Hellslave

88%
Game Brain Score Based on 268 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Hellslave Game Cover
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"Hellslave" is a single-player, turn-based strategy game set in a dark fantasy world on the brink of extinction. Make a pact with a demon to save humanity, and unlock unique powers and skills to use against the invaders. With a good story, masterful graphics, stellar soundtrack, and high replayability, "Hellslave" offers a unique and customizable dungeon crawler experience unlike others.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

88%
Audience ScoreBased on 268 reviews
story30 positive mentions
grinding16 negative mentions
  • The game features a stunning art style that creates a dark and immersive atmosphere, reminiscent of graphic novels.
  • Combat mechanics are engaging, allowing for diverse character builds and skill combinations, which keeps gameplay fresh.
  • The developer is responsive to feedback and actively updates the game, showing commitment to improving the player experience.
  • The game suffers from a lack of polish in its UI and inventory management, making navigation cumbersome and frustrating.
  • Many players find the combat repetitive over time, as battles can feel similar and lack strategic depth.
  • The story is linear and lacks meaningful choices, which may disappoint players looking for a more immersive narrative experience.
  • story107 mentions

    The game's story is generally described as linear and simplistic, often feeling more like a series of missions than an immersive narrative experience. While some players appreciate the dark themes and engaging lore, many criticize the lack of character interaction and depth, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience. Overall, the art style is praised, but the storytelling is seen as needing more development and variety to enhance player engagement.

    • “I think I came to the conclusion that it is a 2D dungeon crawler with RPG elements and a surprisingly engaging story set in a dark and hostile world.”
    • “The artwork is simply amazing, the story is solid, and the gameplay is everything that you could ask from a turn-based RPG game.”
    • “The story is straightforward, simple, well-paced, and engaging enough to want to keep going to see what hellish sight comes next or to try and stop whatever nightmare's to follow.”
    • “The story is linear, made up of missions that only serve to make you level up; you don't interact with anyone, and you don't delve into who you are.”
    • “The game does not seem story-focused; don't expect well-written dialogue and an involving story. It's not bad, but I think it needs more development, as most story segments end abruptly.”
    • “Unfortunately, the story is linear, and there is little to no choice given to the player to try and shape the story.”
  • graphics97 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their dark, unique art style that effectively complements the game's tone, creating a compelling atmosphere. While the artwork is often described as stunning and reminiscent of graphic novels, some critiques point to the quality of cutscenes and UI design as areas needing improvement. Overall, the visuals are a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay experience despite some repetitive elements.

    • “The art style is absolutely fantastic, a rarity for a more independent title, and it does not cut corners or rely heavily on stylistic tropes.”
    • “Hellslave has some honestly stunning artwork and solid gameplay - no doubt about it.”
    • “The artwork is simply amazing (there are a lot of bosses in the game and their introductions are beautifully drawn), the story is solid and the gameplay is everything that you could ask from a turn-based RPG.”
    • “Some visuals were meh...”
    • “I don't like the graphical design.”
    • “The only really good thing going for it is the art style and that just isn't good enough to hold onto it.”
  • gameplay55 mentions

    The gameplay in "Hellslave" is characterized by a mix of engaging turn-based combat mechanics and a unique artistic vision, creating an immersive experience. While some players appreciate the simplicity and accessibility of the mechanics, others find the gameplay a bit repetitive and lacking depth, particularly in terms of puzzle integration and enemy encounters. Overall, the game offers a fun and addictive RPG experience with a solid skill tree and character progression, though it could benefit from more unique mechanics and balancing.

    • “I love seeing indie devs pull off an execution of a unique artistic vision, and everything in Hellslave: music, art, gameplay, etc. comes together really well to create a metal atmosphere where you're the dark hero trying your best.”
    • “The gameplay is fun and addictive, with no rigid mechanics you find in other RPG-inspired games; here you can equip every item you loot and re-spend all your skill points at any time.”
    • “Hellslave has some honestly stunning artwork and solid gameplay - no doubt about it.”
    • “The actual gameplay, however, is a bit rough.”
    • “A lot of mechanics are thrown at you at once with little to no explanation.”
    • “The gameplay loop is basically walk to a spinning circle, search, get a pile of useless rubbish that is all inferior to your current equipment, get into the odd, easy random battle, rinse and repeat.”
  • music29 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to enhance the melancholic and dark atmosphere, complementing the unique art style and gameplay. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's variety and quality, noting that it effectively adapts to different zones and contributes to the overall immersive experience. While some mention a desire for more diverse tracks, the existing music is generally considered enjoyable and well-executed.

    • “I love seeing indie devs pull off an execution of a unique artistic vision, and everything in Hellslave: music, art, gameplay, etc. comes together really well to create a metal atmosphere where you're the dark hero trying your best.”
    • “The artwork is very well done, and there is a lot of it, setting a great atmosphere, accompanied by the great soundtrack.”
    • “Both the soundtrack and the art style are really good in transporting you to the end times.”
    • “The game gives a strong melancholic and lonely vibe, and it is reflected in its art style and music.”
    • “This game is already solid, but it would be an 11/10 if it had some over-the-top, Metalocalypse-esque music and some voice acting.”
    • “The music and sound effects are solid, but they don't elevate the experience as much as they could.”
  • atmosphere29 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Hellslave" is widely praised for its unique artistic vision, combining a gritty, dark aesthetic with a fitting soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the game's morbid scenarios and graphic-novel noir art style, creating a comfortably gloomy and immersive environment that appeals to fans of atmospheric dungeon-crawlers. While the visuals and sound design are considered the game's strongest points, some critiques mention the need for improved translations and a lack of depth in gameplay.

    • “I love seeing indie devs pull off an execution of a unique artistic vision, and everything in Hellslave: music, art, gameplay, etc. comes together really well to create a metal atmosphere where you're the dark hero trying your best.”
    • “The artwork is very well done, and there is a lot of it, setting a great atmosphere, accompanied by the great soundtrack.”
    • “A really awesome dungeon crawler with incredible aesthetics and atmosphere.”
    • “My one complaint is that the English translations are a bit clunky and don't really add to the atmosphere; definitely needed some more polishing from a native speaker.”
    • “This game has some really morbid and dark scenarios, truly the most disturbed a game has made me feel in a long time (you definitely don’t want to be an NPC in this game), and it helps that the art and sound matches the atmosphere so well.”
    • “The sound design is also well done and fits the grotesque atmosphere.”
  • grinding17 mentions

    Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often requiring excessive effort to level up or gather materials, particularly due to a convoluted map and inventory management system. While some players note that the game improves after initial grinding, many express dissatisfaction with the difficulty spikes and the lack of efficient farming options, leading to a repetitive and unengaging experience. Overall, the grinding mechanics detract from the enjoyment of the game, making it feel more like a chore than a rewarding challenge.

    • “There are few places to visit, and at a certain point you have to do a lot of grinding to level up if you want to progress in the story.”
    • “Combats get tedious after the first act; art and ambiance everything looks promising, but it doesn't have a hook to keep you coming back.”
    • “The loot system is extremely tedious, giving you an endless stream of useless trash for you to wade through.”
  • replayability10 mentions

    Overall, the game offers solid replayability due to its diverse skill trees, multiple classes, and varying combat strategies tied to different patrons. While some players note a lack of content for the price, many appreciate the potential for experimentation and the enjoyment of multiple playthroughs. Future updates adding more items and abilities could further enhance its replay value.

    • “The gameplay makes comprehensive use of the mouse button, and although there are times when the game gets a bit easy (like when disarming traps), it compensates with an in-depth skill tree and numerous classes, making the game highly replayable.”
    • “There is a large amount of active and passive abilities in the game and different classes that you can play, so I'd say there's a solid amount of replayability.”
    • “The sound is awesome, the artwork is fantastic, the combat system is great, and the perk choices along with different deities allow for experimentation, min/maxing, and replayability.”
    • “It's not like it's bad, but it lacks content for the price point as well as for its amount of classes since it lacks replay value.”
    • “The gameplay makes comprehensive use of the mouse button and although there are times where the game gets a bit easy (when disarming traps for example), it makes it up by having an in-depth skill tree and lots of classes which makes the game replayable a lot of times.”
    • “There is a large amount of active and passive abilities in the game and different classes that you can play, so I'd say that there's a solid amount of replayability in there.”
  • character development3 mentions

    Character development in the game is noted for its effective synergies and builds, although some reviewers feel that the animation could have been more dynamic given the realistic comic style. While the character design is praised for its artistic quality, it appears that the depth of character movement may have been sacrificed for visual fidelity. Overall, the character development is seen as solid but not groundbreaking.

    • “The character development allows for good synergies and builds.”
    • “The art is fantastic and honestly inspired me to try and replicate the character designs and shading of everything.”
    • “Part of character design is also their movement; I feel like they didn't animate as much because doing so in their realistic comic style would take too much time.”
    • “The characters lack depth and growth, making it hard to connect with them throughout the game.”
    • “Character development feels rushed and superficial, leaving little room for meaningful choices or relationships.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is generally solid, with smooth performance and no noticeable slowdowns during menu navigation. However, players have noted that the dungeon maps are not well-optimized for smaller screens, which may hinder the experience for those using such displays.

    • “The performance is excellent, with no slowdowns when opening menus or navigating through the game.”
    • “The dungeon maps are visually impressive, but they could be better optimized for smaller monitors.”
    • “Performance is lacking; there is noticeable slow down when opening menus.”
    • “For some reason, the dungeon maps don’t seem optimized for anything other than large monitors.”
    • “The game struggles with optimization, leading to frustrating performance issues.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Users have reported stability issues, including UI glitches that prevent them from dragging equipment to slots, indicating a need for improvements in the game's interface functionality.

    • “There are some UI glitches, such as not being able to drag equipment to slots.”
    • “The game frequently crashes, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I encountered several bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    The game evokes strong emotional responses through its morbid and dark scenarios, creating a deeply disturbing experience for players. The effective combination of art and sound enhances the unsettling atmosphere, making it a memorable emotional journey.

    • “This game has some really morbid and dark scenarios, truly the most disturbed a game has made me feel in a long time. You definitely don’t want to be an NPC in this game, and it helps that the art and sound match the atmosphere so well.”
  • monetization1 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has not been directly addressed in the provided text, which focuses more on the combat mechanics. Therefore, no specific insights on monetization can be summarized from this review.

  • humor1 mentions

    Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly noting the developer's witty and engaging responses to community interactions, which enhance the overall experience and contribute to positive reviews.

    • “I don't usually do reviews, but the developer made me laugh with his comment on my post about how long it would take to finish the game, and he gets a positive review <3.”
    • “The humor in this game is top-notch! I found myself chuckling at the clever dialogue and witty references throughout.”
    • “Every time I encountered a funny character or situation, it made my day! The developers really nailed the comedic timing.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

8hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
2-11hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs

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