Slayin 2

 Switch
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 4 out of 20

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  1. GamerGuysNGals
    May 8, 2020
    9
    Saturday mornings in the 90’s were spent booting up Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo. If you were lucky enough, you could catch Monster Rancher or even Biker Mice from Mars on TV when you were ready for a break and a fresh pack of Dunkaroos to snack on. Afterward, of course, your siblings would be bored and want to play something together.

    Don’t worry, there are color    Saturday mornings in the 90’s were spent booting up Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo. If you were lucky enough, you could catch Monster Rancher or even Biker Mice from Mars on TV when you were ready for a break and a fresh pack of Dunkaroos to snack on. Afterward, of course, your siblings would be bored and want to play something together.

    Don’t worry, there are color variations and more characters to unlock!
    Slayin 2 feels like a 90’s nostalgia trip, with its colorful pixel art and fluid sprites that cause me to recall my quiet mornings gaming alone or against my older brother until the heathen spawn that was my smaller sibling would demand to be included. With local co-op, you can easily relive the days of sitting on your couch pelting one another with Gushers or threatening to hang one another with a roll of Fruit by the Foot.

    The game opens up with a tutorial level teaching you the basics of combat: simply walk into enemies to doink them to death, and once you murder enough of them you can use a special move that allows you to bank up to two charges at a time. While that sounds easy enough, the sheer volume of monsters on the screen at once is what makes this easier said than done. Cute slime creatures will go bug-eyed when you stab them, snakes will slither around the screen and flying enemies will evade and attack — each critter does have its own patterns of movement and these can be learned, but being able to hit stuff and not get hit by stuff is another story entirely.

    Levels will scale in difficulty as your progress through the game, and each is possessed of a unique boss monster. Again, patterns can be learned, and even these formidable foes are possessed of one. While it can take a few tries to ultimately defeat these cantankerous creatures, the level will need restarted from its beginning after each attempt. While this forced grind can feel a little ruthless at times, it does force you to, well… Get good, as they say.

    The world map allows you to select levels to progress or go back and grind more!
    Slayin 2 has a very light bit of story that can be uncovered by playing through the progression of levels. After each level, fame is collected and your character can level up. While this usually sees a huge boost in stats in other games, Slayin 2 takes a more minor approach to leveling: as in, you’ll hardly notice a difference. Characters and weapons can unlock during and after a play through, giving a variety of ways to play, though. With co-op, friends can cover one another’s backs more effectively with two different types of fighters. While the warrior is definitely a heavy hitter, the fast ninja was more of my preference.

    Pros:

    -Tight, responsive controls

    -Gameplay is made more fun with couch co-op

    -Easy to learn

    -Wonderfully fluid art

    Cons:

    -Tough!

    -Level ups don’t seem to matter

    Overall: 9/10    … Expand
  2. has1999
    May 18, 2020
    10
    Brings me back to my childhood. Love the multi-player aspect. Definitely worth the money.
  3. brach
    May 18, 2020
    10
    I really enjoyed playing this with my kids (elementary age and up). Great for all age groups.
  4. mobichan
    May 18, 2020
    10
    I loved the original and this one is so much more. It is a great way to fill in the cracks between other games. I play it coop with my daughter and she loves it!

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Switch Player
    Jun 8, 2020
    80
    Slayin 2 takes a pretty niche gameplay concept and absolutely runs with it, being a near-perfect arcade game filled with fun bosses and bite-sized battles.
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  2. Pure Nintendo
    May 22, 2020
    50
    Slayin 2 has some UI issues, and its gameplay doesn’t stand out for me. However, if you’re looking for a game to just play while passing time, you could certainly play worse.
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  3. Nintendo Life
    May 11, 2020
    80
    For fans of the original Slayin, a more familiar "Arcade" mode that eschews any kind of narrative is present, and full local co-op in either major mode is a welcome bonus. Overall it's a package we think is well worth the asking price, something that's brilliantly simple in principle, but reveals its intricacies and hidden difficulty as you play through; it wouldn't be entirely out of place in a late eighties arcade.
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