Salty Hounds

About

Salty Hounds is a single player open world role playing game with a romance theme. It was developed by Topping Palette and was released on June 27, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

WELCOME TO SALTY HOUNDS!SALTY HOUNDS is an open-world dating sim in which you will create your own love story. (*Please find the streaming guide at the bottom) LOVE INTERESTSThe love interests have their own daily schedules, preferences and secrets that wait to be unraveled. GAMEPLAYAfter your father's accident, you take charge of Salty Hounds, a small bodyguard agency. Meet your love…

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82%

Audience ScoreBased on 122 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability16 negative mentions

Unique and engaging gameplay that combines otome/dating sim mechanics with open-world exploration and stat management.
Beautiful art style including detailed pixel art, character sprites, animations, and attractive male leads with professional voice acting.
Developers actively improving the game post-launch with patches, bug fixes, quality of life updates, and adding content.

The game is still in early access with many bugs, crashes, translation issues, and incomplete content limiting gameplay and story progression.
Limited romance content and affection levels are often capped, causing frustration for players wanting full dating experiences.
Some UI and gameplay features are clunky or underdeveloped, such as poor quest guidance, slow travel, expensive activities, and lack of interaction variety.

story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
79%
7%
The story is currently unfinished but shows strong potential, with engaging characters and a rich, immersive world that many players find intriguing. While early access status means plotlines and quests are limited and sometimes unclear, ongoing updates and improvements promise a deeper, more consistent narrative experience. Fans appreciate the game's unique blend of exploration, romance, and player choice, eagerly anticipating future developments.
- “Good story and great characters.”
- “It sort of reminds me of the early days of Mystic Messenger; there is so much to this story and game that still has yet to come out, but I can't wait to see what they have in store. I adore all the characters and the plot of the game; also, I feel that this game is a game-changer to all current dating simulator games, as I have full control of my character, from making my work schedule to choosing who I want to talk to on the weekends, without getting locked out of other romantic options even if I have started pursuing another character.”
- “I'm currently on week 9 and I gotta say I love the storyline so far.”
- “This game has some early stage of stories, but it's not finished for a complete story development.”
- “There is no clear storyline or quest interface so most of the time you just aimlessly walk around the map trying to find any kind of content or do the only thing you're allowed to do: sit somewhere to read a book.”
- “While the current state of the story gave us a good view of what has happened, I do strongly believe that it can be more exciting if the story is consistent, rich, and immersive.”
gameplay
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
66%
8%
The gameplay offers a unique blend of otome-style romance with business development and exploration mechanics, providing a promising and enjoyable experience once its initially complex systems are understood. However, it currently suffers from repetitiveness, limited romance content, and persistent bugs that hinder progression and immersion. Despite these issues, many players find the gameplay relaxing and satisfying, expressing hope for future improvements and content expansions.
- “This game has so much potential, it's insane. The voice actors are, in my opinion, perfect. The leveling at first is a a bit difficult to understand, but once you get the hang of it, you know what to do. I enjoy many of the mechanics around interactions with so many characters, and they all have a unique personality, goal, and romance route.”
- “If you love otomes and want to see otomes branch out with more gameplay, more world exploration, etc., this one lets you explore a town and play the day to day in a way that's reminiscent of a very relaxed dating sim.”
- “Gameplay was very enjoyable and the characters so far have been very fun with some interesting stories.”
- “The game mechanics are not too easy to understand, and they take some time, but after getting it was fun… fun until it got incredibly repetitive without having enough romance content.”
- “My gameplay day literally consists of staying in my home reading on the sofa and then going to sleep because it's not worth it leaving the home because the romance options are so rarely seen outside that I don't even bother anymore.”
- “Do not buy this game, it frequently crashes and gameplay feels a bit lost and empty.”
graphics
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
41%
13%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their lovely, charming pixel art style and attractive character illustrations, which many find visually captivating and distinctive. While the art and overall aesthetic receive strong positive remarks, some users note issues with execution, occasional development hiccups, and a desire for options like window resizing or original artwork choices. Overall, the graphics strongly contribute to the game's appeal and potential despite some imperfections.
- “I was impressed by the beautiful artwork and the adorable sprites, so I thought I would give this a try.”
- “Still, the gameplay looked so interesting for me, and the art style was absolutely gorgeous, it gave me enough faith to give it a shot.”
- “Salty Hounds is a visually pleasing game that captivated me with its impressive graphics and charming musical score.”
- “This game has a great concept and artwork, but very poor execution.”
- “I have a huge monitor and smaller window mode would be nice for pixel graphics.”
- “This reboot patch is still not the entire game we were promised as backers and players, and I've been told by a friend (also a backer) that this one still has the occasional issue and still no choice to use the original artwork.”
music
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
45%
14%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, cozy, and relaxing lo-fi vibes that complement the pixel art style and enhance immersion. While some tracks were noted as sourced from free background music, the overall soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's atmosphere and player enjoyment. A few users mentioned abrupt cut-offs in the music, but generally, the soundtrack is considered a strong, memorable aspect of the experience.
- “This game has lovely graphics, nice illustrations, attractive characters, catchy background music, and intriguing stories.”
- “It's simple yet cute, smooth gameplay movement and the OST/soundtrack BGM is very chill, giving lo-fi vibes which is very suitable for the pixel-graphic game.”
- “The soundtrack enhances immersion, creating a cohesive audiovisual experience that lingers long after playing.”
- “The music needs to be smoother, since it cuts quite abruptly when it ends.”
- “The music can be a little overwhelming at times, but I like the soundtrack.”
- “Some of the music is free to use music, so not something made specifically for Salty Hounds.”
stability
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game initially launched with significant bugs and frequent crashes, making it frustrating to play. Although a reboot and developer changes improved stability somewhat, persistent issues like occasional freezing, dialogue glitches, and locked content remain. Despite these problems, some players find the game playable and enjoyable in shorter sessions, but overall stability continues to be a major concern.
- “The game was very buggy and crashed often, which discouraged me from investing time in it.”
- “The reboot version still has issues such as code appearing in dialogue and the game freezing when interacting with certain characters, although other options remain clickable.”
- “The game has been unplayable for long periods and feels buggy even after promised fixes, which is concerning.”
grinding
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game is seen as a well-integrated and enjoyable mechanic that complements character attachment and story progression, blending skill and interaction development effectively. While some find it a bit excessive and costly early on, it adds meaningful structure to gameplay without feeling overly tedious. Overall, the grind is polished, purposeful, and enhances the exploration and relationship-building experience.
- “The game is a a bit grindy and it gets easier in some situations but honestly, without a bit of grinding you would have too much time the whole day and it also makes sense logic wise the way it is implemented.”
- “Also, every activity is so expensive and at the beginning of the game you don't get any money... feels a tad too grindy.”
- “I spent 4.7 hours grinding to get my stats up and did some exploring around the map.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
67%
The game's optimization is lacking, with users experiencing noticeable lag that detracts from the overall experience. This is especially disappointing given the game's initial presentation as a dating simulator, where smooth performance is expected.
- “Performance: is it normal for the game to lag slightly?”
- “Performance”
- “Is it normal for the game to lag slightly?”
- “I am profoundly disappointed and disheartened by the game's performance, particularly considering its initial portrayal as a dating game.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development is praised for its attractive male lead designs reminiscent of webtoon comics, enhanced by exceptional pixel art and detailed animations that vividly bring the game world to life.
- “Before I end this review, I do want to gush about the character designs and the pixel art for the characters and the environment.”
- “The character designs of the male leads are very attractive; it's the kind I see often in webtoon comics.”
- “The attention to detail in the environments, character designs, and animations is exceptional, bringing the game world to life.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the game evokes strong emotional engagement by blending romance and simulation elements within an RPG setting, creating a unique and immersive experience.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor is highlighted by awkward and unexpected character interactions, particularly a memorable, funny encounter with Seha following a key event, which adds a lighthearted and amusing touch to the game.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's whimsical atmosphere is enhanced by its cute and catchy melodies, creating an engaging and charming experience for players.
- “The cute and catchy melodies perfectly complement the game's whimsical atmosphere.”