[Completed] Pokémon meets Dark Souls - Pokémon: Salt & Shadow

[http404error]

Are you ready for a new challenge?​

Defy the perils of Cradle Island in Pokémon: Salt & Shadow. Explore a vast, interconnected world with dozens of possible paths to the end.
Be warned, the challenges ahead are unfair and some may seem truly impossible.

	1. Summon the Legends The legendary Pokémon abandoned the world to ruin. Only offerings from those with the will to defy fate can bring them back. Catch specific sets of Pokémon to perform the summoning rituals, then call the legends to fight by your side.
	2. No Grinding. Ever. Pokémon cannot be trained. They cannot gain XP from battle. The treachery of the former Champion ensured this. Players will have to use strategy to defeat powerful opponents in double battles with the Pokémon they have, making their way to higher level areas where they can catch a more powerful team.
	3. Just 13 Days Remain Each time you rest to heal your fainted Pokémon, time advances one day. There are only 13 days left until the end of the world. Players will have to use their items, minimize damage, and make strategic sacrifices to get the most out of every day.
	4. Non-Linear World Powerful trainers guard late-game areas; the moment you can defeat them you can go through. Even the Champion's throne room sits just above the starting area.
	5. Unravel the Secrets of Cradle Isle Item descriptions and scattered journals slowly reveal the truth of the island's past. They also hint at hidden areas, secret objectives, and more.

Warning: We made this game for a certain type of player. This is not a game where you get to make friends with your Pokémon and develop lasting friendships. This is a game of strategic sacrifices, where players catch new Pokémon of higher level to replace the allies that fainted along the way. Revives are limited, but the wild is an endless source of potential replacements. This is a game about exploring, backtracking, and using every tool you can gather to overcome the gatekeepers blocking your way through Cradle Isle.

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Quick Facts

• Playtime: Typically between 15-40 hours, depending on how many optional quests you do.
• Uses Pokémon up through Gen 8 (Sword & Shield).
• TMs can be used on any Pokémon with a matching type! Some new movesets are available, strictly adding to existing ones.
• Run from trainer battles! Scout ahead and prepare for the foes to come.

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You can download Pokémon: Salt & Shadow here

How to play on Windows:

1. Click the download link just above. The PkmnSalt&Shadow.zip file should download automatically.
2. Once the PkmnSalt&Shadow.zip file has been downloaded, make sure to extract it to an empty folder. If updating, do not overwrite your previous copy of the game.
   1. (To extract a zip file in Windows, double-click to open it and press the Extract All button. Once finished, close this window.)
   2. (You can also open your Downloads folder, right click it, and click Extract All...))
3. In the location you extracted to (the default is Downloads/PkmnSalt&Shadow), run Game.exe (or just "Game", it's the one with the Celebi icon). If Windows SmartScreen tries to stop you, you may need to press "More Info" and then "Run anyway".

How to play on Android:

Spoiler:

1. Download the game to your phone from the same link as usual.
2. Install the RAR app from the app store. Give it all the permissions it asks for and go into your Downloads folder, then extract the ZIP. The button is at the top and has an up arrow. (Important: Do not use Zarchiver or your phone's default unzip function! Do not switch away from the app while it's unzipping!)
3. Get the app JoiPlay and the RPG Maker Plugin. They will appear as separate apps, but you need both of them.
4. Open JoiPlay and give it all the permissions it asks for. Click the + and choose Add Game. Navigate to the folder you extracted to and choose Game.exe. Put anything you want for the version. Selecting an icon is optional, but there's cool art in the folder for you to use. When you open the game, it will ask for additional permissions for the RPG Maker Plugin. Grant them all.
5. Once the game is running, you can configure the buttons on screen by hitting the arrow at the top and then the gear. I recommend maxing the button size and configuring ZXCD to all be available at once. (This may be different for non-American system locales.) A and S are also useful buttons for page up and down. JoiPlay has its own speed-up feature.
6. The fonts will look a bit funky. There may be other minor graphical issues. Please report any other bugs you find.
7. JoiPlay has some problems with graphical corruption sometimes. Try selecting "Optimize Maps" in the JoiPlay settings, or unzipping again. This doesn't always fix it though.
8. Some people's phones freeze when JoiPlay gets to the credits. Sorry, we don't know why, but you can transfer your save to PC to continue through the credits.

Developer Discord Server
Want to ask questions, leave feedback, get notified about updates, or just chat with the devs? We'd love to have you. You can join the Salt & Shadow discord server here.
You can also find Salt & Shadow on Eevee Expo.

Who the heck are you guys?
Three friends that decided to do a weekend game jam about "Pokémon meets Dark Souls" and it turned into a year-long project. We've had so much fun working on it, testing out all the various routes and finding new ways to overcome the game's many challenges. Each time we did, we made things a little harder.

Didn't this used to be called Perish Song?
Yeah, we did some rebranding.

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Credits

Pokémon: Salt & Shadow:

Spoiler: Salt & Shadow Credits

Created By:
Benjamin Arvey
Reuben Covington
Dan Felder
Will Kolada

Featuring art by:
Sis Calypsis
Alice Fae

Pokémon Music from:
ENLS's Pre-Looped Music Library

Special Thanks to:
Zinnia and the Pokémon Tectonic team
Aleco Pors

Pokemon Essentials v19.1:

Spoiler: Pokemon Essentials v19.1 Credits

"Pokémon Essentials" was created by:
Flameguru
Poccil (Peter O.)
Maruno

With contributions from:
AvatarMonkeyKirby, Boushy, Brother1440, FL., Genzai Kawakami, Golisopod User, help-14, IceGod64, Jacob O. Wobbrock, KitsuneKouta, Lisa Anthony, Luka S.J., Marin, MiDas Mike, Near Fantastica, PinkMan, Popper, Rataime, Savordez, SoundSpawn, the__end, Venom12, Wachunga, and everyone else who helped out

"mkxp-z":
Based on MKXP by Ancurio et al.

"RPG Maker XP" by:
Enterbrain

Generation 8 Project:

Spoiler: Generation 8 Project Credits

• Battler Sprites:
  • Gen 1-5 Pokemon Sprites - veekun
  • Gen 6 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon X/Y Sprite Project
  • Gen 7 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon Sun/Moon Sprite Project
  • Gen 8 Pokemon Sprites - All Contributors To Smogon Sword/Shield Sprite Project
• Overworld Sprites
  • Gen 6 Pokemon Overworlds - princess-pheonix, LunarDusk, Wolfang62, TintjeMadelintje101, piphybuilder88
  • Gen 7 Pokemon Overworlds - Larry Turbo, princess-pheonix
  • Gen 8 Pokemon Overworlds - SageDeoxys, Wolfang62
  • Gen 1-5 Pokemon Overworlds - MissingLukey, help-14, Kymoyonian, cSc-A7X, 2and2makes5, Pokegirl4ever, Fernandojl, Silver-Skies, TyranitarDark, Getsuei-H, Kid1513, Milomilotic11, Kyt666, kdiamo11, Chocosrawlooid, Syledude, Gallanty, Gizamimi-Pichu, 2and2makes5, Zyon17,LarryTurbo, spritesstealer
• Icon Sprites
  • Gen 1-6 Pokemon Icon Sprites - Alaguesia
  • Gen 7 Pokemon Icon Sprites - Marin, MapleBranchWing, Contributors to the DS Styled Gen 7+ Repository
  • Gen 8 Icon Sprites - Larry Turbo, Leparagon
• Cry Credits:
  • Gen 1-6 Pokemon Cries - Rhyden
  • Gen 7 Pokemon Cries - Marin, Rhyden
  • Gen 8 Pokemon Cries - Zeak6464
• PBS Credits:
  • Golisopod User, Zerokid, TheToxic, HM100, KyureJL, ErwanBeurier
• Script Credits:
  • EBS Bitmap Wrapper - Luka S.J.
  • Gen 8 Scripts - Golisopod User, Maruno, Vendily, TheToxic, HM100, Aioross, WolfPP, MFilice, lolface, KyureJL, DarrylBD99, Turn20Negate, TheKandinavian, ErwanBeurier
• Compilation of Resources:
  • Golisopod User, UberDunsparce
• Porting to v19:
  • Golisopod User, Maruno

Gen 9 Move Animation Project:

Spoiler: Gen 9 Move Animation Project Credits

Thanks to the Reborn team for letting people use their resources. You are awesome.
Gen 8 Animation Project lead by StCooler, with additional contributions by DarrylBD99, WolfPP, ardicoozer, riddlemeree
Thanks to BellBlitzKing for his Pokemon Sound Effects Pack: Gen 1 to Gen 7 - All Attacks SFX.
Gen 9 Animation Project led by KRLW890 and Nut0066, with additional contributions by Toxillian, QuahogTheCreator, Lcorp, and Shashu-Greninja

Plugin Credits:

Spoiler: Plugin Credits

Advanced HM Items (modified, v1.0.1)
Moyo, Marin, http404error

Auto Multi Save (v1.2)
http404error

v19.1 Hotfixes (v1.0.7)
Maruno

Additional assets:

Spoiler: Additional assets

Crystal sprite by AntumDeluge (OpenGameArt.org, CC0)
Nurse Joy sprite by PokeJosh (DeviantArt)
Summit View assets by Szadi Art (itch.io)
Selected LA and Gen 9 sprites by KingOfThe-X-Roads, KattenK, G.E.Z. (smogon.com)
Underwater Ambience sound by Tim Verberne

 

[Sikoh]

When I first started playing it was definitely very difficult but once I actually got into it more and figured out more of the game and what I should do it got a lot more fun.

 

[http404error]

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 1.5.2.
Note that the download link has changed (in case you saved or shared the old link for some reason); You can download here.

• New item sprites have been added! Special thanks to Sis Calypsis for making those!
• A couple moveset changes to Seedot, Pidgeotto/Pidgeot, Luvdisc, Lanturn, Corsola, Dedenne. Galarian Slowking can now be found in the wild. TM Body Press now available in the garden shop.
• Removed gender requirements for evolutions. Any Kirlia can become a Gallade, for instance. Also fixed some AI issues with Attract and removed gender markers from battle UI and party screen. Location evolutions have also been removed, matching the series' change to evolution stones.
• Some wild Pokemon have less level variation now. A sad Shred of Hope is higher level now.
• Improved Eevee's stats.
• Fix an issue where your inventory wouldn't be reset at a certain endgame checkpoint, causing item loss or duplication.
• Fix The Steel Executioner having the wrong stats.
• Adjust part of a secret that was easy to miss for reasons other than that it's a secret.
• Prettify Shadow Cards slightly.
• Fix numerous minor typoes and issues.

 

[http404error]

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 1.5.4.

• Puzzle Battle RNG is now seeded! This means that doing the same sequence of moves should result in the same outcomes.
• A new Mountain Lord has been appointed. If you already obtained the old one on your save file, you can still go back and get the new one (and its constituent ingredients too).
• Major changes to The First Hunter. If you already obtained it, you can use an Ability Capsule to switch to its new ability.
• Statues no longer make you select all your sacrifices manually unless you have multiples of one in your party.
• A ton of new item graphics! Thanks again to Sis Calypsis!
• TM Protect has been replaced with TM Endure. We don't want everything to have Protect since the AI doesn't really know how to play around it. Most players never use Protect anyways. A lot of species can still learn it via level-up.
• A colorful Pokemon has been nerfed to not gain a whole stat stage but only 10% now.
• The move pool for Ancestral Machines has been greatly expanded.
• Fixed mints not being able to restore the Pokemon's original nature.
• HP bars animate faster now.
• Fix an NPC that respawned when it shouldn't have.
• Statues display names of special Pokemon more correctly now.
• Fix a Puzzle Battle move that couldn't be used.

 

[http404error]

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 1.6.0.

• Added a massive move animation pack. Moves all have cool unique animations and sounds now!
• Perish Mode has been restored to its full intended difficulty. Previously, there was a bug preventing it from increasing all the stats correctly. Even though enemy levels may seem slightly lower now, this may be a sharp increase in the difficulty of Perish Mode; beware!
• Graphical overhauls for Skyspear Summit and Distant Light.
• The Champion has gotten some new tricks. Don't worry about it.
• Fixed bug with Ability Capsule that wouldn't let you switch to the second ability (this issue was introduced in 1.5.3).
• IVs have been set to all 15s everywhere.
• The Mountain Lord requires an additional vassal now.
• Fixed the Mountain Lord being able to evolve, which wasn't intended.
• Recolored a lot of commonly used tiles.
• Some niche improvements to battle AI.
• Fixed a secret Pokemon causing an unintended crash (this issue was introduced in 1.5.4).
• Remove the grass rustle animation which was a common source of lag spikes.
• Minor fix to terrain immunity effect messages.
• You can look through the binoculars in Climber's Rest.
• Added some new books and signs to ensure that new players remember to run away from battles and learn to use the map to hunt for offerings. Improved communication at the ending too.

 

[http404error]

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 1.6.1.

• The final Elite 4 member has honed some new techniques!
• You can now nickname Pokémon any time from your party screen. Names can be 12 characters long now, too.
• The Champion has installed Memory Reservoirs in his Throne.
• Added a new optional boss as a reward for taking certain actions.
• Fix some issues with a few move animations having unintended colored boxes or leaving the user invisible or playing backwards.
• New animations for some moves. Adjust some long and/or very bright moves.
• Ability Capsules and Patches are now moved to the first bag pocket. This should make it clearer that you can use them in the throne.
• Fix a glitch with the lake cabin's Memory Reservoir.
• Polished various graphics.
• An optional boss is more resistant.
• Fix incorrect description for TM Rage Powder.
• Some new dialogue for the archaeologist.
• Improve some dialogue for an endgame secret.
• Added an autosave point after the final Shadow Card battle.
• Fix Fiery Wrath bypassing Protect effects.
• Fix a spot where you could walk into the sky.
• Brom's gift for humor leaves a mark.

 

[http404error]

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 1.6.4.

• Made a lot of team adjustments to the last two Elite 4 members and the Champion. Added some Elite 4 lore. Something changed in Perish Mode.
• Statues will now always produce a shiny if one of the offerings was shiny.
• Added neat little intros to a few bosses.
• Made it even clearer that playing Voltorb Flip has no reward.
• New wild moveset for Clauncher.
• TMs, Ability Patches, and Ability Capsules are no longer double price on Perish Mode.
• Nidorino and Nidorina are now available in Deepwood.
• Fixed an issue with the Queen of Orchids lacking held items. Adjusted an item for Camper Sleepy.
• Some foes have alternate Poke Balls now.
• A couple NPCs have new dialogue and behavior under certain conditions.
• Trainer Pokémon will now have consistent Natures.
• Various new graphics, many from Sis Calypsis again!
• The AI will play around Wide Guard a little better now, after it sees you use it the first time.
• Fixed some bugs, such as with the moves Quash and Nature's Madness.
• Clarified text on pinch abilities and Rivalry.
• Updated the Pickup item list again. No more useless Escape Ropes!
• Gender and gender markers are totally gone now.
• TM Hyper Beam added to Skyspear Climb shop.

 

[PeaceBloom]

Maybe a dumb question but is there a quick reset button? Seems like the normal F12 doesn't do it. Also not sure if you care but it seems the rpgxp file won't let you play test for debug mode(I know I know, it's not meant to play it on debug) 😂

 

[http404error]

Maybe a dumb question but is there a quick reset button? Seems like the normal F12 doesn't do it. Also not sure if you care but it seems the rpgxp file won't let you play test for debug mode(I know I know, it's not meant to play it on debug) 😂

You can enable F12 to reset by editing the mkxp.json file. It's disabled by default because rarely someone would hit it by accident, and because "Quit to Title" is good enough for most situations.
The rmxp project file was included by accident, it's not really that useful without the rest of the files indeed. If people want the full source code they are free to reach out to me though, I like to share.

A lot of reasons people might want to quick reset are also gone in this game. There are no more IVs or EVs, and changing a nature costs only 200 pokedollars. Furthermore, it's not too hard to get most shinies if you know what to do in the game. The most common reason people ask is because the ending battles are hard and if it goes poorly you can't quickly exit the battle to quit to title. This is something I want to come up with an answer to, though the above quick reset instructions can help in the meantime.

 

[shaswatdgr8pokefan]

This looks amazing! Pokemon meets Dark Souls is what I never knew I wanted!

 

[http404error]

The Moon has arrived!

Salt & Shadow has been updated to version 2.1.0.

• You can now visit the Moon, to experience a series of new quests, characters, Pokémon, and more! There is additional content planned for the Moon which is currently blocked off.
  • The Moon is accessible from the Glade of the Moon in Deepwood Brushlands. It is intended to be visited at any time during your playthrough.
• If Perish Mode is too much for you, you can disable it at any PC (it cannot be re-enabled except by reloading an older save).
• Reworked item pockets. Held items are now in pocket 5. Mega Stones are now in pocket 6.
• When you catch a Pokemon while your team is full, you can now view its summary and your team's summaries before choosing which Pokemon to send to the PC.
• The ability Corrosion has been buffed and renamed to Ultra-Caustic.
• Reworded many abilities to explain more of their function. Narrowed ability description text font to fit more in.
• Combined the gendered forms of Indeedee and Meowstic. Nidoran is unchanged.
• Messages in the Champion's Throne have been updated to tell you more about the boss run.
• The Light of the Abyss statue has been deactivated.
• Renaming a Pokemon that's already been nicknamed now pre-populates the field with the previous nickname.
• Updated sprites for the False Professor and the Queen of Orchids.
• Triple Battles no longer have range limits or Shifting (there was only one in the game anyways).
• A certain card has had its stats altered. Archibald adjusted. Fixed issues with Suit's intro battle and quest progression. Fixed bug with Lara's tourney dialogue which caused most players to miss a lot of it.
• Small tweaks to Warren and the true final boss. Fixed missing checkpoint in ending.
• Super Nerd Scotty in the Deepwood (the one with the Voltorb) has been adjusted and given a better reward.
• New Shellder wild moveset. Kecleon in Queen's Garden in place of Lickilicky. Chansey removed from Queen's Garden. Indeedee moveset/learnset adjusted.
• TM Hyper Beam added to Queen's Garden shop. (Was missing from patch 1.6.4)
• Fix bug with Instruct.
• Added something to marts.
• Fix Lock On and No Guard not working with OHKO moves.
• Fix Flame Orb/Toxic Orb overriding existing statuses.
• Improve auto-targeting logic for the ability of the Pokemon you get in Genesis Cavern.
• Added underwater ambience to opening sequence.
• Various other minor fixes and improvements.
• Fix an issue that caused a book to turn into a horse. It was probably unintended behavior. I think.
• The version number is now shown on the title screen.

 

[mgianni32]

Amazing game! Two quick questions regarding the moon though: I'm having trouble answering the riddle in the cave. "What's less than nameless" and the hint from one of the moon children about kings and peasants had me thinking it had to be "nothing", especially taking into account that the book right near the cave highlights it, but that wasn't the case and now I'm totally stumped. Also, since the moon doesn't appear on the map, I'm struggling to find a Komala for the sacrifice (I've searched high and low in Feverthorn Jungle to no avail. Any feedback would be much appreciated because the moon has been a highlight for me and I'd like to complete everything available to do there (would love to beta test whats beyond the cave barrier north of the pond if the team is accepting volunteers!)

 

[Swampert054]

Amazing game! Two quick questions regarding the moon though: I'm having trouble answering the riddle in the cave. "What's less than nameless" and the hint from one of the moon children about kings and peasants had me thinking it had to be "nothing", especially taking into account that the book right near the cave highlights it, but that wasn't the case and now I'm totally stumped. Also, since the moon doesn't appear on the map, I'm struggling to find a Komala for the sacrifice (I've searched high and low in Feverthorn Jungle to no avail. Any feedback would be much appreciated because the moon has been a highlight for me and I'd like to complete everything available to do there (would love to beta test whats beyond the cave barrier north of the pond if the team is accepting volunteers!)

Have you figured it out since? I'm also stuck there, Komala can be found to the right of the Lunar city, it's quite broken with only sleep talk & last resort.

 

[Swampert054]

Have you figured it out since? I'm also stuck there, Komala can be found to the right of the Lunar city, it's quite broken with only sleep talk & last resort.

just got the answer out of discord, it's "name"

 

[ashiasmith21]

HELLO HOW MANY GYMS ARE IN THE GAME?

 

[mgianni32]

just got the answer out of discord, it's "name"

Thank you!!