Salt and Sanctuary is currently available for free.
Among games considered successors to Dark Souls, Salt and Sanctuary is recognized for most authentically capturing its spirit, even in 2D. The game delivers a perfect experience, heavily inspired by the 'Souls' series, with a combat system that challenges players to meticulously manage stamina and time their dodges against deadly attacks.

Salt and Sanctuary also features a flexible character development system, liberating players from confined classes and offering a broad selection of weapons, spells, and combat styles to enrich the gameplay. The game's distinct hand-drawn art style creates a dark, menacing world, significantly enhancing the gaming experience.
You play as an explorer shipwrecked on a treacherous island, tasked with finding a lost princess betrothed to the king of a neighboring realm. As you uncover the island's secrets, filled with bandits and beasts, you face off against massive bosses in a narrative that twists unexpectedly.

The game's setting initially familiar, morphs into a perilous maze of strange landscapes and villages overrun by ghostly thieves, amplifying the sense of danger and multiplying the anxiety far beyond that of Dark Souls.
Salt and Sanctuary is currently free on Epic Games Store. Interested parties can download the game here.