Here’s how co-op in Salt and Sanctuary works

Summon a friend

When James and Michelle of Ska Studios aren’t trying to sell me a cat cafe timeshare, they make video games. Suckers like me don’t just come along every day and fork over life-altering sums of cash. So, they’ve instead spent the last two years or so working on Salt and Sanctuary.

We’ve kept our eye on Salt and Sanctuary since its 2014 PAX Prime announcement, even awarding it one of the five best indie games at the inaugural PlayStation Experience. It’s a 2D Souls-like that’s exclusive to the PS4, and it’s not afraid to show you what crushing defeat feels like. (Correction: It’s actually releasing on Vita and PC too) Makes sense, given the whole Souls thing.

Today, the studio offers a glimpse at cooperative gameplay. A partner can be summoned by hiring from a sellsword. Judging by the video, co-op can radically change the way the game’s approached because a duo of players can implement strategies that a single player couldn’t. It comes at a price, though as enemies have significantly more health and also deal more damage.

There’s also a PvP element, which is initiated by crushing an Egg of Wrath. Once that happens, the fight isn’t over until someone dies. There’s no doubt that Salt and Sanctuary will kill you enough on its own; you probably don’t need to go seeking out extra deaths.