very same thing you already promised to create before but with a fancy '2' following the name is an insult.”
- “Gameplay is repetitive: find an island, fight people, get treasure, the end.”
- “Even though the gameplay loop is repetitive and combat is extremely shallow.”
music
100 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
48%
3%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience with soothing melodies that play during key moments, such as exploration and significant events. While many players find the soundtrack to be a highlight, some express a desire for more frequent musical cues, as it can be sparse during gameplay. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's relaxing and immersive atmosphere, making it a standout feature.
- “The music is beautifully made to fit the setting.”
- “The atmosphere is beautiful, the music is some of the best in-game music I've ever heard, and the whole game is almost a mystery.”
- “Salt has great atmosphere that's reinforced by its awesome music and stunning visuals.”
- “The audio is bizarre, with no music of any kind for long periods of time, kicking in randomly and stopping abruptly.”
- “Honestly, my only two issues so far are that the music does not play nearly often enough and that there isn't enough to do while sailing.”
- “But music rarely plays in the game itself, and it needs to start a little more often.”
atmosphere
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
27%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful visuals, soothing sound design, and a charming, hand-drawn aesthetic. Players appreciate the serene sailing experience, the ambient sounds of nature, and the engaging exploration of islands, which collectively create a captivating and tranquil environment. However, some critiques mention that while the atmosphere is strong, the game's graphics and controls can feel simplistic or frustrating at times.
- “Freedom to do what you want, and boats combine with the nice atmosphere of audio for a surreal and immersive experience.”
- “The atmosphere, visuals, the sun reflecting perfectly off water, the way the boats sway and make sounds, the ambient sounds of different island types, and the amazing music all come together to form salt.”
- “I love the atmosphere of the game, sailing on the ocean, the sound of the waves, the islands, just everything about it!”
- “The sound is pretty basic, the atmosphere is very generic, the island buildings and generation is very simplistic, graphics are pretty simplistic, advancing is slow and annoying, the map feature is cool but also really annoying at the same time, and there's all sorts of things that make this game just a very basic shell at the moment.”
- “Edit: so, now stars have been added, pretty cool, only one issue, now when the stars come out there are firefly-like things floating all over the place which first of all make no sense and second of all don't completely take away from your ability to navigate with the stars but they are definitely extremely distracting and well, they might make sense on an island but there should be no fireflies out on the water so I don't understand their purpose at all other than to add some kind of forced atmosphere during the day and a slight distraction at night.”
- “The graphics betray the atmosphere of this game - don't be fooled.”
grinding
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive due to the vast open spaces and fetch quests that dominate gameplay. While some appreciate the meditative quality of grinding, others criticize the lack of engaging content and the simplicity of combat, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, players suggest that the game can be enjoyable for those who embrace grinding, but it may not appeal to everyone due to its repetitive nature and the effort required to obtain better gear.
- “Tedious, boring, and simplistic.”
- “Due to the overall lack of content and depth, the game is mostly just tedious despite some of the neat core mechanics it implements.”
- “Fun game for a while, but eventually turns into quite a tedious grind fest.”
stability
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous users reporting significant bugs, glitches, and unpolished mechanics that detract from the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the chaotic nature of these issues, many express frustration over game-breaking glitches and poor gameplay mechanics. Overall, the game is considered to be in a rough state, requiring substantial improvements to achieve a more stable and enjoyable experience.
- “There are basically no glitches from what I have seen so far; the randomly spawned islands are great. However, the first couple I went to, nothing really spawned.”
- “It's very smooth and runs great even on my old laptop.”
- “Game is a buggy garbage mess.”
- “The game looks pretty, but gameplay is unpolished, with lots of odd UI glitches and wacky collision.”
- “This game is unpolished and occasionally Bethesda-level buggy; it could use some improvement on a lot of things, particularly textures, combat, user interface, and some small improvements to navigation.”
optimization
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
11%
57%
32%
Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including framerate drops and stuttering, even on capable hardware. While some users have experienced smooth performance on lower settings, the general consensus is that the game feels poorly optimized and lacks polish, detracting from the overall experience. Despite some updates aimed at improving performance, many players feel that the game still requires substantial optimization to reach its potential.
- “With a bit of optimization, this truly has the makings to be a great little survival game.”
- “Seeing how updates seem to be rather steady, I assume it won't take long for those optimizations to come out.”
- “I still get good performance on medium graphics settings.”
- “The optimization is lacking; though it looks simple, it quickly reduces your framerate even on a decent computer.”
- “I like this game... that said, it is very poorly optimized; at first, I thought it was in pre-alpha.”
- “I don't think this game beats Sea of Thieves by any means, as this game is pretty poorly optimized, and there are bugs, and lots of things that seem wonky to me, like the textures of this game being Roblox on crystal meth.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding the jokes, memes, and gameplay moments genuinely funny, especially in multiplayer settings. Many reviews highlight the amusing interactions, such as shooting friends' ships and experiencing unexpected bugs that lead to hilarious situations. Overall, the game's lighthearted atmosphere and quirky pirate antics contribute to a fun and entertaining experience.
- “Very fun and even the jokes and memes about this game are actually funny.”
- “6 copies for under 25 EUR, first I thought it was a bargain, but it turned out to be a really hilarious game with lots of fun in multiplayer.”
- “Would definitely recommend, the only bug is when you wait or rest in a boat, sometimes you fly into the air but it's so funny and seeing as there is no fall damage, it just makes you laugh.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
33%
25%
Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed; while some players appreciate the potential for infinite replayability through procedural generation and exploration, others find the environments bland and the overall longevity lacking. Some reviewers suggest that the game offers a decent amount of replay value, particularly for casual play, but others argue that it falls short compared to similar titles. Ultimately, the game's replayability may appeal to fans of exploration, but it may not satisfy those seeking a more robust experience.
- “Pretty fun and explorative game that gives a vast amount of replayability.”
- “Even if you only play this for a few hours to space out with, well worth the sale price, but this game has the potential for a hundred hours or more of playtime with infinite replayability.”
- “It is also highly replayable since the main goal is exploration - even if you are trying to get the same things again, the journey to those items will be different every time.”
- “Replayability is barely there in my opinion.”
- “For a sandbox adventure explorer, I would expect a much higher replay value.”
- “All in all, I cannot recommend this game as it has very little longevity and replayability is almost non-existent.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users feeling that it prioritizes profit over quality, particularly highlighting an unfinished product and a poor combat system. While some acknowledge the developers' passion for the game, the overall sentiment leans towards disappointment, urging potential players to avoid spending money on it.
- “Others have said it best, it's an unfinished cash grab.”
- “It's apparent that you are only making unfinished products in the hopes of a quick cash grab.”
- “Uninstalling and hiding, don't waste your time or money on this cheap trash cash grab.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
Despite its flaws, the game evokes strong emotions, particularly through its heartfelt music, which resonates deeply with players. One reviewer highlighted a poignant moment while sailing at night, where the emotional theme song elicited feelings that lingered long after the experience, showcasing the game's ability to connect on a personal level. Overall, it stands out as a unique indie title that can touch players' hearts amidst a sea of unfinished games.
- “This is an interesting, heartfelt, and independently made game that, despite its various glaring flaws, shines like a diamond in the rough of all the unfinished 'finished' early access beta games that plagued Steam when Greenlight was starting out.”
- “I went to my boat at nighttime while the moon was out to go sail some more, and while I was out on the water, this emotional theme song came on suddenly, and I mean it hit the feels hard.”
- “It made me feel things no game has made me feel in a very long time.”
- “I paid full price for this game, but the emotional experience was completely lacking. The open world felt frustrating and filled with trolls, and the story campaign was just boring.”
- “After investing so much into this game, I was left feeling disappointed. The emotional depth I expected was overshadowed by a tedious solo play experience.”
- “The game promised an emotional journey, but instead, I found myself lost in a sea of trolls and a dull story that failed to engage me.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Character development in the game is criticized for being limited, with players noting that meaningful growth and progression for characters stagnate after approximately 10 hours of gameplay.
- “Unfortunately, any real further character development gets cut short after about 10 hours.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional and lack meaningful growth throughout the game.”
- “I was hoping for deeper backstories and more impactful choices, but the development feels rushed and superficial.”