Slain: Back from Hell

 Switch
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 40 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 40
  3. Negative: 15 out of 40
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  1. Sijun
    Aug 28, 2019
    4
    If you are a pixel art enthusiast like me, you probably stumbled upon this game in the Nintendo e-Shop.

    Pros: - visual pleasing pixel art graphics = 8/10 - mature setting (blood/gore) = 8/10 - quite long play time (about 6h) = 8/10 Cons: - bad controls (doesnt feel like a modern game) = 3/10 - repetitive and not very atmospheric soundtrack compared to other pixel art action    If you are a pixel art enthusiast like me, you probably stumbled upon this game in the Nintendo e-Shop.

    Pros:
    - visual pleasing pixel art graphics = 8/10
    - mature setting (blood/gore) = 8/10
    - quite long play time (about 6h) = 8/10

    Cons:
    - bad controls (doesnt feel like a modern game) = 3/10
    - repetitive and not very atmospheric soundtrack compared to other pixel art action games = 2/10
    - fights just dont feel that action packed = 3/10
    - difficulty spikes are sometimes very annoying 3/10

    Verdict:
    Overall this is an very good looking pixel art action game that comes with a quite long playtime and a high difficulty.
    That being said, if you dont like playing certain parts of the game over and over again until you eventually manage to overcome them, the difficulty might be to hard for you sometimes.
    I got frustrated over and over again to be honest.
    I mean, usually I like high difficulty games, but only if I have the feeling that I can do better if I learn the game mechanics or boss mechanics better.
    Slain has a very different approach on difficulty.
    Some fights are just really unbalanced, I'm not talking about boss fights. As far as I can say they are challenging but completely fair. The problem are some rooms fillied with multiple hard enemies at once. I found myself stuck in a corner of a room without a gameplay mechanic that could get me out of there. So I died and tried again and again and again and again. That is not a fun mechanic its just a level of difficulty that is nonsense.
    So if you are in for a long and sometimes quite annoying hard ride, this game is something for you.
    That being said, it overall feels like an old game with bad controls, bad game mechanics and the fighting feels very boring. It isnt a dynamic or fun fighting game = 4/10    … Expand
  2. Rubberfacts
    May 7, 2021
    0
    Easily the worst designed and awful controlling game I've ever had the misfortune of playing. The art looks cool, but everything about the gameplay is broken and truly abysmal.
  3. thryce3
    May 10, 2020
    4
    The music and art style are cool if a bit repetitive. The combat is hard and the controls suck so it's pretty much a recipe for frustration. But it least it's short so I was able to power through to the end. There is some good here, but headbanging to celebrate victory is the best part of the game. I got it on sale in a double pack with Valfaris so here's hoping they improved on theThe music and art style are cool if a bit repetitive. The combat is hard and the controls suck so it's pretty much a recipe for frustration. But it least it's short so I was able to power through to the end. There is some good here, but headbanging to celebrate victory is the best part of the game. I got it on sale in a double pack with Valfaris so here's hoping they improved on the gameplay for that.… Expand
  4. Sabrewulf1
    Jun 28, 2020
    2
    many many reviews by gamers here claiming the 60fps patch is 60fps on switch. The devs put it out that its 60fps, and probably sold many copies of the game on that statement. If this is 60fps im a monkeys baboon. The only 60fps animation in the game is the 'ashes' floating about. It cant even hold 30fps. Its gone from sluggish 30 to broken 60. Terrible.check the animation of themany many reviews by gamers here claiming the 60fps patch is 60fps on switch. The devs put it out that its 60fps, and probably sold many copies of the game on that statement. If this is 60fps im a monkeys baboon. The only 60fps animation in the game is the 'ashes' floating about. It cant even hold 30fps. Its gone from sluggish 30 to broken 60. Terrible.check the animation of the foreground parallax scrolling.frame stutter and max 20fps. Such a shame.… Expand
  5. HappySpaceInvad
    Apr 10, 2021
    3
    This review is for the Switch version only, and scoring low for the terrible framerate which, despite a supposed patch (1.02) is still an unwatchable 30fps (possibly lower) for the foreground scrolling. And with everything else (some sprites and the 3D background layers) running at 60fps, the contrast is even more off-putting. This is especially the case when playing docked on a largeThis review is for the Switch version only, and scoring low for the terrible framerate which, despite a supposed patch (1.02) is still an unwatchable 30fps (possibly lower) for the foreground scrolling. And with everything else (some sprites and the 3D background layers) running at 60fps, the contrast is even more off-putting. This is especially the case when playing docked on a large screen.

    It’s a real shame because, unlike most reviewers, I don’t think this is a particularly difficult game. Like Valfaris and Blasphemous, it’s just a question of being a bit more patient than you would be in a Castlevania game and learning to block at the right time to return with a power strike... or to swat enemy projectiles back at them.

    The pixel art is absolutely gorgeous and the soundtrack (if you like metal) is atmospheric if a little repetitive.

    Given Valparis from the same developer runs so smoothly on Switch, I’m not sure why they can’t get this game to run the same.    … Expand
  6. Akinori
    Nov 10, 2020
    3
    The game is good in art and music but you can read about it everywhere in any review, the genre was also the one that I like. Everything else is 0 or horrible. The story just meh, princess, evil wizard, soul, pride, whatever. The game design is very very bad, the game trains player's to push right buttons in a right time, if you like to spend hours in two screens platforms just trainingThe game is good in art and music but you can read about it everywhere in any review, the genre was also the one that I like. Everything else is 0 or horrible. The story just meh, princess, evil wizard, soul, pride, whatever. The game design is very very bad, the game trains player's to push right buttons in a right time, if you like to spend hours in two screens platforms just training mobs and obstacles and then accidentally press 'restart stage' instead of 'restart checkpoint' and be thrown 5 hours back than this is your game, definitely not mine… Expand
  7. gclzero
    Apr 30, 2020
    2
    Very disappointing, I was brought in for the pixel art which is really nice but this game is let down by the awful character controls. It feels so clunky and unresponsive.
    It's like trying to move around a sack of potatoes, this coupled with the difficulty makes it very frustrating and not enjoyable.

    I got this game on sale and it still wasn't worth it. Avoid.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 3 out of 5
  1. Cubed3
    Jan 2, 2018
    40
    Visuals-wise, Slain: Back from Hell for Nintendo Switch is one of the most '80s Metal videogames in existence. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay just doesn't cut it, as the controls often feel unresponsive and the level of challenge unfair. Want to play a Heavy Metal-powered Castlevania? Just play a Castlevania title with Iron Maiden on the headphones.
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  2. NintendoWorldReport
    Dec 22, 2017
    75
    Slain: Back from Hell is not a game that everyone will enjoy. It’s difficult and requires a lot of patience to see it through to the end. It’s also not a very long game. My first playthrough clocked in at around seven hours, though better players could certainly finish it more quickly. There’s also nothing new to do once you’ve slain Vroll. But if you have a thing for the difficult platformers of yore, Slain: Back from Hell is a satisfying blend of what made those games great.
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  3. Switch Player
    Dec 21, 2017
    50
    Despite the very pleasing sound and visuals, Slain is just too unforgiving to be as fun as it should be. I'm glad I've finished it, because those damned flying enemies swooping down on me are giving me nightmares.
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