Slain: Back From Hell
Developer: Andrew Gilmour; Wolf Brew Games
Heavy metal is always a good choice when picking a theme to base a game on - loud, energetic, and ready to kick you in the teeth.
Slain: Back From Hell is a remake of the game Slain, which wasn’t received terribly well at first airing. The devs took it back (to Hell, presumably), and returned with a bigger, bolder, better product.
Essentially a retro-style platformer pulled straight out of the 80s, Slain is an all-out homage to heavy metal. From the long-haired protagonist to the heavy gothic setting to the literal head-banging when you kill a boss, this is the genre incarnate. And much like many games from the coin-eating era, it’s hard. It’s not unfair though.
Most of the game involves navigating 2D platforms and swinging your massive broadsword at anything that dares come say hello. You could just hack wildly at enemies - that might even work for a bit - but you’re going to have to master the parry if you don’t want to become a footnote in history. Each enemy has a slightly different parry window, but they’re not hard to learn, and most attacks are reasonably telegraphed. Successful parries stun enemies, giving you an opening to get a free critical attack. It’s also possible to return magic projectiles from other enemies to stun their friends.
You have your own magical abilities, which can be useful at times, but largely serve as a backup to slapping things with steel. Your ultimate magic attack can come in clutch if you find yourself overwhelmed, as it can destroy most everything on the screen except for bosses.
Speaking of, most bosses don’t pose much threat once you learn their attack pattern. The real difficulty is the health bar, which turns the relatively simple fight into a battle of attrition. One thing to be aware of are the hints you’re given. Your sword gains a couple of elemental powers, and bosses can be weak to certain ones, so pay attention to what you’re being told - it isn’t all fluff text.
The story centres around Bathoryn, a legendary entity awakened to take on the evil that has been set on the land by Vroll. No spoilers here, but all is not as it appears. Our hero begrudgingly agrees and sets upon his quest. He quickly encounters a ‘noxious shrew’ (his words), who, despite the obvious disdain she faces, decides to help. There are six areas to explore and six big-bads to take out. There’s also a secret quest for those observant enough to find it. And I highly recommend you do, because it helps late-game. There are plenty of checkpoints too, so you’re not being punished with unnecessarily long repetition.
“Slain was my first #indiedev game after a long time working in Studios. It is a bit of a tough n rough game but it still remains very close to my heart.”
The art style is exactly what you’d expect - everything is beautifully dark and depressing and the world is crumbling around you. Enemies are all uniquely identifiable, and no effort has been spared on the gore. Colours are surprisingly vivid in some areas, highlighting the more mythological creatures.
For any fan of the metal genre, the soundtrack is glorious. Everything is here: lilting pianos, haunting violins, and guitar solos that will melt your face off. Curt Victor Bryant has perfectly composed 20 beautiful tracks to run alongside the game, and there’s not an inch given.
Slain: Back From Hell may have had a bumpy origin, but the love and devotion is clear. Creator Andrew Gilmour has said Slain was his “first #indiedev game after a long time working in Studios. It is a bit of a tough n rough game but it still remains very close to my heart.” For anyone wanting to experience the old-school feeling of pure demon slaying to killer music, this is where you start.
