Slain: Back From Hell

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.

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In "Slain: Back from Hell," players control Bathoryn and battle through a Gothic world, fighting grotesque pixel art enemies and overcoming fiendish traps to defeat six deadly overlords. To vanquish these foes, players must master three deadly elemental weapons, each with unique combos, timing, and uses, and learn the placement and timing of enemy encounters. Death is a common occurrence, with many gruesome ways to meet your end.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

70%

Audience ScoreBased on 860 reviews

music224 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

The game features stunning pixel art and a gothic atmosphere that immerses players in its heavy metal theme.
The soundtrack is highly praised, with many players enjoying the metal music that complements the gameplay.
The combat system, particularly the parry mechanic, is rewarding and adds depth to the gameplay.

The controls can feel unresponsive and clunky, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The game is often criticized for its unfair difficulty, with many players feeling that enemy placements and instant-death traps are poorly designed.
There is a lack of variety in enemy types and combat mechanics, making the gameplay feel repetitive over time.

music
462 mentions
48 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in "Slain: Back from Hell" is widely praised for its heavy metal soundtrack, which complements the game's gothic aesthetic and pixel art. However, many players find the tracks repetitive and lacking in variety, leading to a sense of monotony during gameplay. While some appreciate the energetic riffs and thematic fit, others feel the music fails to leave a lasting impression or enhance the overall experience.
- “I love the music and the checkpoints appear often.”
- “Great pixel art game with an awesome soundtrack!”
- “The soundtrack is amazing and the levels are challenging.”
- “On the auditory front, the metal rock soundtrack, while fitting for the genre, didn't leave a lasting impression on me.”
- “The music is of the heavy-metal sort, a bit forgettable in the way that it is mixed and merged with the gameplay...there are few musical stings or mood-setting moments and that is a little unfortunate for a game that is linear like this.”
- “The soundtrack is repetitive to the point of distraction.”
graphics
295 mentions
56 % positive mentions
42 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their stunning pixel art and heavy metal aesthetic, often likened to classic album covers. Many players appreciate the detailed environments and character designs, noting that the visuals significantly enhance the overall experience. However, some critiques highlight that the graphics can obscure gameplay elements, leading to frustrating moments during combat and navigation.
- “The visuals are stunning, and I loved the art style and the heavy metal tone of the game, which made me buy it in the first place.”
- “Slain: Back from Hell is a 2D hack 'n' slash game with a bit of platforming elements - and it probably has the most beautiful art style I've seen all year: heavy metal-esque landscape, bright colors, and wonderfully designed environments will make you think of rock and metal album covers, especially from the 80s.”
- “The graphics are absolutely stunning - some of the finest pixel art I have ever seen, channeling the very best of the 16-bit console era along with the glory of the old VGA Pentium days of platform gaming.”
- “The controls are really bad and the graphics are also nothing to be proud of; it's a pixelated game.”
- “The graphics are awful and the combat is even worse.”
- “I was tricked by the visuals; too much visual SFX noise, too little SFX in audio, and attacks feel very clunky (you and the enemies).”
gameplay
288 mentions
30 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Slain: Back from Hell" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its challenging mechanics, particularly the parry system, while others criticize its clunky controls and frustrating input delays. The game is noted for its retro aesthetic and heavy metal soundtrack, but the repetitive combat and lack of depth in gameplay mechanics detract from the overall experience. While some find the gameplay rewarding and engaging, others feel it suffers from poor design choices and a lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “One aspect I thoroughly enjoyed was the parry mechanic, which rewards precise defense timing with a satisfying counterattack.”
- “The gameplay of Slain: Back from Hell, with its fast pace and timing-based moves, is all great, but the real draw is its phenomenal pixel art and soundtrack.”
- “The gameplay is fun, I really enjoyed playing through each of the levels and while many of the monsters are just reskins of others, it's still unique enough.”
- “Clunky gameplay (you'll die more often because the game ate your input than because you made a mistake).”
- “The gameplay is boring, the combat sessions are monotonous and super repetitive.”
- “The controls are simple, and the combo chaining crowd will likely be confused by the fairly straightforward approach, but that's the point - this is an homage to the classic 16-bit side scroller, and they were all about making the most of pretty basic gameplay.”
story
64 mentions
22 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story of "Slain: Back from Hell" is generally viewed as simplistic and lacking depth, often described as cheesy and uninspired, with some reviewers noting its brevity and lack of engagement. While it serves its purpose in connecting gameplay elements, many players feel it could have been more interesting and better executed, with dialogue that is frequently criticized for being poorly written. Overall, the narrative is seen as a minor aspect of the game, overshadowed by its gameplay and artistic elements.
- “The story of 'Slain: Back from Hell' is that of a metalhead who starts off by waking from a tomb; Bathoryn, they called him.”
- “A fun and difficult metroidvania-like game with really nice pixel art, and a delightfully cheesy story.”
- “The story is unpretentious and over the top, and the art style is amusing.”
- “The story is presented in a couple of dialogues that read like nails on a chalkboard.”
- “The game lacks any meaningful storyline, your motivations are hazy at best, and the actual gameplay loop is uninspiring and frustrating.”
- “Not only are the plot and dialogue completely uninspired and unnecessary, they're also atrociously edited and inconsistent in their language.”
atmosphere
45 mentions
58 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, gothic aesthetic, enhanced by stunning pixel art and a heavy metal soundtrack that immerses players in a brutal, fantasy world. Reviewers highlight the unique flavor of each level and the overall cohesion of visuals and music, creating an engaging experience reminiscent of classic titles like Diablo and Symphony of the Night. However, some players feel that the music can be repetitive, detracting from the otherwise captivating atmosphere.
- “The pixel art is beautiful, and if you like heavy metal/dark fantasy vibes, you'll definitely love the atmosphere of this game.”
- “Amazing atmosphere and unforgiving difficulty, and beautiful soundtrack!”
- “The atmosphere is augmented by fantastic music and flavor narrative that complete the dark, gothic environment and works on the same vibes that made Diablo or Symphony of the Night so engrossing.”
- “The game itself felt like it was trying way too hard to be 'edgy' and 'cool' and it just came off as an edgelord cringefest to me. The traps blending in with the rest of the overdesigned set pieces littering the stage made it difficult to navigate, detracting from the intended atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere, which is visually stimulating, falls lower than flat due to its repetitive sounds and music.”
- “So, the music didn't help create the atmosphere of the game, when you have a dark and brooding game.”
grinding
28 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, characterized by sluggish controls, repetitive combat, and a lack of enemy variation. Many reviews highlight the monotonous nature of battles and the excessive difficulty that feels cheap rather than challenging, leading to a frustrating experience rather than an engaging one. While some appreciate the grind for its rewards, the overwhelming sentiment is that the gameplay becomes a chore rather than an enjoyable challenge.
- “Sluggish controls, awkward combat, and tediously repetitive enemies.”
- “Hard games are fun when frustration is balanced by fun gameplay, but here you get a lot of frustration and a lot of tedious repetition.”
- “You get to a certain point in the gameplay where the mechanics become very tedious and frustrating.”
humor
12 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is described as lighthearted and fitting within its dark, metal fantasy setting, often providing a contrast to the violence and gore. Players appreciate the funny dialogue, humorous achievements, and the overall fun atmosphere, although some feel that the humor can occasionally detract from the gameplay experience. Overall, the game successfully blends challenging mechanics with a whimsical sense of humor, making it an enjoyable experience.
- “The lighthearted humor in the midst of monsters, demons, and gore was actually decent.”
- “It's a fun game, with great art style and fitting music, and you can headbang when you kill a boss, which is funny.”
- “Its haunting and sinister atmosphere draws you further into the violence, complemented by a bit of story and sometimes humorous dialogue.”
stability
10 mentions
20 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
Overall, the stability of the game has improved significantly since its initial release, with many users reporting a smooth experience free of glitches and bugs. However, some players still encounter issues such as broken achievements and controls, indicating that while the game has made strides in stability, it may not be entirely free of problems. The consensus suggests that recent updates have enhanced gameplay, making it more enjoyable for hardcore fans.
- “I've encountered no glitches or bugs so far, and it's regularly on sale, so I suggest anyone who's into hardcore games to get it.”
- “Runs great, looks great, plays great.”
- “Before, 'Slain' felt like an old-school hardcore action platformer... including not-as-responsive-as-you-would-want-them-to-be controls, questionable level design, bizarre bugs and glitches, and even spelling and grammatical errors.”
- “This game is buggy as hell.”
- “Hard for me to recommend... it had fun moments, and the art is beautiful but it's a pretty short and buggy game, the achievements are broken, the credits are broken, and the ending is terrible.”
emotional
9 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game is mixed, with players appreciating its artistic style and challenging gameplay, but feeling frustrated by its mechanics, particularly the punishing touch damage and unclear enemy interactions. While some reviewers recall fond memories of similar games, they express disappointment that this title fails to evoke the same sense of joy and satisfaction, leading to a sense of frustration rather than nostalgia. Overall, the game is seen as a flawed yet passionate project that struggles to deliver a consistently enjoyable experience.
- “I remember Total Biscuit recommending this game way back when, as it was a flawed but heartfelt one-man passion project.”
- “Slain: Back from Hell is a platformer that made me feel like a kid again playing Castlevania for the first time.”
- “Salt and Sanctuary had me loving every single hit, but this game never made me feel that way.”
replayability
7 mentions
14 % positive mentions
43 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game suffers from a lack of replayability due to its limited content, repetitive gameplay, and minimal rewards for exploration. Players express a desire for more diverse characters and stages to enhance replay value, but as it stands, the game is seen as offering little incentive to revisit after completion.
- “For the next game, I would like to request more playable characters like Bathoryn's daughter or his wife, each having a different weapon and skill set.”
- “Unfortunately, there is little substance to the world and zero replayability if you get 5 vaguely hidden items (which have a lackluster reward for obtaining).”
- “It has a few stages only, and no replayability.”
- “But still, for a game that you can beat in a couple of hours that has absolutely no replay value, the price tag should be far less than $12.99.”
optimization
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
43 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has significantly improved since its troubled launch, with developers actively addressing performance issues and enhancing controls. While the game now runs smoothly for many players, some minor presentation flaws and occasional crashes remain, indicating that further tweaks are still needed for a fully polished experience. Overall, the commitment to optimization has transformed the game into a much more enjoyable experience.
- “This game is a perfect example of something that started as a mess on launch, but with a developer being serious about their game and the people who bought it, it has now been optimized and fixed so it's pure awesomeness.”
- “The control is tighter and performance is much improved.”
- “Thanks to the updates, the game runs smoothly as it was intended to be.”
- “There are some rough edges here in terms of presentation: sound effects vs. background music, minor performance issues, occasional crashes.”
- “It sounds like perhaps there are some optimization issues that, at the time of me writing this, need to be resolved for some folks, but the devs are already looking into it.”
- “There may be some optimization issues.”
character development
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is largely criticized, with many users noting a lack of depth and poor storytelling. While the visuals and soundtrack receive praise, the overall character development is deemed unsatisfactory, resulting in low ratings.
- “No character development.”
- “Character development and story are just trash, but it has really nice art and soundtrack.”
- “Metal rating: 3/10 (because of graphics and character design)”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-50 % neutral mentions
150 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized for misleading advertising, particularly regarding its soundtrack, which does not live up to the hype created by promotional materials featuring notable metal musicians.
- “The monetization in this game feels exploitative, with constant prompts to spend money on features that should be included in the base game.”
- “I was disappointed to find that the game heavily relies on microtransactions, making it difficult to enjoy without spending extra cash.”
- “The in-game purchases are overpriced and offer little value, which detracts from the overall experience.”