Slain!

 PC
Metascore
40

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 11 out of 18
  1. Everyeye.it
    May 27, 2016
    60
    Slain! is in the middle between its beautiful atmosphere and its problematic gameplay, which is unable to fully valorize it. The biggest problem lies in its structure, enjoyable but still wasted if compared to the game's potential.
  2. Vandal
    Mar 28, 2016
    60
    Slain! hasn't met our expectations because of a poor level design and unresponsive controls. It's enjoyable, but at the same time, it's a little bit disappointing because it could have been a modern masterpiece.
  3. 4P.de
    Apr 1, 2016
    55
    The discrepancy between visual and game design couldn’t be bigger. While the pixelart is simply beautiful throughout the fighting mechanics and collision detection need an overhaul.
  5. Kill Screen
    Jun 20, 2016
    50
    Slain! is a poser, well-dressed and intentioned but vacuous, contributing nothing to the scene. It has the spiked gauntlets, the long hair, the denim jacket; but the house lights are on and everything’s out of tune.
  6. Games.cz
    Apr 12, 2016
    50
    Visually nice heavy metal platformer forgot to sell its soul to the devil to get some fun in its gameplay. The creators focused too much on the music and visuals but forgot about the game.
  7. GameSpot
    Apr 5, 2016
    50
    Slain is easily one of the best-looking 2D side-scrollers I’ve ever seen, but the monotonous gameplay fails to match up. The combat system is too repetitive and, in some cases, broken, making boss battles a total drag. Slain’s stunning Gothic aesthetic is wasted on an otherwise mediocre game.
  8. Gaming Age
    Mar 28, 2016
    50
    At the moment, however, I can’t reasonably recommend the game as a must play kind of experience, but I hope that things will improve in the coming months.
  9. Brash Games
    Apr 5, 2016
    40
    They made a boring, heartless, poor excuse for an action game.
  10. Hardcore Gamer
    Mar 30, 2016
    40
    Slain! gleefully comes off as the fever dream of a drunken teenage Iron Maiden fan, but unfortunately comes off as having been designed and programmed by a drunken teenage Iron Maiden fan as well.
  11. IGN Spain
    Mar 28, 2016
    40
    We can only think on what Slain! could have been and cry.
  12. Worth Playing
    Apr 18, 2016
    35
    While the hope is that the developers get some patches in soon to improve things, it's very difficult to recommend Slain! in its current state to anyone when there are plenty of better alternatives.
  13. Destructoid
    Mar 29, 2016
    35
    I'm sure it can and probably will get better over time with polish, but what's here at launch is disappointing. I struggle to picture Slain! ever becoming genuinely good barring major reworks.
  14. GameOver.gr
    Apr 14, 2016
    30
    One the worst gaming experience we’ve ever had. Terrible controls, linear level design, mundane platforming, glitchy A.I. and enemy pathfinding and uncoordinated combat mechanisms.
  15. Digital Chumps
    Mar 28, 2016
    30
    Slain is what happens when naiveté and enthusiasm rampage through ability and execution. Unfortunately, it's the latter pair that measure proficiency, leaving Slain so hostile, broken, and boring that it's hard to muster a sympathetic response.
  16. ICXM
    Mar 27, 2016
    30
    While initially ‘Slain!’ seems like it should be a great product with its gorgeous pixel-art, it only takes a small time for everything to fall apart thanks to countless bugs, repetition and God-awful combat. ‘Slain!’ needs to be improved in almost every aspect before I can even think of recommending it to anyone, metal-fan or not.
  17. We Got This Covered
    Mar 26, 2016
    30
    Slain! looks as gorgeous as we expected, but despite the numerous delays, the game is still a broken mess. Numerous bugs, a simplistic, unresponsive and repetitive combat system, balance issues and awful writing all amount to a cavalcade of nuisances that will break your will to persist and reach the next spectacular vista.
  18. ZTGD
    Mar 29, 2016
    25
    Slain! has the looks of a classic 8-bit inspired game, but in execution, it is a mess and a half. I really think the game is not finished.
  19. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    May 18, 2016
    20
    Boring, frustrating and technically ruined arcades are unworthy to play. Slain! deserves attention only because of its decent soundtrack. [Issue#263]
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Awards & Rankings

35
#35 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
5.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 38 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 38
  3. Negative: 18 out of 38
  1. plushfloody
    Aug 11, 2016
    10
    This game was released too early so they could make it's funder's happy. Metacritic needs to adopt the kind of review system Steam has adoptedThis game was released too early so they could make it's funder's happy. Metacritic needs to adopt the kind of review system Steam has adopted where reviews can be changed. By the second patch this game became one of the top 20 platformers ever made. I deserves to have it's score updated.… Full Review »
  2. VonSeux
    Mar 27, 2016
    3
    As much as this game seems tailor made for my personal tastes, it just feels unpolished, badly connected and with a very loose art direction.As much as this game seems tailor made for my personal tastes, it just feels unpolished, badly connected and with a very loose art direction. Simple things remind you all the time this was made by a small team with a small budget; such thing as such as menus, transitions screens, sound effetcs and colisions... I can´t play a 2d game on 2016 that plays worse than games 20~30 years older. If you're interested on this genre do look for Odallus The Dark Call, at least Odallus made his homework before releasing the game.… Full Review »
  3. Hack
    Aug 13, 2016
    6
    Slain is a rare success story in the sense that it released in horrific condition and instead of washing their hands of it and cashing whatSlain is a rare success story in the sense that it released in horrific condition and instead of washing their hands of it and cashing what little money they made from it the devs actually fixed it, and so we have Slain: Back from Hell which is basically version 2.0 and it fixes most of the issues that plagued initial release build, which is reflected in the recent (very positive) and overall (mixed) scores in the Steam user reviews section.

    I'd like to start off by saying Slain is hard, almost frustratingly so at times so you're going to die, a lot. Going into the game I didn't quite understand how challenging it was meant to be so it was quite the shock. Just for reference I have finished Bloodborne, the Dark Souls series and Salt & Sanctuary so I'm no stranger to hard games but Slain had a way of making me feel like it was being unnecessarily hard or even cheap just for the sake of it at times, however for the most part the game was a solid, enjoyable challenge, it's just a shame the overall experience was tarnished a little due to a few rare outliers that left me saying to myself "Really?.....", for example certain mobs have brutally tight timings on their counter attack, and when you have to hit multiple of them in a row without taking a single hit it can be frustrating, and it was. I also found myself begging to the Metal Gods themselves for a checkpoint at times after a tough section or mob but was left wanting which again caused frustration when I died and had to do it all again. I'd like to make it clear though, for the most part this isn't an issue, but these blips really did hurt my enjoyment of the game and I think Slain would benefit greatly from a final tuning phase.

    Difficulty aside the game is tight for the most part, but I did run into a couple of issues where my attacks would pass through enemies, most notably on the final boss, I also had an issue where the charge up attack would sometimes cancel before the *ching* even though I was holding down the button still, it didn't happen a lot but enough to become very frustrating, especially as it often meant death when it occurred. Other than those issues the gameplay is good, the controls feel responsive and the combat is enjoyable, I would highly recommend using the D-Pad over the thumb sticks, though, as it was far more accurate IMO.

    Technically I had no issues, I played the game on a GTX 970 / 3570k @ 4.3GHz and it ran at a solid 60fps throughout on maximum settings which is what you'd expect, but it's not always the case sadly so I thought I'd mention it. Visually the game is great and I say that as someone who isn't a big fan of pixel/retro style graphics but in Slain's case they worked and were executed well. To go with the smart visuals we also have a solid metal soundtrack which is a core part of the game and theme, so it was crucial that it was good and it is.

    Overall I do recommend the game but only if you enjoy challenging games, if you go into Slain expecting to He-man your way through everything you'll be sorely disappointed, you never feel particularly powerful and you're always one wrong button press away from death so it's quite stressful, but if this sort of adrenaline rush is what you enjoy then I'm sure you'll have a blast with Slain: Back from Hell.    … Full Review »
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