Oldschool gamers that pine for the days of classic gaming
have it pretty good these days thanks to indie games. There are a growing number of retro-inspired titles on Xbox One
now that look and feel just like the oldschool games they were inspired by such
as Shovel Knight, Axiom Verge, and Stories of Bethem, just to name a few. Those modern classics are joined now by the
best 2D Castlevania-style game in years, Slain: Back from Hell. Slain mixes oldschool 2D gothic horror
gameplay with a heavy metal soundtrack and gorgeous visuals to make an amazing
new, but decidedly still oldschool, experience. See our review for all of the details.Game Details
- Publisher: Digerati
- Developer: Wolfbrew Games
- ESRB Rating: “T” for Teen
- Genre: 2D Platformer
- Pros: Awesome music; great gothic horror aesthetic; challenging gameplay; oldschool feel
- Cons: Can be very difficult
- MSRP: $15
Originally released as an early access PC title, Slain didn’t win many players over with sloppy controls and glitches. The developers took the criticisms and generally poor reception to heart, though, and came back with a much more polished re-release in the form of Slain: Back from Hell. I never played the original release, so I can’t directly compare them here, but I will say that the version of Slain we’re getting on Xbox One is pretty darn solid.
You play as resurrected hero who has been brought back to
defeat the evil demon lords and their minions who have taken over the
world. To do that you’ll hack and slash
your way through armies of skeletons and other baddies set in gothic
horror-inspired backgrounds while insane heavy metal music plays. Put simply, Slain is pretty awesome.
The gameplay resembles the linear classic original
Castlevania titles more than the open world Metroidvania-style games. You generally fight your way through each
level from left to right, occasionally with some vertical platforming, and hack
and slash your way through any enemy that stands in your way. Instead of a whip you’re carrying a sword
and some magic projectiles, but other than that this is pure Castlevania-style
gameplay through and through. You pick
up fire and ice upgrades along the way, too, which changes up your combos and
the timing of things a bit to keep everything interesting.
There are some gameplay mechanics that help bring Slain up
to more modern standards, though. First
is the addition of a parry that, when used by blocking an attack with the right
timing, instantly counter-attacks enemies with a devastating power move. The parry and resulting power move are vital
to taking down bosses. Second, rather
than being a one hit and you’re dead affair like so many retro-style indie
platformers, Slain has a health meter so you can absorb a few hits before going
down. The game also has fairly friendly
checkpoints scattered in each level so that, when you do die (and you will die
a lot), you aren’t set back too far.
I feel like these mechanics give the game a nice balance
that keeps it playable and enjoyable.
It still feels like an oldschool game, but isn’t nearly as punishing as
many older titles were and some indie games can be. Even with these modern concessions, though, Slain is still a
brutally hard game that will test your patience. All of the oldschool tropes like seemingly impossibly hard jumps
and damage sponge bosses are present and accounted for, and it is up to you to
learn the patterns, master the gameplay, and get through it all and it can be a
ton of fun.
A big part of Slain: Back From Hell’s appeal comes from the
presentation and I have to say, it’s stunning.
The 2D sprite graphics look absolutely fantastic and the gothic
backgrounds and demonic enemy designs are great. The whole game is full of scenes perfect for a heavy metal album
cover, which is appropriate considering the awesome 80’s thrash metal
soundtrack. Seriously, the music in
Slain freaking rocks. The music is also
interesting in how it builds and grows in intensity over the course of the
game.
All of this comes together to create a game with satisfying
and challenging gameplay and absolutely incredible presentation that no
oldschool 2D action platformer fan should pass up. It isn’t a super long game – which also largely depends on how
quickly you learn the mechanics and how often you die – but has decent replay
value thanks to some clever achievements and is easily worth the $15 asking
price when everything is said and done.
Slain: Back from Hell is just metal and great looking and awesome. Buy it.
Disclosure; A review code was provided by the publisher.
