Sands of Salzaar Early Access Review: A Deep and Engrossing Sandbox RPG
Sands of Salzaar is an immersive sandbox RPG, blending elements of Dynasty Warriors, Diablo, Divinity II, and 4X games into something rewarding.
Ambitious sandbox RPGs often come out of left field. It's a rarefied genre with an invested audience, served by clutches of outrageously devoted developers. That's the space where Han-Squirrel Studio's Sands of Salzaar thrives, a Chinese-developed action-oriented sandbox RPG which centers on Middle Eastern culture and folklore, and it touches on everything from the Dynasty Warriors and Diablo franchises to city builders, 4X games, and visual novels. While many facets of the game lack polish or adequate instruction, Sands of Salzaar presents a vibrant and absorbing experience that will hook genre aficionados and newcomers alike.
[...]
There's a reason the Sands of Salzaar fanbase put in so much unpaid translation modding work prior to this full release: it's an inspired and engrossing RPG that delivers a fierce value for its modest price. It makes up for an occasional lack of polish with impressive and entertaining depth, and features an excellent soundtrack that somehow doesn't wear out its welcome 50 hours in. While the game is narrative-complete, Han-Squirrel Studio's attentive updates thus far means that more content could well be on the horizon, and a spirited mod community will only grow further with this English translation. Anyone wanting to lose themselves in a new sandbox RPG need look no further: Sands of Salzaar is it.
