Dive headfirst into sand dunes and combat with Sands of Salzaar, developed by Han-Squirrel Studio and published by X.D. Network Inc. This one of a kind sandbox RPG centers on Middle Eastern culture and folklore, offers vibrant graphics with a thrilling and suspenseful storyline that is sure to hook both newcomers and those who seek out this particular “niche” genre of gameplay. Sands of Salzaar is still currently in Steam Early Access mode, so there are still kinks and testing to be played out before its gameplay is finalized, so there are still some areas where the game isn’t completely “polished,” but so far, I’m hooked!
There are currently two game arenas available, with one that is still in testing. I opted to just go right into the Open World and play through exploration. Although the second option is Custom Battle that entices the player with the line “Immediately start a challenging battle!” I knew that I would be tossed into battle early on in the Open World option as well. The fun of RPGs, for me, at least, is completing quests and exploring the land. Running into trouble unexpectedly, fighting bosses, and gaining experience through combat and character interactions. Although there are plentiful options to choose from with customizable character building in the game, it only currently gives the player the option to make their character male, which I hope is expanded later on as the game continues to develop. This gives the player limited choices in what they want their character’s physical appearance to be, which is just as important as the character’s class and/or skillset.
This game was developed by Chinese game makers, but this full version introduction offers a full English translation, which broadens the scope of the potential audience for players of Sands of Salzaar. This game is constantly being updated and improved while it’s in Early Access, and from what I’ve seen so far, these updates will just continue to make a great game even greater.
There are 12 character classes to choose from, and they are all labeled with their level of difficulty as well as detailed descriptions of each class. The Spiritmancer is labeled “recommended” for newcomers, and I would highly recommend starting out with this class even if you’re familiar with this genre of gameplay, as everyone starts at a low level, and the enemies and bosses in this game are no joke, especially if you’re starting off playing alone and don’t have a party with you. The Spiritmancer class does also come with an extra NPC partner hero to accompany you and to help fight your enemies, but they start at the same level as your character and only level up as fast (or slow) as your character does. New followers can be unlocked through specific quests and can also be kicked off later on; a deep Legacy system also exists in the game where points that are accumulated throughout the story can be invested and rerolled back into starting characters, allowing them to then have stronger abilities, items, followers, etc.
Gameplay consists of exploring a large, interconnected map with several opportunities for treasures, encounters with bandits, wolves, quests, etc. This is quite an expansive gameplay and I only scratched the surface with it as far as combat, treasure, quests, and encounters go. From the difficulty of fighting normal enemies in this game, I can imagine that the bosses require a lot of preparation and heavily-built skillsets and weapons to defeat. But challenging bosses are what make fighting in RPGs so rewarding. Overall, Sands of Salzaar seems like a very promising game with very promising and challenging gameplay! I can’t wait to see what other treasures this world holds. I would highly recommend checking out this game, and also following it for more updates, as that’s also what I plan to do. Have fun playing!
Check Out the Sands of Salzaar Trailer:
Sands of Salzaar is available for $14.99 for Windows PC via Steam Early Access.
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I am an army veteran and currently a sophomore at Portland State University majoring in English. I have always looked to gaming as an outlet outside of my everyday life and a way to experiment with playing different types of games and take on new and exciting characters with different backgrounds. It's kind of like getting to become a new person every time you play a game.
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