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RPGs, Adventure, Strategy—All in One!

Your Own Journey Awaits

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💎 First Impressions 

These days, a staggering variety of games are being released across multiple platforms.

With such well-established development environments, it’s become easier and faster to bring new games to life.

 

But from a player’s perspective, things can feel a bit different.

We're constantly bombarded with new releases, and genres are becoming more and more fragmented over time.

It can be overwhelming—especially when games flood both mobile and PC markets alike—making it harder to pin down what kinds of games truly suit our tastes.

Today’s featured game understands that struggle well—Sands of Salzaar, an open-world RPG inspired by Mount & Blade.

⌚ Gameplay 

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A Game for the Indecisive

Overflowing with Content

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<A parchment-like story screen that feels like a hidden tale or folklore. It gives off a strong TRPG vibe>

Sands of Salzaar, the game we’re diving into today, has already seen great success on other platforms.

This game isn’t just about RPG elements. It blends multiple genres and offers an impressive amount of content.

So today, we’ll be taking a closer look at each of those elements, one by one.

 

The first thing that stood out was that this isn’t a game where the story takes center stage.

Many reviews have compared it to the Mount & Blade series—and while I haven’t played those myself, I can say this: if I had to draw a comparison, I’d say Diablo IVcomes closest, in that it’s an open-world RPG where the side content plays a major role.

 

That said, the game also features strategy simulation elements and even touches on other genres, so it’s best not to view it through just one lens.

<You can choose between a story-driven mode or a sandbox mode focused on gameplay>

The game emphasizes this by offering two distinct modes.

In the story mode, you’ll follow a structured main storyline with dedicated missions.

The sandbox mode, on the other hand, places more weight on open-ended gameplay.

According to players who’ve experienced the game already, the key difference lies in whether or not there’s a main storyline to follow.

To put it simply: if you're looking to enjoy the narrative, go with story mode.

If you’ve already played through the story—or simply aren’t interested in it—sandbox mode is the way to go.

 

Personally, I found the gameplay to be more engaging than the story.

So once you’re familiar with the system, I’d recommend diving into sandbox mode for a more open and flexible experience.

<You can choose a class and Legacy bonuses at the start—clearly designed to encourage multiple playthroughs>

At the beginning of the game, you’ll choose both a class and Legacy bonuses to carry into your playthrough.

There are a total of 11 classes available, each with its own starting difficulty rated from ★ to ★★★.

 

Since it was my first time playing, I chose the Spiritmancer—the only class with a ★ difficulty rating.

I was also interested in the Nameless, but it required at least 120 Legacy Points to unlock, so I had to skip it for now.

 

I do wish there had been some sort of teaser video or preview to give a better sense of how each class plays. 

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Unlock Every Class and Legacy Bonus

Through Multiple Playthroughs

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At this point, you might be wondering: what exactly is "Legacy"?

Simply put, it's a system that allows you to select skills or items at the start of a new game to make your journey easier—or more challenging, if you prefer.

When you start for the first time, you're given 60 Legacy Points.

To unlock more options, you'll need to play through the game multiple times and accumulate more Legacy Points.

<Run across the desert to build harmony between tribes and regions>

To summarize the story: after the fall of a great empire, the desert has been divided among rival tribes vying for control. You set out on a journey to bring unity back to these fractured regions.

 

To do that, you'll need to raise your reputation in each village and gain the support of different factions. Once a village is registered, you can fast travel using the map—but early on, you’ll have to make the trips on foot.

 

Managing favor and relationships with each village adds a touch of simulation-game flavor to the experience.

<If you don’t understand your objectives, you might find yourself wandering for a while>

When you first start the game, you’ll go through a short tutorial battle and then be given your main story objective. Understanding this objectiveis key to progressing smoothly.

 

Objectives function much like quests or missions in other games, and they offer various rewards or increase Favor with certain NPCs.

 

If you're still unfamiliar with the system or how to play, I recommend focusing on the main or side objectives first—instead of just wandering the map like I did. At first, I didn’t quite understand what the objectives were, so I ended up roaming aimlessly for quite a while...

<Visiting towns is essential—for training, shopping, or expanding your squad>

As you progress through quests, you'll inevitably find yourself visiting townsto talk to NPCs.

But even outside of quest-related reasons, there are many things that draw you into town.

 

You can head to the tavern to spar and learn new skills, buy supplies, sell items, or recruit additional units for your squad.

Towns are also hubs for various other activities, so I recommend exploring them yourself as you play.

<It’s better to fight together—form squads with heroes and units to lead your army>

Earlier, I briefly mentioned "squads," but to explain them properly, I need to talk about the combat system.

A squad is composed of hero characters—yourself or other characters—and several regular units.

Hero characters can be strengthened by equipping items, allocating stat points,enhancing skills, or learning new ones.

Regular units, on the other hand, can be promotedonce they meet certain conditions through leveling up.

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Heroes grow like in an RPG

Squad units evolve like in a simulation game

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To promote your units, you’ll need various resources like gold and wood.

That’s why it’s important to gather these resources steadily by completing dungeons or quests, or by selling items you’ve obtained.

Since resources are also used for many other things, it’s a good idea to keep plenty stocked at all times.

From what I experienced, the importance of resources in the early game really can’t be stressed enough.

<Dungeons are risky—but the rewards are worth it>

<Some high-reward dungeons must be activated with resources before you can explore them>

Aside from quests, one way to gather resources is by exploring dungeons, which you’ll come across as you roam the field. Each dungeon has a recommended level.

Most dungeons can be entered without any special preparation, but some of the more rewarding ones require you to spend resources to activate them before you can explore.

As mentioned earlier, this makes it all the more important to keep your resources well-stocked.

<Still lost? Try using the in-game “Tutorial” menu>

Since this game blends multiple genres into one, it’s only natural that the systems can feel complex.

You’ll need to pay attention not just to combat, but to overall management as well.

 

That makes it hard for new players to grasp everything at once.

To help with that, the game includes a menu feature called the Tutorial.

 

If you ever feel stuck or need more detailed explanations about certain systems, the tutorial can offer useful help.

That said, I do wish the game had pointed out this feature more clearly during the tutorial.

📌 게임 총평 

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Tough to get into at first,

but rewarding once you settle in

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<Combining multiple genres well is a skill in itself>

Blending different genres into a single game is hard enough—but making them work together in a fun, cohesive way is even harder.

Sands of Salzaar pulls this off remarkably well.

The downside would be that the game mixes so many genres, it takes a while to really get your bearings.

I had to spend a fair bit of time just learning how everything worked.

But once you're hooked, it's hard to find anything quite like it.

 

And that wraps up our journey across the vast desert world of Sands of Salzaar!

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