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"Sands of Salzaar" is an action-packed game set in a desert kingdom filled with rival tribes and remnants of a fallen empire. Players can choose their path, forming alliances, conquering territories, and embarking on a fantastical adventure. However, be aware that there may be unexpected bugs in the DLC version, and the developers appreciate any feedback through the provided links.

Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
Sands of Salzaar screenshot
+7

77%
Audience ScoreBased on 4,024 reviews
story236 positive mentions
grinding154 negative mentions

  • The game offers a unique blend of Mount & Blade and ARPG mechanics, providing a fun and engaging gameplay experience.
  • Character customization is extensive, allowing players to create diverse heroes and armies with various skills and abilities.
  • The game has a vibrant art style and an interesting world, with many quests and exploration opportunities.
  • Translation issues are prevalent, with many parts of the game still in Chinese and awkward English phrases that can confuse players.
  • The combat system can feel clunky and chaotic, often leading to frustrating experiences with AI pathfinding and unit control.
  • The game lacks a proper tutorial and clear guidance, making it difficult for new players to understand mechanics and objectives.
  • story
    1,472 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Sands of Salzaar" is a mixed bag, with many players noting its potential but also its significant flaws. While the game features a well-thought-out fantasy world with engaging character arcs and a variety of quests, the execution suffers from poor translations, convoluted plotlines, and a lack of clear quest guidance, leading to frustration. Many players find the main story to be generic and filled with fetch quests, while side quests can offer more interesting narratives, though they often lack depth and clarity. Overall, the game shows promise but requires further refinement in storytelling and quest design.

    • “Sure, you could say there's a bit of Kenshi, Mount & Blade: Bannerlord, and Dynasty Warriors in its pedigree as well, but my point is it's a serendipitous blend of good storytelling and mostly no-holds-barred immersion.”
    • “+ Pervading storyline and lore are truly enthralling.”
    • “The main story is decent enough, but the story for each character is where it really shines.”
    • “The lack of translation in many parts of the game (including a four-part quest that you get but cannot read because it is not in English) and many dialogue options.”
    • “A lot of the quests give zero indication of how to complete them.”
    • “The main story was an almost incomprehensible, elaborate fetch quest with some interesting ideas, which even on story mode you can just ignore for in-game years while you do your own thing, and doing your own thing is what this game is all about.”
  • gameplay
    612 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of "Sands of Salzaar" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its unique mechanics and engaging loop reminiscent of "Mount & Blade," while others criticize its clunky controls, poor localization, and lack of clear explanations for various systems. While some find the combat and strategic elements enjoyable, many report that the gameplay can become grindy and repetitive, with significant room for improvement in mechanics and user experience. Overall, the game offers potential for fun but is hampered by bugs, translation issues, and a steep learning curve.

    • “Translation can be iffy at times but aside from that has incredibly unique and engaging gameplay that always keeps me coming back for more.”
    • “An engaging gameplay loop, insanely broken builds, and awesome strategic battles, what doesn't this game have?”
    • “Excellent game for its price, very enjoyable, quite unique and original in its gameplay design.”
    • “Tiny map, lame quests, overly sexualized female characters coupled with repetitive gameplay and just an all-around grindy feel make this game difficult to play.”
    • “The gameplay is deeply disappointing and I struggle to keep interest in the game.”
    • “Gameplay is dull and sleep inducing.”
  • graphics
    234 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its unique art style and hand-drawn aesthetic, which evokes a cozy and charming atmosphere. However, criticisms highlight issues such as simplicity, inconsistency, and performance problems, including lag and frame drops, detracting from the overall experience. While some find the visuals engaging and fitting for the game's theme, others feel they fall short compared to more polished titles in the genre.

    • “The graphics of the world look nice and hand-drawn while the moving character animations are smooth and clean.”
    • “I love the Persian-Arabic setting mixed with Chinese aesthetic; it is lovely.”
    • “So I was basically seduced by the magnificent art style, neat UI, and crisp presentation.”
    • “Terrible graphics.”
    • “Don't buy; it's insulting to the other games that this one is asking for 12 EUR. The graphics are not even comparable to any game that I know of. It would be an interesting web game, but as a game of its own, it has nothing to offer. Most of its graphics look like scribbles of an unfinished picture. I honestly believe I could make a better-looking and more interactive game (and I'm an amateur at drawing).”
    • “The graphics are pretty in their own way but far from spectacular.”
  • grinding
    154 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it excessively tedious and repetitive, often involving endless fetch quests and combat that lacks depth. While some appreciate the satisfaction of leveling up and building their armies, others criticize the grind as a major detractor from the overall enjoyment, leading to a feeling of pointlessness in gameplay. Overall, the game appeals to those who enjoy grinding mechanics, but it may frustrate players seeking a more streamlined and engaging experience.

    • “This game makes your wrists hurt and the battles get so large that having to click on a new unit to attack them just becomes tedious.”
    • “I hit max level in around an hour of grinding and then it was just fetch quests.”
    • “Grindy - all the quests in the game are basically fetch-quests and such, and they repeat constantly.”
  • music
    146 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its charm and fitting atmosphere, while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of variety. Many players enjoy the soundtrack's unique style, describing it as excellent or lovely, but note that the same tunes can become tiresome over extended play. Overall, while the music enhances the game's aesthetic, its limited selection may lead players to turn it off after a while.

    • “The music is excellent in this game.”
    • “The music fits the setting and I personally like it a lot.”
    • “An amazing fun game, like a fantasized version of Mount & Blade, it simplified gameplay, the boring part of Mount & Blade, so more relaxing, but added lots of story-rich tasks, very interesting gameplay and content, with beautiful oriental aesthetic and music.”
    • “The music in some parts is awful, to the point I had to turn it off for a while.”
    • “After 10 hours in, I am just really sick of the combat music and would rather just turn the sound off to get through the fights.”
    • “Most of the soundtrack doesn't match the gameplay or the theme at all.”
  • replayability
    112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game boasts a high level of replayability, driven by its legacy system, diverse character classes, and customizable gameplay options. Players can explore various strategies and playstyles, with the potential for nearly infinite replay value through new character starts and mod support. Overall, the combination of unique class mechanics and difficulty scaling enhances the game's longevity and enjoyment.

    • “The legacy system and the many different characters encourage replayability, which is a big plus.”
    • “Playing a different class makes this game more replayable because it won't be the same as the last run since you will have a different playstyle and different skills.”
    • “Very high replayability with a wide array of skillsets to choose from during character creation to tweak your own unique build.”
    • “Replayability is meh.”
    • “There's still a way to go and the combat could certainly be improved with units running endlessly into walls etc. but it's well worth your time and money - plenty of replayability and quest galore.”
    • “However, don't be put off by that, once you put a few hours into the game, you'll realize how deep this game potentially can be and how much replayability it has.”
  • stability
    66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous reports of bugs, glitches, and unresponsive mechanics that hinder gameplay. While some players find the experience enjoyable despite these issues, many express frustration over game-breaking bugs, particularly in the DLCs, and poor translation quality. Overall, the game is described as promising but currently plagued by instability, making it advisable for potential players to wait for further updates and fixes.

    • “As it is, the released version is bug-free but lacking some features, so it is polished!”
    • “At this time, not only is it buggy and unintuitive, but for those who speak English, it's unplayable (and most likely the same goes for those who use other allegedly available languages).”
    • “This game is promising in concept but it's very buggy and an unbalanced, frustrated mess at its core.”
    • “The released version is even more buggy than the beta; character quests cannot be completed.”
  • optimization
    60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with players reporting frequent stuttering, frame drops, and game-breaking bugs that hinder the overall experience. While some users noted that it runs smoothly on lower-end systems, many expressed frustration over performance degradation during extended play sessions and poor user experience in managing game mechanics. Overall, the game is seen as needing significant optimization and polish to reach its potential.

    • “Models for enemies are not exactly pretty, but I actually like them in their simplicity. They're good enough to distinguish what the unit is and its main traits, but vague enough that imagination can cover the details (and performance doesn't tank in massive battles with 300 models on screen at the same time).”
    • “The performance has been a constant 60 fps on max settings on my 7-year-old system with rather weak specs.”
    • “Performance-wise, it's a pretty low-demand game, so you won't really run into any lag. I never ran into any lag, and if you look at the specs required for this game, you can tell that you don't really need much to run it.”
    • “The game itself is pretty good, but the stability and performance are both terrible.”
    • “It feels like an unpolished early access with all the missing translations, sound stuttering, frame drops, and skills getting randomly locked out and won't cast for 10+ seconds in combat (when they are off cooldown).”
    • “There is an optimization issue and the game becomes noticeably slower after an extended session which requires restarting the game to resolve it.”
  • emotional
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional aspect of the game is largely perceived as lacking depth, with players feeling disconnected from the randomly-generated story and characters. While some find enjoyment in the aesthetics and customization options, many struggle to form any meaningful emotional investment, leading to mixed feelings about the overall experience. The review highlights a sense of frustration and disappointment, suggesting that the game's emotional engagement falls short for many players.

    • “I also realize this review is half-baked, but that's kind of what this game made me feel when I played it back then.”
    • “The 'story', other than the critical path, feels heavily randomly generated, and nothing is explained, so if you can find some reason to get an emotional investment in any of it - well, you're more fortunate than I was.”
    • “Well, I'm just giving my 'emotional opinion' about it, so you'll find better reviews with that type of info, probably above or below this very review.”
  • humor
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is described as genuinely funny, with engaging dialogue and amusing graphics reminiscent of classic Super Nintendo titles. Players find humor in the game's quirky pathfinding issues, which can lead to comical situations, although they may also pose challenges during battles. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted and entertaining experience, despite some translation hurdles.

    • “So, saddle up, sharpen your sword, and dive into this hilariously addictive adventure.”
    • “Apparently I got it right after a bigger English translation update, so for the most part the dialog was even funny (like haha funny, not like weird funny).”
    • “The graphics are hilarious and resemble Super Nintendo games I played when I was young.”
  • atmosphere
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and relaxing qualities, enhanced by strong world-building, art style, and engaging storytelling. Players appreciate the satisfying progression of team and army building, although some find kingdom management confusing and tedious. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the enjoyment and allure of the game, making it a captivating experience.

    • “The art style, the writing, the atmosphere, the battles, the story, the RPG mechanics are all amazing and work together like bread and butter!”
    • “The atmosphere, open world exploration, combat, and unit progression are what keep me playing.”
    • “Fun, atmospheric, thoroughly enjoyable in a fascinating setting.”
  • monetization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization strategy of the game has drawn significant criticism, with users labeling it as a "cash grab" due to the high price of expansions and a perceived lack of content in the base game. While some appreciate the value of the game in early access, many feel that the overall experience is marred by aggressive monetization tactics reminiscent of low-quality mobile games.

    • “Can already tell this is going to turn out to be a bad game. It wasn't that great when I got it, and now there's an expansion for $15 when the non-expansion felt incomplete. Crazy cash grab right there. 1 star for me and never playing it again.”
    • “Everything wrong with the game makes it feel like it was a rushed cash grab.”
    • “A lot of scenarios are reminiscent of those YouTube ads for mobile games that don't exist.”
  • character development
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development is highlighted by impressive character designs and a diverse array of NPCs and companions, which many players consider a strong point of the game. However, there are calls for more depth in the skill tree and legacy skills, as current options feel limited and could benefit from a more customizable system to enhance gameplay dynamics.

    • “Her character design and skill tree options make her the perfect tank.”
    • “Surprisingly good variety in NPC and companion character design; one of the strongest points, in my opinion.”
    • “I would love to see at least double the number of legacy skills and perhaps a skill builder that allows you to add effects like 'dash' and set variables for range, then chain it into something like 'AOE', 'knockback', 'draw in', etc. The current skills just feel like they're lacking some punch, and this system would allow you to comprehensively fill gaps in character design.”
    • “I would love to see at least double the number of legacy skills and perhaps a skill builder that allows you to add effects like 'dash' and set variables for range, then chain it into something like 'aoe', 'knockback', 'draw in', etc., because the current skills just feel like they're (perhaps purposely) lacking some punch, and this system would allow you to comprehensively fill gaps in character design, but I can also understand why the systems might be the way they are.”

Buy Sands of Salzaar

18h Median play time
26h Average play time
10-40h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 54 analyzed playthroughs

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