Saltsea Chronicles review (PS5)

Saltsea Chronicles, the latest creation from Danish developer Die Gute Fabrik, immerses players in a post-apocalyptic world where a misfit crew navigates a flooded realm seeking their missing captain while uncovering a sprawling conspiracy along the way. The game’s standout feature is its innovative multi-character control, allowing players to influence the story through a collective decision-making process. It sounds a bit convoluted on paper, but it works well and this mechanic elevates the narrative, providing a refreshing take on interactive storytelling. We played the PlayStation 5 version.

Set against the backdrop of a world that is bouncing back after a big catastrophe, Saltsea Chronicles’ narrative incorporates the complexities of rebuilding and the struggle for fairness and equality in a non-hierarchical society. The game doesn’t shy away from portraying the challenges of this system, adding depth and authenticity to its narrative through some adult themes. The diverse cast of characters is a highlight, each with their distinct personalities and backgrounds. The camaraderie among the crew members is central to the game’s relationship mechanics, allowing players to navigate conflicts and resolutions within a social setting. This dynamic makes the characters feel genuine, evolving themselves and their relationships as the story progresses.

The game’s approach to exploration emphasizes the importance of choices. Players select actions that lead to various outcomes, seamlessly weaving together the narrative threads. This, combined with the “Issues” mechanic to help you keep track of things, further enriches the player’s impact on character relationships and the story’s trajectory. This multi-character storytelling mechanic allows players to collectively shape the narrative, providing a unique storytelling flow.

The art style is somewhat reminiscent of Die Gute Fabrik’s previous title Mutazione, which was also striking to look at. The visual design, both in exterior environments and interior spaces, is a testament to the studio’s attention to detail. This even extends to Spoils, which is a card game within the game, adding an unexpectedly captivating layer to the experience – giving us a flashback to how Gwent started.

While Saltsea Chronicles is a great game that’s well worth playing, there are minor areas that could benefit from refinement. Most appear to be things that just need a bit of extra polish though, like screen tearing effects and a few typos here and there – hopefully stuff that will be fixed post-release, so they don’t take players out of the immersive story experience anymore.

In conclusion, Saltsea Chronicles solidifies Die Gute Fabrik’s position as a studio that crafts unique video game experiences. The game’s multi-character storytelling mechanic, combined with its quality writing and inventive character and world building, pushes the envelope forward in terms of what you can do with interactive narratives. Despite minor imperfections (that can also be fixed), Saltsea Chronicles stands as a testament to the potential of video games as a medium for thought-provoking storytelling – and is well worth the asking price.

Score: 8.1/10