6. Salt and Sanctuary
Who says you need beautifully rendered 3D worlds to enjoy tough as nails combat? Salt and Sanctuary is pretty much Dark Souls if it were a 2D action platformer. The lack of free movement means that combat takes on a different flow. Dodging and returning attacks is made more difficult due to the lack of space. You can dodge under an enemies slash, roll behind them and get a couple of hits in, but that also means that you’ve suddenly placed yourself well within range of their attacks.
The 2D perspective is a double-edged sword, however. Platforming and exploration are made easier and allows for more varied level designs but the combat can occasionally be difficult simply because of the perspective. When an enemy sends a wave of electricity coursing across the screen, you can either jump over it or be thrown to the ground. The difficulty and exploration of the souls series are still intact, but it doesn’t translate as well as it could have.
