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.
Stunning art style and visuals that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for 90s biopunk aesthetics.
Engaging combat system that combines fighting game mechanics with beat 'em up elements, allowing for deep combo potential.
Well-written story and character development that keeps players invested in the narrative.
Frustrating difficulty spikes, particularly in later levels, with enemies that can juggle players and have super armor, leading to cheap deaths.
Lack of a comprehensive tutorial and move list, making it difficult for players to fully understand the combat mechanics.
Performance issues, including frame rate drops and bugs that can disrupt gameplay, detracting from the overall experience.
gameplay
286 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
68%
8%
The gameplay of *Slave Zero X* is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of fast-paced beat 'em up mechanics and fighting game elements that can be both rewarding and frustrating. While the combat mechanics are praised for their depth and complexity, many players find the lack of clear tutorials and repetitive enemy designs detract from the overall experience. The game excels in its stylish presentation and engaging combat when mastered, but it suffers from balancing issues and a steep learning curve that may alienate some players.
“The gameplay is a lot of fun and the story is overall fantastic.”
“Peak gameplay for an FGC player, the world needs more of this.”
“The beat 'em up gameplay with a Devil May Cry twist makes it all the better.”
“The gameplay of Slave Zero X is very poorly designed.”
“In the end, Slave Zero X is a game that has some of the best art, character design, beautiful voice acting, and world-building I have seen in a game, but it's all brought down due to boring gameplay and horrible enemy design.”
“This game does a terrible job at explaining its mechanics, the platforming sucks, and stunlocking is almost impossible to get out of.”
story
141 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
48%
9%
The story of "Slave Zero X" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its engaging themes and character development, particularly the fusion of a human with a sentient mech suit in a dystopian setting. While some found the narrative straightforward and occasionally rushed, others praised its emotional depth and stylish presentation, noting that it effectively complements the game's fast-paced combat. Overall, the story is seen as a strong aspect of the game, though opinions vary on its complexity and execution.
“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. You can tell it's a biopunk dystopian future setting, and that you gorily kill things in it in very flashy ways.”
“The story is not interesting at all and the main character is kind of cringe.”
“There's a few things to just point out, the story just simply exists; it's not good but it's not bad either.”
“For story, honestly I think it just plain stinks by the end of it.”
graphics
140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
43%
6%
The graphics of "Slave Zero X" are widely praised for their unique and striking art style, blending biopunk aesthetics with retro influences reminiscent of PS1-era visuals. Many reviewers highlight the game's beautiful character designs, detailed environments, and smooth animations, which contribute to an immersive experience. However, some players report technical issues, such as graphical bugs and performance problems, that detract from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The story, music, and graphics are all great and made me want to dive deeper into this universe, and I was fairly invested by the end of it. The wonderfully rendered 3D backgrounds and dopamine-inducing animations make for a lot of memorable moments.”
“The graphics are wild, like a beautiful dream, with colors so bright, they make your eyes gleam.”
“Bridge’s visceral art style blends beautifully with the biopunk aesthetic, resulting in a gorgeous look.”
“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.”
“Playing with the (pathetic) graphics settings helps none as well; why is it just geometry and lighting?”
“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.”
music
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
45%
4%
The music in "Slave Zero X" has received widespread acclaim for its energetic and fitting soundtrack, which enhances the game's fast-paced combat and immersive atmosphere. Reviewers noted the blend of cyberpunk elements, catchy melodies, and high-quality sound design, with many expressing a desire to purchase the soundtrack separately. While some mentioned minor audio issues, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's appeal and emotional impact.
“The music is brimming with cyberpunk arpeggios, wailing guitars, and thumping breakbeat.”
“Slave Zero X nails it with its killer art style, smooth hack 'n' slash action, and an insane soundtrack that amps up the whole experience.”
“The soundtrack for this game is mostly what sold me on it and it’s amazing in every way.”
“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.”
optimization
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many users reporting severe performance issues, bugs, and system requirements that do not align with actual gameplay experience. While some players found enjoyment in the game despite these flaws, they recommend waiting for patches to address the numerous performance problems. In contrast, the game reportedly performs well on the Nintendo Switch, offering smooth gameplay and responsive controls.
“Also played it on Steam Deck in docked mode with an Xbox controller and had no issues performance or gameplay-wise.”
“Performance is generally smooth, with consistent framerate and minimal loading times.”
“Controls and performance on the Nintendo Switch, Slave Zero X performs well, with responsive controls that are well-suited to the game’s fast-paced action.”
“Game's optimization remains non-existent.”
“The system requirements do not represent this game's performance.”
“Seems fun enough, but jesus christ what a dumpster fire of performance and zero assistance or info online.”
character development
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
86%
14%
Character development in "Slave Zero X" is highlighted by exceptional art and character design, with a strong emphasis on a biomechanical aesthetic that resonates with players. The game's narrative and voice acting are praised, contributing to an immersive experience, although some players note gameplay issues that detract from the overall enjoyment. Despite these challenges, the unique character designs and vibrant environments stand out as significant strengths of the game.
“The character design is amazing, the HUD is sexy, and while the game is tough to get used to, the brutal challenge makes it all the more bloodthirsty.”
“The character designs are also great, committing to that biomechanical look the original had to move away from.”
“Now the abstract stuff, it's hard to find words to describe how awesome the character designs, environments, sound design, and music truly are.”
humor
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by witty dialogue and amusing characters, such as the Morshu shopkeep, who adds levity but can disrupt narrative tension. Players find the taunting wallbounces to be both humorous and frustrating, showcasing a blend of comedy that enhances the overall experience. Overall, the writing effectively balances serious moments with comedic elements, keeping players engaged.
“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.”
grinding
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to repetitive enemy encounters and the presence of particularly challenging enemy types. While some mechanics, like fatal sync, offer ways to 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 progressing through the game.
“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 lol).”
“It's outright pain and tedious.”
stability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability has been criticized for being buggy and slow, with users reporting issues such as enemies being off-camera and needing to repeat levels due to glitches. While some combat mechanics function well, inconsistencies in hit detection and a lack of thorough tutorials contribute to a frustrating experience. Overall, players find the game rough around the edges, with minimal support for troubleshooting technical issues.
“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.”
“Misguided, under-tutorialized, buggy, and also weirdly slow.”
“However, the 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.”
replayability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Players note that the game's replayability is significantly tied to its style system, which some found confusing and underutilized. However, the well-paced levels and satisfying game length contribute positively to replay value, with standout moments like the atavaka fight enhancing the overall experience.
“The levels are pretty well paced and the game length is satisfying and replayable, with Enyo's stage with the sniper gimmick probably being the most potentially annoying stage, and the Atavaka fight being a major highlight for me, very well done rival fight.”
“Imagine if the Sistine Chapel ceiling were playable.”
“I never got a grasp on the way the style system works all throughout; it's a massive missed opportunity because that's where the game's replayability comes from.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
40%
20%
The game's atmosphere is heavily praised for its unique "bio-punk" theme, combining striking art and aesthetics that create a compelling transhumanist vibe. Reviewers highlight the vibrant neon colors and well-executed cyberpunk visual style, which together establish a distinctive and immersive environment that stands out in the gaming landscape.
“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.”
“You're coming here for the art, the aesthetic, atmosphere, vibes, and the very niche 'bio-punk' theme that basically exists nowhere else (think Guyver or Apocalypse Zero).”
“The cyberpunk visual style is well-executed, with vibrant neon colors and a futuristic atmosphere.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.”