While sailing across a stormy sea to transport a princess and strike a truce between rival kingdoms, a calamitous encounter with a sinister abomination wrecks the player’s ship. Upon drifting onto the shore, the journey to broker peace dissolves into a struggle for survival on a treacherous island rife with undead.

Whether braving this alone or with a friend via local co-op, the customizable hero, known as the Saltborn, can only persevere by navigating this grim, forgotten bastion. Pressing on and cleaving through anyone or anything that rears its malformed head is the only way forward. Hidden platforming abilities including air-dashing and wall-jumping help the Saltborn find and eradicate more than twenty horrifying bosses all drawn in Ska Studios’ stylized signature art style.

Discovering the truth behind this cursed land necessitates both a keen eye and a bloodlust, but all manner of implements of death await adventurers. All character builds are worthy: a whip-wielding, crossbow-brandishing bandit and sorcerer wreathed in Fire and Sky magic have equal chances of survival. Sixteen weapon types and more than fifty sets of armor that both strengthen the Saltborn and visibly change their appearance can be upgraded with the right equipment. A massive skill tree provides further options for progression.