SALTWATER

About

SALTWATER is a single player casual role playing game. It was developed by Lean Hog and was released on February 10, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"Saltwater is a single-player Strategy Roguelite where you play as a pistol shrimp, utilizing bubble shots to fend off underwater enemies. Gain experience points to level up and choose upgrades, while collecting pearls to unlock new shrimps and weapons. With top-down, 2D vector art and underwater photography, Saltwater offers around 50 hours of playtime in a Twin Stick multi-directional shooter experience."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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100%

Audience ScoreBased on 28 reviews

graphics3 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Saltwater is a fun and engaging twin-stick shooter with a unique underwater setting and a variety of upgrades, making it highly replayable.
The game features stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack that enhance the overall experience, creating an immersive atmosphere.
It's easy to pick up and learn, with a good balance of challenge and accessibility, making it suitable for both new and experienced players.

The game feels visibly unfinished and lacks polish, which can detract from the overall experience.
Some players have reported issues with controller responsiveness in the menu, which can be frustrating.
While the gameplay is enjoyable, it may not offer enough new content for those familiar with the genre, potentially leading to a sense of repetition.

gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
42%
29%
The gameplay is characterized by a skill-based approach, requiring players to master manual targeting without auto-aim, reminiscent of titles like Brotato. As a roguelike, it features procedurally generated challenges and permadeath mechanics, ensuring high replayability and fresh experiences with each run. Overall, the engaging mechanics and replay value position it as a standout title in its genre.
- “Each run presents new opportunities and obstacles, ensuring that gameplay remains fresh and engaging.”
- “The game's mechanics are reminiscent of titles like Brotato, but with a distinctive twist—there's no auto-aim, requiring players to master manual targeting for a more engaging and skill-based experience.”
- “As a roguelike, Saltwater offers high replayability with its procedurally generated challenges and permadeath mechanics.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game features impressive 2D vector art and real underwater photography, resulting in a visually striking and immersive experience. Its hand-drawn, colorful visuals effectively bring the underwater world to life, complemented by a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere. This combination of stunning graphics and engaging gameplay positions it as a standout title, often surpassing many AAA games.
- “The game boasts stunning 2D vector art combined with real underwater photography, creating a visually striking and immersive aesthetic.”
- “The hand-drawn, stylized visuals are both colorful and evocative, bringing the underwater world to life in a way that few games achieve.”
- “Complementing the visuals is a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, making each session a sensory delight.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game boasts high replayability due to its diverse character and weapon combinations, as well as its roguelike elements, including procedurally generated challenges and permadeath mechanics. This engaging gameplay, coupled with stunning visuals, positions it as a standout title in its category, often exceeding the replay value of many triple-A games.
- “There's so many different combinations of characters and weapons that its replayability is quite high for a game of this category.”
- “As a roguelike, Saltwater offers high replayability with its procedurally generated challenges and permadeath mechanics.”
- “Its engaging gameplay, stunning visuals, and high replayability make it a standout title that not only competes with but often surpasses many triple-A games.”
- “Replayability and content are lacking, making it hard to stay engaged after the initial playthrough.”
- “The game feels repetitive after a few runs, diminishing its replay value significantly.”
- “While there are different character combinations, the core gameplay doesn't change enough to warrant multiple playthroughs.”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The music in the game is praised for its captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, creating a sensory delight during gameplay. However, players suggest adding more music tracks for levels and boss fights to further enrich the experience.
- “Complementing the visuals is a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, making each session a sensory delight.”
- “Add bosses and more music tracks for levels and boss fights for the finishing touch.”
- “The music feels repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during longer play sessions.”
- “While the soundtrack has potential, it often feels out of place and doesn't match the game's tone.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game enjoyable and engaging, often losing track of time while casually progressing. The experience is described as fun, making it suitable for multitasking, such as listening to music or podcasts during play.
- “After almost 50 hours of this game and grinding to difficulty 29 at almost 100 million score, I can say that this game is such a fun casual game to play while listening to something. I didn't even realize I played for 50 hours.”
- “The grinding in this game feels endless and repetitive, making it hard to stay engaged.”
- “I appreciate the game's mechanics, but the amount of grinding required to progress is exhausting and detracts from the overall experience.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players report that "Saltwater" delivers a profound emotional experience, likening it to an intense rollercoaster ride that evokes a wide range of feelings throughout the gameplay.
- “But nothing has compared to the emotional rollercoaster I experienced with Saltwater.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is enriched by stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack, creating a sensory delight that enhances the overall gaming experience.
- “Complementing the visuals is a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere, making each session a sensory delight.”