Slayers X is a retro-FPS in the mold of ye olde Build Engine, spun off from 2019's Y2K-internet simulator Hypnospace Outlaw, that can best be described as Duke3D filtered through a parodical view of late 90s teen-culture, fueled by angsty Nu Metal, an obsession with the color green, and a plethora of spelling mistakes. This is all in service of the grand meta-joke of the game having been co-developed by a fictional character from the aforementioned Hypnospace Outlaw and there's an impressive level of dedication on part of the (actual) developers going towards making sure that the facade never once slips, right down to setting up an active steam developer account for the aforementioned fictional dev. The context is an integral part of the games very identity, inseparable from what would otherwise just be another retro-FPS among so many.
That's not to say that the actual game itself is in any way unenjoyable, quite the opposite actually. The build influence is so strong that one could be forgiven for thinking that the game's running on eduke or a similar build-derivative, the same recipe for guaranteed 90s-authenticity that games like Ion Fury used. Visual presentation, as well as gameplay seem to have come right out of the year 1997, barring a handful of modern conveniences, as well as a generally lower difficulty. The levels also follow the build-tradition of a varied sequence of semi-realistic environments, ranging from a dollar store to an upscale gated community and a county fair, establishing a broad lower middle-class suburban theme, like a distant cousin of Redneck Rampage, but taking place in and around the city of Boise, Idaho, instead of the rural south.
The core-gameplay is rock-solid, if not exactly bursting apart at the seams with innovation. The seven or so weapons are nicely distinct and fill all the usual niches without overlapping too much and the rather generous ammo distribution means that they'll each see plenty of use. The enemy roster meanwhile ends up being a tad underwhelming, only offering a relatively small number of fairly basic threats rarely showing behavior more intricate than chasing after the player (in melee enemies) or remaining mostly stationary and shooting (in ranged enemies).
But by far the game's biggest issue however, is its length, which is pretty pathetic, running at about 3-4 hours for a full playthrough. The length could've been doubled and the game would've still been a bit on the short side. Apparently the devs are working on more content updates, which I hope come to fruition, because there's really not much to complain about otherwise. As it stands, it's an easy recommendation to fans of Hypnospace Outlaw who need more Zane in their lives and a significantly more cautious one to everyone else.
Final rating: 7.5/10
originally written on 29/04/2024
