# The Salt Keep — A text-based adventure and RPG

> Text-based adventure RPG with interactive fiction and RPG mechanics. (iPhone/iPad app by Alec Noller.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-salt-keep/id6444470170 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Alec Noller](https://appshunter.io/developer/1654872379)
- Category: Games, Adventure, Role Playing
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 4.70/5 from 14 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 11.0 · 6 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2023-02-06
- Data updated: 2026-08-24
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-salt-keep/id6444470170/reviews.md

## What is The Salt Keep?

The Salt Keep is a text adventure (think interactive fiction with Choose Your Own Adventure and RPG mechanics) and should feel familiar to fans of classic gamebooks and fantasy fiction in general. 

- THE STORY -

Set in a high fantasy world with low fantasy stakes, the character-driven story of The Salt Keep follows a struggling merchant named Doyle who stumbles into a life-or-death mystery. During the last legs of a months-long journey as a traveling salesman, Doyle stops in the seemingly deserted village of Cardwyke to meet a friend who has promised to help keep him financially afloat, but what he finds is even more dangerous than the crushing weight of debt.

- THE SETTING -

The world of The Salt Keep should be familiar to any fan of fantasy — it has breastplates, and swords, and other fun stuff like that — but is shaped by the vaguely industrial and creeping decline of feudalism. Sprawling merchant conglomerates and faceless business structures pull the levers of power as much as the dukes and knights.

The world is meant to be both a reflection of traditional fantasy settings (the England-coded sword and sorcery and D&D-style locations we're used to) and an answer to some of their most frustrating tropes. It's not a world of prophesied heroes doing Great Man Theory or of grimdark anti-heroes exposing the essential evil of humanity, but of ordinary medieval schlubs trying to survive within alienating and oppressive political systems.   

In other words, it's not a world a character like Doyle has any hope or intention of changing; he only means to survive.

- THE GAMEPLAY - 

The Salt Keep is a text-based game, so the action is described through text and the player navigates and makes choices via button inputs. Through these basic mechanics, you'll be able to:

- Guide Doyle through the village and the towering keep that looms above it as he searches for a means of escape.
- Collect items and discover their uses.
- Equip gear to improve Doyle's ability scores.
- Succeed or fail at percentage-based challenges.
- Earn experience and level up based on those challenges.
- Talk to and work with NPCs to make progress.
- Uncover secrets and missable areas.
- Risk grievous bodily harm.

Despite the prevalence of choices and risks, there is no chance of death or dead-ends. The story always moves forward. In turn, you'll change the outcome of Doyle's story (as well as those of the NPCs) not just through the things you choose to do, but through the things you fail to do, and the things you choose to ignore.

- THE DEMO -

If you want to spend some time in the world of The Salt Keep before you commit, you can play a demo in the browser here:

https://smallgraygames.itch.io/the-salt-keep

The demo includes the prologue and first chapter of the game, and any progress you make can be transferred to the full version.

- CONTACT - 

To be notified of updates on the game or future games, consider following on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/smallgraygames
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/smallgraygames

Screenshots were created using screenshots.pro.

## Key features

- Text-based interactive fiction
- Choose Your Own Adventure mechanics
- RPG elements with leveling
- Item collection and equipment
- Percentage-based challenges
- NPC interaction
- Exploration of secrets and missable areas

## Chart rankings

- #189 in Top Paid · Role Playing (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-salt-keep/id6444470170/reviews.md

### 4/5 — I liked this!

*2024-05-19*

Quite good! The maps perhaps could have been a bit more intuitive, as I got lost a few times and it took me ages to find the proper place, but it’s a great rich story in general!

### 1/5 — Unplayable due to bug

*2024-03-22*

The very first puzzle in the prologue requires you to visit a well, but both links out of that page lead to blank pages and turns all the other tabs into blank pages as well, making it impossible to progress from there. Complete waste of money.

**Developer response:** Hey there - thanks for playing, and I'm sorry to hear that! If you're willing, feel free to email me any more details at smallgraygames@gmail.com (if you're playing on phone or ipad, for example). Either way, I'll see what I can find and get a fix out for it ASAP. Sorry again!

### 5/5 — Great game

*2023-07-17*

I’m a big fan of fantasy and RPGs, including text based games, and The Salt Keep did not disappoint. I felt invested in what happens to the characters, and the story keeps you engaged with some fun twists and turns. It would be cool to have some sort of music or sounds to go with the different areas, but that said, the writing did a great job conveying suspense and urgency in the different scenes. I hope we get more games from the developer soon!

### 5/5 — Incredible narrative driven game

*2023-02-14*

Salt Keep is a fantastic story full of complex characters, deeply thoughtful writing, and just enough action and RPG elements.

### 5/5 — It’s so good!

*2023-02-12*

Captivating and thrilling interactive fiction with a user interface that is both accessible and lovely.

## Frequently asked questions about The Salt Keep

### What is The Salt Keep?

The Salt Keep is a text-based adventure game that combines interactive fiction with RPG mechanics. Players guide a character through a story by making choices and managing their character's abilities.

### What kind of story does The Salt Keep offer?

The game features a character-driven story set in a high fantasy world with low fantasy stakes. It follows a merchant named Doyle who gets entangled in a life-or-death mystery in a seemingly deserted village.

### How does gameplay work in The Salt Keep?

Gameplay involves reading text descriptions, making choices via button inputs, collecting items, equipping gear, succeeding at percentage-based challenges, earning experience, and interacting with NPCs.

### Can I die or get stuck in The Salt Keep?

No, there is no chance of death or dead-ends in The Salt Keep. The story always moves forward, and your choices, successes, and failures will change the outcome of the narrative.

### Is there a demo available for The Salt Keep?

Yes, a demo is available in the browser which includes the prologue and first chapter. Any progress made in the demo can be transferred to the full version of the game.

### What devices does The Salt Keep support?

The Salt Keep is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices, indicating compatibility with Apple's iOS ecosystem.

### How much does The Salt Keep cost?

The Salt Keep is a paid application, priced at $4.99. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned.

### How often is The Salt Keep updated?

The Salt Keep was last updated on March 7, 2023, with version 1.0.9. This suggests a relatively recent update, with potential for future content or bug fixes.

## Version history (last 3 releases)

### 1.0.9 — 2023-03-07

- Added a setting to disable fade transitions (off by default)
- Added better button labeling for screen readers
- Fixed visual errors for certain options when "Bigger Text" is selected

### 1.0.8 — 2023-02-07

- Small text fixes
- Updated store screenshots for all devices

### 1.0.7 — 2023-02-07

No release notes.

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## Related topics

[salt game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/salt-game)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-24.*