Slain: Back from Hell Reviews
I highly recommend that you add Slain: Back From Hell to your PlayStation 4 collection today. Writing this Slain: Back From Hell was the highlight of my week and I’m sure it will entertain you as well for several hours. If you’re a fan of games such as the old-school Castlevania series and want to face a very challenging release, then this game is a must-have for you.
"Imagine if the show Metalocalypse and the movie Heavy Metal had a baby. Now throw in even more bloody, visceral, H.P. Lovecraft-esque exploits that would make any hardened warrior blush. Seriously, if there was an alternate dimension that was a literal hell landscape, Slain: Back From Hell would be a perfect depiction of it. The art, music, level design, and creatures all come together to form an unforgettable, gothic horror experience. Although with all the headbanging I did to the soundtrack, I might not remember much in the long run. After all metal never dies."
Be prepared to be impressed but also frustrated with the difficulty spikes.
Overall, Slain: Back From Hell is a fun game. Despite the critical tone of much of this review, I very much enjoyed my time with Bathoryn and will be going back to try and unlock the rest of those no-hit boss achievements. It is best to go in with a clear idea of what to expect, however, which is a no-nonsense old-school hack and slash platformer fuelled by heavy metal.
Slain: Back from Hell is a more metal and modern Castlevania that looks and plays great, but is held back by a few sections which feel unfairly difficulty.
Slain is a fun retro platformer with a slick combat system, great visuals, and a killer soundtrack. While its difficulty feels unfair at times and the Castlevania-inspired levels and enemies may be a little too close to the source material for it to feel totally original, it’s still a blast to play.
You will go to Hell and back, just to play this game a little more. Definitely worth playing!
Slain: Back from Hell has certainly proven itself worthy of Beelzebub himself. I thankfully managed to dodge the bullet that was Slain’s initial release but there seems to be nought wrong whence it came back from hell.
Between every frustrating death, there’s a ton to like about Slain: Back From Hell, so let’s get rocking.
Slain: Back from Hell is a brutally tough yet impressively genuine retro 2D adventure.
It's also not a very long game. My first playthrough clocked in at around seven hours, though better players could certainly finish it more quickly. There's also nothing new to do once you've slain Vroll. But if you have a thing for the difficult platformers of yore, Slain: Back from Hell is a satisfying blend of what made those games great.
If you love a brutal challenge and don't mind dying over and over again then this will be the game for you. If you don't find that fun then stay well clear. There are no difficulty settings here, it is what it is so you either live with that or you don't. It's a shame the developers didn't include a casual setting to at least make the game a little more accessible to people. I am fine with a brutal challenge like this but many will just give up and won't sink the required hours in which is a shame as there is lot's to see. A stunning visual style accompanied by a great metal soundtrack and gameplay which feels satisfying when mastered make for a really nice little package.
Slain: Back from Hell is definitely recommended if you like the classic proposals for action and 2D platforms with a fairly high difficulty throughout 6 levels that may be a simple development, but in return, it delights us with an audiovisual section of scandal , a pixel art well done, a gothic art, dark and bloody, and a soundtrack that fits like a finger. Recommended if the setting calls you and the challenges go.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you’re a fan of challenging games Slain: Back From Hell is happy to sate your thirst for aggravation, loud music, and pretty copious gore...
Slain: Back from Hell is finally the game it set out to be.
Slain: Back from Hell is a stylish 2D side-scrolling action game that borrows from the best in the genre. It's wonderful pixel art will have you in awe more than once throughout your adventure. Striking down your enemies is brutally fun but also frustrating when you’re getting hit because of faulty hit detection. I just wish there was more to do after the single playthrough.
Slain: Back from Hell is a unique fish in a sea of pixel-art platforming throwbacks. The level design for the most part is well-done. The difficulty suits the atmosphere created by the music and art style. I mentioned earlier that Slain awoke a part of my past-self. Needless to say, it was fun to feel a similar adrenaline to what I felt as a 17-year-old. It felt like Wolf Brew reached into my brain, and plucked out a combination of my favourite things growing up. If the element of luck was reduced some of the checkpoints a little more forgiving, this would be essential.
This is what Slain: Back From Hell suffers most with. While it’s blatantly attractive to look at, the reliance on being too old-school in the hack ‘n’ slash department makes the game struggle to feel anything above mediocre. This doesn’t mean that I found it terrible by any means. There are a few decent surprises present and I am sure Slain: Back From Hell can be that guilty pleasure for some in its own right. I just didn’t find it nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be, especially considering the potential that can be seen within the half a dozen hours it takes to beat it.
Slain: Back From Hell features action and 2D plattforms with a Castlevania like style and lots of potential. Even though it has a great artistic design, it has some issues with the gameplay mechanics and some bugs.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
It isn’t perfect by any means, but Slain: Back from Hell is a far more worthy challenger than it was when it was initially launched.