Set in a flooded, post-apocalyptic world, the game tasks players to control an ensemble cast of characters who must navigate an archipelago to rescue their missing captain.

The player, controlling an ensemble cast of characters, must sail to islands and investigate the mystery behind their captain's disappearance.

According to creative lead Hannah Nicklin, players are discouraged from role-playing and making decisions based on a character's morals and experiences.

Nicklin added that each chapter is structured like an episode in Avatar: The Last Airbender, in which players are required to move the story forward while taking time to help the local community.

[5] The studio compared the premise of the game to Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which players can freely select the destinations for the crew and influence the story.

According to writer Harry Josephine Giles, the team "wanted Saltsea to feel interconnected, where each island is distinct but bound to the others".

As distinct culture converges, the team also wanted to explore the theme of traditions and how a community grapples with changes.

[9] In March 2022, publisher Private Division announced that it had partnered with Die Gute Fabrik for an adventure game.

While Private Division funded the game's development, Saltsea Chronicles was self-published by Die Gute Fabrik.

[14] Writing for Polygon, Ana Diaz described the game as an "incredibly thoughtful and ambitious narrative experience".

While he wrote that the story was "intruiging" and "well-written", he noticed infrequent text errors and felt that the game was very text-heavy in nature.