Answering questions in a new Salt and Sanctuary FAQ, developer Ska Studios revealed that they have “a planned, locked-in release date in Q1 2016! We can’t tell you specifics yet but SOOOON!” Since Q1 2016 ends on March 31, expect the game before then.
As for platforms, Salt and Sanctuary is a timed PlayStation 4 exclusive for a short time, with a Steam launch happening “later.” A PlayStation Vita version is still happening, but “it won’t be out at the same time as PS4 and we don’t have more details yet. Sorry!” When the Vita version does come out, it will include cross-buy with PS4.
Ska Studios expects the game to cost somewhere between $15 and $20 USD.
As for the local multiplayer aspect, you can place a statue on the altar of a sanctuary (a place of rest and respawning) to permanently summon an NPC villager of that type. By placing a sellsword statue on the altar, you’ll summon a sellsword, which can be used to ‘Hire’ a second player to join you.
Developer James Silva added:
Having a companion present tweaks a few things: enemy health is scaled up a hefty bit, and enemies will do a little extra damage. Prayers of healing aid cooperative players within a radius. A Revive prayer might even make an appearance. The synergy is something I wanted to experience in Salt years before implementing coop, and [fellow developer] Michelle and I always tend to balance out our builds like we would in Dark Souls 2: tank and caster style.
But the sellsword doesn’t just connect adventurers with brave companions; he also sells Eggs of Wrath. Crushing an egg in the universe of Salt is a tradition of war, meant to signify the commencement of battle. As such, crushing an Egg of Wrath immediately initiates PvP. Once battle has begun, it cannot end until someone dies. But fear not! Your fallen companion will be found alive and well in the next sanctuary or shrine you visit.
Asked about online multiplayer, they said, “There will be local 2-player and asynchronous online features. There will not be direct network play at launch but maybe later? No promises.”
If you’re unfamiliar with Salt and Sanctuary, it’s described as an “insanely ambitious platformer that aims to capture the “Soulslike” genre, faithfully reimagine it as a mechanically solid 2D platformer, and explore and develop the interplay of wonderful mechanics and themes like difficulty and danger, stylistic action and complex combat, and diverse, branching, and versatile character building.”
[Source: Ska Studios, PS Blog]
