Salt and Sanctuary: Porting a 2D Souls-Like to PS Vita

Salt and Sanctuary PS Vita, a 2D souls-like by Ska Studios, ported by Sickhead Games

Title: Salt and Sanctuary
Release Date: 2017
Developer: Ska Studios
Publisher: Ska Studios
Platforms: PlayStation Vita
Engine: Custom (Ska Studios proprietary)

Salt and Sanctuary is a 2D action-RPG from Ska Studios that takes the DNA of FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series and translates it into a side-scrolling Metroidvania… with hand-drawn watercolor art, punishing combat, deep RPG progression across eight character classes, and over 600 weapons and items to discover. The game launched on PS4 in March 2016 to strong critical reception, and Sickhead Games handled the PS Vita port, which shipped in March 2017. Getting a game like Salt and Sanctuary running well on Vita is a genuine technical undertaking: the combat system is fast and precise, with dodge rolls, blocking, and ability usage that demand tight input response, and the RPG systems underneath are dense. Pair that with the Vita’s constrained hardware and you have a port that requires careful optimization. Maintaining the feel of a game where split-second inputs matter, without sacrificing the richness of the RPG layer that makes it worth playing in the first place.


Sickhead Games is the leading game porting studio, bringing Unity, Unreal, Godot, and custom engine titles to console and handheld including PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. From codebase assessment to post-launch support, we're trusted by solo indies and major publishers alike, including Humble Games, Sony Interactive, Nintendo, Annapurna, Good Games, ConcernedApe, MegaCrit, 17-Bit, Maddy Makes Games, Zachtronics, Keen Software House, Thomas Happ, Pocketwatch Games, EXOK, Young Horses, Taito, Jaleco, and Microsoft. We've shipped over 100 releases, among them Stardew Valley, Slay the Spire, Axiom Verge, Space Engineers, and Celeste. We specialize in bringing retro masterpieces, indie darlings, and PC classics to modern audiences like Grandia, Enclave, and Jaleco Sports titles.