Lots of games compare themselves to Dark Souls these days. Why wouldn't they? From Software's instant classic began as a niche import with Demon's Souls before taking the world by storm and spreading its influence everywhere. "It's like Dark Souls with zombies" Ubisoft would say about Zombi U. "It's like Dark Souls with cars" people have said of Dirt Rally. So when you hear that The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile developer Ska Studios' non-linear action platformer Salt and Sanctuary was going to be "like Dark Souls", it's easy to write it off as another buzzword attempted to raise interest in the umpteenth metroidvania on the digital market. But good lord, this is a lot like Dark Souls.
Ska Studios doesn't try to hide that fact. Salt and Sanctuary is so beholden to Dark Souls' template that it's a little shocking the two-person Seattle studio hasn't been sued. Not only does Salt and Sanctuary crib the Souls series' unique respawn mechanic - in which you need to reclaim your lost experience by retracing your steps - it copies Souls' entire combat system and RPG structure wholesale. You fight by managing your stamina meter that temporarily depletes with every strike, block, and roll. You equip various pieces of armour, weapons, and rings with a weight system that influences your mobility based on how much gear you're currently wearing. There's even stats for Strength and Dexterity that scale your weapons' damage output on an E through S ranking system. The list goes on and on.
This borderline plagiarism should be repulsive - and on some level it is - yet Salt and Sanctuary survives this obvious intellectual thievery based on two conditions: it creatively adapts From Software's template to a 2D plane, and it's a damn fine imitation.
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