The Slater
- September 20, 2018
- Laina Interactive
- 8h median play time
Get on Steam"The Slater: Laina's Escape" is a first-person puzzle-adventure game where you play as Laina, a woman with the ability to control metal. Use your powers to solve puzzles, evade enemies, and uncover the mysteries of a repressed society. With a mixture of action and exploration, The Slater provides an engaging and atmospheric experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and satisfying stealth experience reminiscent of the Hitman series.
- The puzzles and difficulties are engaging and feel different, with hard mode providing a satisfying challenge.
- The atmosphere and level design are well-executed, creating immersive environments.
- The story is predictable and lacks depth, making it less engaging.
- NPC behavior is frustrating, as they instantly know your location if a body is discovered, leading to quick game overs.
- The game lacks a save feature, forcing players to restart entire levels upon failure, which can be tedious.
- story259 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The story of "The Slater" is generally viewed as predictable and cliché, revolving around a revenge plot featuring an ex-cop seeking justice for his father's murder. While some players appreciate the atmospheric environments and character backstories, many criticize the voice acting and writing quality, describing them as subpar and lacking depth. Overall, the narrative serves primarily as a vehicle for gameplay, with mixed opinions on its execution and engagement level.
“The story is a simple revenge plot of a gritty ex-cop taking the law into his own hands.”
“The cutscene production is excellent in this game, it really set the tone and had me invested in what was going on with the story, you can tell there is a lot of effort that has gone into making this the best game they could have made.”
“If you're looking for a deep, story-driven stealth game that will challenge you and leave you emotionally drained, then 'The Slater' is a must-play!”
“Voice acting is as terrible as you can expect from a game of this stature, the story is uninspired and cliché-filled, animations are extremely stiff, both mission and level design is boring and lacks variety, with only the last mission being somewhat of an exception but not wholly.”
“The story is non-existent; the main character's father was killed, whom we know nothing about, or the main character, so who really cares? There are drugs involved or something... honestly, you can skip the cutscenes and it makes no difference.”
“The story is nothing special; it merely serves to carry the player from one mission to another.”
- gameplay105 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "The Slater" is often compared to the Hitman series, featuring a first-person stealth approach that emphasizes puzzle-like encounters and strategic planning. While some players appreciate the nostalgic elements and find the mechanics enjoyable, many criticize the gameplay for being repetitive, simplistic, and lacking depth, with limited options for mission completion and poor AI. Overall, the game offers a decent experience for stealth enthusiasts, but it suffers from clunky execution and a need for more variety and polish.
“Intense stealth gameplay: every encounter is a puzzle waiting to be solved.”
“These mechanics add a layer of strategy and immersion, allowing players to truly manipulate their surroundings and avoid detection.”
“The gameplay is simple, smooth, and attractive, plus it's first-person.”
“If you ever wanted to experience the gameplay of Hitman in FPS with indie style - and with significantly worse execution - then I would recommend The Slater to you.”
“This lack of variety makes the gameplay feel repetitive.”
“The gameplay is clunky and hard to customize.”
- graphics61 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the noir aesthetic and decent visuals for an indie title, while others criticize the dated animations and occasional jankiness. Some users find the graphics charming and nostalgic, reminiscent of mid-2000s games, but others express frustration with features like chromatic aberration that detract from the experience. Overall, the graphics are considered satisfactory for the game's price point, though they do not reach the polish of AAA titles.
“The art direction nails the noir aesthetic.”
“Graphics are good enough not to hurt your eyes, and each scenery tells a story of the villains you are assassinating.”
“For a £10 game, the graphics are amazing.”
“I was enjoying the game until the aggressive chromatic aberration kicked in. I absolutely hate chromatic aberration; it's completely unnecessary and causes me nausea. I understand if developers want to add it to hide discrepancies in the visuals, but as a gamer, I just want to enjoy the game. Please update the game and add an option in the settings to disable chromatic aberration.”
“The game is a bit janky with rather basic level design. The art and visuals leave a lot to be desired, and there is not really much freedom of approach.”
“The graphics are dated and look like Hitman: Blood Money, but it's not a problem for immersion.”
- humor28 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely derived from its unintentional comedic elements, such as awkward animations, cheesy dialogue, and hilariously bad voice acting, which many players found endearing rather than off-putting. While the game attempts to capture the humor of classic hitman titles, it often veers into the realm of "so bad it's good," providing a mix of genuine laughs and cringe-worthy moments. Overall, players recommend it as a lighthearted experience, especially if approached with the right expectations.
“I gotta give it to the dev(s) though, they kinda get the humor aspect of hitman games (especially considering the older ones), even if just on a surface level.”
“The game does have a good amount of unintentionally funny moments as well, which increases the enjoyment factor for me.”
“Oh man the dialog, cutscenes and script are so cheesy it’s hilarious.”
- atmosphere21 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, immersive environments that effectively draw players into the narrative, reminiscent of titles like Max Payne and Hitman. The combination of gritty locations, cinematic cutscenes, and thoughtful level design contributes to a tense and engaging experience, despite some criticisms regarding character design and dialogue. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a strong element, enhancing the game's appeal even if other aspects may fall short.
“🌆 Atmospheric environments: explore gritty, emotion-filled locations that pull you into the story.”
“The standout feature of the game is undoubtedly its locations and its ability to create a dark and immersive atmosphere.”
“The world is dark, moody, and atmospheric, which is the strongest element of the game.”
“It copies the presentation of Max Payne 3 and the atmosphere of Hitman: Absolution with levels that are heavily 'inspired' from both Absolution and Blood Money, but you can put 'dollar store equivalent of' before each of those aspects.”
“The graphics, voice acting, and atmosphere are okay.”
“Some of the dialogue fit in well with the atmosphere, and some of it was cheesy enough to ruin the tone.”
- music15 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its ability to create a relaxing atmosphere and fit the story's mood, while others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking memorable elements. Despite being primarily developed by one person, the soundtrack is noted for its gritty tone, though it may not effectively enhance the overall experience due to poor sound design and inconsistent audio quality. Overall, while the music contributes to the game's ambiance, it falls short of leaving a lasting impression.
“Complete with a good soundtrack, comes a simpler, shorter, and easy-to-navigate addition to the genre of stealth, and a more relaxed experience for those who enjoy it.”
“The mood, music, and atmosphere is otherwise spot on, but accompanied with proper writing, this could have been a truly pleasant experience.”
“Music fits well with the story progression.”
“The visual elements are torturing, controls are wonky, the music/sound effects/voice overs are cringy, and the storyline is inconsistent.”
“Even if you wanted to rely on sound, it's so bad it doesn't tell you anything: since sound doesn't travel much and it ignores walls, you have a bar where you can't hear the music from one end and a hotel room where you can hear the person just above you snoring.”
“No ambient music.”
- replayability11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The game's replayability is mixed; while it offers six missions with multiple objectives that encourage experimentation and strategy, many players find the overall experience lacking due to simplistic level design and a weak narrative. Some enjoy the challenge of replaying on harder difficulties and achieving specific goals, but others feel the limited content and basic mechanics diminish its long-term appeal. Overall, it has potential for replayability, particularly for those seeking to refine their skills, but it may not satisfy everyone.
“With six missions and multiple objectives, you can replay levels to discover new strategies and outcomes.”
“The Hitman series arguably offers more alternative kills, which enhance the experience and increase the replay value.”
“The difficulties and ranking add a good amount of replayability.”
“However, its main protagonist and storytelling has some rather creative moments despite its subpar replay value.”
“There are only 6 small levels with no replayability, so you'll finish it in 3 hours.”
“It's not well made at all; the story sucks, the levels are basic even on hard, and there's no replay value, but if you go into it knowing it's a cheap, janky game, it can be half decent fun.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players noting significant performance issues, particularly on higher refresh rate monitors, while it generally performs adequately on 60Hz displays. Additionally, some levels are reported to require further optimization to enhance the overall experience.
“The game wasn't optimized for higher refresh rate monitors, but it should work fine on 60Hz monitors.”
“It was still enjoyable even with its glaring flaws following a variable hindered performance.”
“But it was still enjoyable even with its glaring flaws following a variable hindered performance.”
“Seems like the game wasn't optimized for higher refresh rate monitors (should work fine on 60Hz monitors though).”
“Some levels still need optimization.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some players may find the smaller issues tolerable, the prevalence of major problems, including unsettling character animations, indicates a lack of polish and poor programming.
“The game is also incredibly buggy and poorly programmed.”
“Not to mention the game is filled with bugs and glitches where the characters look like they were possessed by the devil himself judging by the way they turn their heads.”
“I will mention the most noteworthy problems, but it has a lot of smaller bugs and glitches, which probably won't irritate too much for one's enjoyment.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and time-consuming, often requiring excessive repetition of easy tasks, especially after dying. Many suggest that grinding is only worthwhile for achievements or casual play, as it can feel like a chore rather than an engaging experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Don't bother except for grinding achievements or just messing around.”
“Slow-paced; you have to repeat the easy, tedious parts at the beginning if you die.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
"The Slater" is praised for its deep, story-driven narrative that not only challenges players but also evokes strong emotional responses, leaving them feeling emotionally drained by the experience.
“If you're looking for a deep, story-driven stealth game that will challenge you and leave you emotionally drained, then 'The Slater' is a must-play.”
- monetization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The monetization model includes microtransactions that are perceived positively by users, as they contribute to a charitable cause.
“Microtransactions for a good cause!”
“The monetization model is fair and doesn't feel exploitative.”
“I appreciate that the game offers optional purchases without pressuring players.”
“The game is riddled with microtransactions that feel exploitative rather than optional.”
“It's frustrating to see that progress is often locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
“The monetization strategy seems designed to squeeze every penny from players, overshadowing the actual gameplay experience.”
