Slave Zero X

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 433 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Slave Zero X Game Cover
Slave Zero X is a fantastic game with fast paced action and combat combined with great gameplay rhythm.
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In the prequel to Slave Zero, Slave Zero X lets you control Shou, a Guardian swordsman who merges with a Slave Unit Prototype to become a powerful biomecha. Wield killer combos, stylish swordplay, and explosive ordnance to take down an army of living machines and stop them from being used as weapons of war. Platforming, air juggling, and wall-jumping add to the fast-paced action.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 433 reviews
gameplay50 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • The game features a unique and visually stunning art style that combines 2D sprites with 3D backgrounds, creating a captivating biopunk aesthetic.
  • The combat system is deep and rewarding, allowing for a high level of skill expression with a variety of combos and mechanics, including a burst system that encourages aggressive play.
  • The story is engaging and well-presented, with interesting characters and a narrative that resonates with players, particularly those familiar with the original Slave Zero.
  • The game suffers from significant difficulty spikes, often overwhelming players with enemy spam and super armor mechanics that can lead to frustrating stunlock situations.
  • The tutorial is lacking, providing minimal guidance on the game's mechanics, which can leave players feeling lost and unprepared for the challenges ahead.
  • Technical issues, such as inconsistent frame rates and bugs, detract from the overall experience, making it difficult for players to fully enjoy the game.
  • gameplay218 mentions

    The gameplay in "Slave Zero X" is a blend of fast-paced beat 'em up and fighting game mechanics, featuring a complex combo system that rewards skillful execution. While the combat is engaging and satisfying, many players find the tutorial inadequate, leading to confusion about essential mechanics, and the overall experience can be marred by repetitive enemy encounters and level design issues. Despite its challenges, the game offers a rewarding experience for those willing to master its intricacies, set against a backdrop of stunning visuals and a compelling story.

    • “The beat 'em up gameplay with a Devil May Cry twist makes it all the better.”
    • “Smooth and tight gameplay with a fantastic combo system.”
    • “Gameplay is the meat of the game though.”
    • “This game does a terrible job at explaining its mechanics, the platforming sucks, and stunlocking is almost impossible to get out of.”
    • “An amazing concept with excellent presentation let down by some of the most frustrating gameplay I've encountered in a while.”
    • “The gameplay loop boils down to feeling repetitive, made worse by the fact that the arenas are linear and the enemies tend to be simple recolors.”
  • story125 mentions

    The story of "Slave Zero X" is generally well-received, with many players appreciating its engaging narrative, unique characters, and stylish presentation. While some find the plot straightforward or lacking depth, others are captivated by its themes of vengeance and character development, particularly the relationship between the protagonists. Overall, the game combines a compelling story with enjoyable gameplay, though opinions vary on its execution and pacing.

    • “The story, music, and graphics are all great and made me want to dive deeper into this universe. I was fairly invested by the end of it; the story of a human's fusion with a weird sentient armor thirsty for blood was entertaining and even quite touching at times.”
    • “The story is genuinely sensational; it has fully enthralled me all the way to the end, and I love the story progression with Shou and Isamu and Shou and X.”
    • “You can feel how much the team cared about the worldbuilding and storytelling. It's a biopunk dystopian future setting, and the story playing out in Slave Zero X is dark and well introduced by the characters' expressiveness, making you want to see more of the dystopian setting presented.”
    • “The story is not interesting at all and the main character is kind of cringe.”
    • “For the story, honestly, I think it just plain stinks by the end of it.”
    • “There's a few things to just point out, the story just simply exists; it's not good but it's not bad either.”
  • graphics118 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread acclaim for their unique and striking aesthetic, blending biopunk elements with a nostalgic PS1-era style that resonates with fans of retro gaming. Many reviewers praised the detailed environments, character designs, and vibrant animations, which contribute to an immersive experience, although some noted technical issues like crashes and graphical glitches that hinder gameplay. Overall, the visuals are considered a standout feature, elevating the game's presentation despite some gameplay frustrations.

    • “The fantastic visual aesthetic is combined with flawless soundwork and high quality voice acting to create a near perfect presentation.”
    • “The graphics are wild, like a beautiful dream, with colors so bright, they make your eyes gleam.”
    • “From a presentation perspective, the art and aesthetics of the game are extremely striking and really tie together the transhumanist / biopunk atmosphere of the game.”
    • “5-5 crashes right as the level loads for me, making it unable to be finished, and, under certain circumstances, the game will fail to display the graphics properly, also making it near unplayable.”
    • “There are also large bosses in the background that can only be hit while they use certain attacks where they move their body onto your plane, but the graphics do a poor job conveying when the bosses are on your plane.”
    • “The collision, acceleration, and jump height are all messed up; you need to predict when you're stepping off a platform weirdly due to the 2D/3D graphics, and you sometimes just don't make it over obstacles because the game doesn't feel like it.”
  • music78 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread praise for its fitting and immersive qualities, featuring a blend of cyberpunk arpeggios, wailing guitars, and energetic beats that enhance the gameplay experience. While some players noted that the soundtrack can occasionally be overshadowed by in-game sound effects, many found it to be catchy and memorable, contributing significantly to the game's overall aesthetic. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, with many players expressing a desire for it to be available for purchase separately.

    • “The music is brimming with cyberpunk arpeggios, wailing guitars, and thumping breakbeat.”
    • “The soundtrack for this game is mostly what sold me on it and it’s amazing in every way.”
    • “The sound design complements the visuals with a robust soundtrack that enhances the action and mood of the game.”
    • “Also, I don't know if this is an audio bug or how it's meant to be (and if so... why?), but the ambience and soundtrack are often drowned out by the noise the drone that follows you around makes, which for some reason is 10x louder than everything else around it.”
    • “The music is alright, not quite as intense as I'd like for this type of game and a little too videogame-y for me, but it serves its purpose and is pretty catchy.”
    • “The art direction and music are top-notch, but the difficulty spikes can be brutal.”
  • optimization22 mentions

    Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews. While some players report significant performance issues, including bugs and glitches, others have found the experience enjoyable despite these flaws, particularly on platforms like the Nintendo Switch and Steam Deck. Many reviewers suggest waiting for patches to address the performance problems before purchasing, as the game has potential but currently suffers from various optimization shortcomings.

    • “It has a handful of bugs (raging demon will glitch your game out at some point for some reason), performance problems, and overall some gameplay quirks that need to be ironed out, but overall it's an extremely enjoyable experience.”
    • “Alongside that, just some minor hiccups with performance in some stages or the camera getting caught up in the air for a bit are more minor bugs and don't really hurt the overall experience of playing the game.”
    • “Performance is generally smooth, with consistent framerate and minimal loading times.”
    • “This would be more acceptable if they were just trying to appeal to a niche audience, but it is further hindered by abysmal performance.”
    • “Enemy spam, weak defensive mechanics, random bugs, questionable performance at times, missing key features that it probably should have, etc. it's still fun, but if you're not 100% sure, I'd suggest just waiting for everything to be patched before you buy this.”
    • “-audio mix and performance needs to be improved, badly.”
  • humor14 mentions

    The humor in the game is well-received, with players noting that the dialogue is both serious and funny, effectively capturing attention. Characters like the Morshu shopkeep provide comedic relief, although some feel this can disrupt narrative tension. Overall, the humor is described as engaging and occasionally hilarious, despite some minor annoyances.

    • “The writing is so good, the dialogue is serious, funny, and gets your attention.”
    • “The Morshu shopkeep is funny, but every time I finished a major plot beat and went to the shop, he basically reset the tension as a result, but that's a nitpick.”
    • “- Taunting wall bounces and it's very humorous.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often exacerbated by repetitive enemy encounters and some particularly challenging enemy types. While certain mechanics can alleviate the monotony, the overall experience is marred by performance issues and a lack of enjoyment in combat, leading to a sense of obligation rather than fun in grinding for ranks.

    • “It is not about difficulty, it is tedious and annoying.”
    • “But later on, the game gets tedious and frustrating, and I just was not enjoying how each combat encounter would recycle the same enemies. There are some really annoying enemy types, most notably these 'gold' hammer captain guys (legit harder than half of the bosses in the game).”
    • “It's outright pain and tedious.”
  • character development8 mentions

    The character development in the game is highly praised for its standout designs, particularly the biomechanical aesthetic that enhances the overall atmosphere. Reviewers appreciate the unique and vibrant character art, which complements the game's sci-fi dystopian themes and emotional depth, particularly in relation to its representation of LGBTQ+ characters. Overall, the combination of striking visuals and thoughtful character design contributes significantly to the game's immersive experience.

    • “The character designs and pixel art are all great and a real standout.”
    • “The character designs are also great, committing to that biomechanical look the original had to move away from.”
    • “It's hard to find words to describe how awesome the character designs, environments, sound design, and music truly are.”
  • stability6 mentions

    The game's stability is frequently criticized for being buggy and inconsistent, particularly in the final level, which may require multiple attempts to complete. While the combat mechanics can be challenging to execute, they are generally less prone to bugs, though issues with hitboxes can lead to confusion. Overall, players find the experience rough around the edges and under-tutorialized.

    • “It can definitely be rough around the edges; enemies can be ever so slightly off camera, and the last level (at least for me) was a bit buggy, and I had to repeat it once or twice.”
    • “However, fighting game combat mechanics are hard to pull off (especially within this context), which makes the combat rarely buggy or inconsistent at times, or with hit/hurtboxes that will make you scratch your head for not fulfilling their intended designed purpose.”
    • “Misguided, under-tutorialized, buggy, and also weirdly slow.”
  • emotional5 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game deeply engaging, with a compelling story of a human merging with a sentient armor that evokes both entertainment and poignant moments. The combination of evocative music, stunning graphics, and nostalgic presentation enhances the emotional experience, leaving players invested and moved throughout their journey.

    • “The story, music, and graphics are all great and made me want to dive deeper into this universe. I was fairly invested by the end of it; the story of a human's fusion with a weird sentient armor thirsty for blood was entertaining and even quite touching at times. The wonderfully rendered 3D backgrounds and dopamine-inducing animations make for a lot of memorable moments.”
    • “The music makes me want to cry, run around screaming, and smile.”
    • “The game’s presentation is designed to take players back to the 90s, and the narrative has both great bombastic speeches and touching moments.”
  • atmosphere3 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its striking art and aesthetics, effectively creating a transhumanist and biopunk environment. The well-executed cyberpunk visual style, characterized by vibrant neon colors, further enhances the immersive futuristic experience.

    • “From a presentation perspective, the art and aesthetics of the game are extremely striking and really tie together the transhumanist/biopunk atmosphere of the game.”
    • “The cyberpunk visual style is well-executed, with vibrant neon colors and a futuristic atmosphere.”
  • replayability2 mentions

    The concept of replayability is likened to the intricate and layered experience of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, suggesting that the game offers a rich and engaging environment that invites players to return for new discoveries and experiences.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

70% average critic score

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