Salt and Sanctuary vs Thymesia
Salt and Sanctuary is an action-RPG horror game from Ska Studios (2016) while Thymesia is an action-RPG fighting game from OverBorder Studio (2022).
What each one is
Steam files Salt and Sanctuary under Action-RPG and Horror. In contrast, it files Thymesia under Action-RPG and Fighting.
Explore a haunting, punishing island in this stylized 2D action RPG. Salt and Sanctuary combines fast and brutal 2D combat with richly developed RPG mechanics in a cursed realm of forgotten cities, blood-soaked dungeons, and desecrated monuments.
Thymesia is a gruelling action-RPG with fast-paced combat and an intricate plague weapon system. In a kingdom where death spreads, play as a mysterious character known by the code name "Corvus". Prey upon your enemies, wield the power of disease and find the truth in your own memories.
At a glance
| Salt and Sanctuary | Thymesia | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 7.8/10 | 7.0/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (89%, 21,874) | Very Positive (82%, 10,077) |
| Critic aggregate | 84/100 | No aggregate |
| Price | $17.99 | $7.99 |
| Install size | 2 GB | 16 GB |
| Steam Deck | verified | playable |
| Released | 2016 | 2022 |
| Developer | Ska Studios | OverBorder Studio |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Salt and Sanctuary vs Thymesia, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Salt and SanctuaryAction-RPG horror gameThymesiaAction-RPG fighting gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Salt and SanctuarySouls-like, Metroidvania, Dark FantasyThymesiaSouls-like, Difficult, Dark FantasyThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Salt and Sanctuary ✓Score 7.8 · 89% on Steam · 84 criticThymesiaScore 7.0 · 82% on SteamThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Salt and Sanctuary21,874 reviews · 2 GBThymesia10,077 reviews · 2 add-ons · 16 GBReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Salt and Sanctuary$17.99Thymesia ✓$7.99Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Salt and Sanctuary ✓VerifiedThymesiaPlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Salt and Sanctuary takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueSalt and Sanctuary and Thymesia on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Salt and Sanctuary (GamingPickz Score 7.8)
- The cheaper right now: Thymesia ($7.99)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Salt and Sanctuary (verified)
- Lighter on storage: Salt and Sanctuary (2 GB)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Salt and Sanctuary (21,874 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Souls-likeDark FantasyDifficultRPGActionAtmosphericDarkAction RPG
Where they differ
Metroidvania2DPlatformerIndieLocal Co-OpCo-op
Hack and SlashThird PersonFantasyGothicMedievalCombat
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Salt and Sanctuary is demanding, for players who want a challenge. Thymesia is demanding, for players who want a challenge.
System requirements, side by side
| Salt and Sanctuary | Thymesia | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | DirectX 10 compatible video card with shader model 3.0 support | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz | — |
| Minimum RAM | 1 GB | — |
| Install size | 2 GB | 16 GB |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Salt and Sanctuary · Thymesia.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Salt and Sanctuary and 1 for Thymesia. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Salt and Sanctuary and Thymesia in scope?
Salt and Sanctuary has drawn 21,874 Steam reviews and installs in 2 GB. Thymesia has drawn 10,077 Steam reviews, ships 2 add-ons and installs in 16 GB.
Is Salt and Sanctuary or Thymesia better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Salt and Sanctuary rates higher (7.8 to 7.0). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Salt and Sanctuary or Thymesia?
Thymesia is cheaper right now at $7.99, against $17.99. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.