Yes, tense is a good way to put it. Salt and Sanctuary was one of the first games I ran to after beating hollow knight to scratch that itch. It can be frustratingly difficult at times, (like all good metroidvanias IMO) but revealing the gigantic world, discovering more of the story, finding new items, beating the insane bosses, etc. was all so rewarding to me.
Now Salt and Sacrifice… That’s an entirely different vibe.
Glad to hear the boss fights continue to be challenging. This is one of the games I feel like I’m trying to beat out of pure spite. Does anyone else feel that way? There are some enjoyable moments but they feel rare. I just made it to the mother of mothers area and am trying to push through.