Slave Zero X

Slave Zero X is a very unique indie game. It tries to do one specific thing, that is, combine the mechanics of a fighting game and place it within an action game setting, and does it fairly well. However it also fails in many aspects.
Starting with the negatives, the game doesnt really explain enough to you, the loading screen tips refer to move names, yet there is no move list found in the game. So when the game says that the "Takomaki DDT can be used to scoop grounded enemies", that information is useless because I have no idea what the Takomaki DDT is. In that case, you can infer it as the EX version of your air command grab, yet this is a problem prevalent in the game. A general lack of information on core mechanics.
Another example being parries, which take the Third Strike approach of having you move towards an attack in order to parry it. However, the game can throw attacks directly above you, how do you deal with those? I might be going insane but I swear I've parried with a down input, how and why did that work? No idea. Game never explains past "move towards attack to parry".
The biggest example is the style system and rankings. It felt wildly inconsistent, I could play near perfectly, get massive combos and get hit at most once or twice in a level, and be faced with a C or B. But then when playing poorly, suddenly a massive S rank would show up on my screen. 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. But with a system that's so obtuse and weird, it's difficult to want to master it.
The game thrusts you into this playground, with enemies being little more than punching bags for you to explore your moveset. You're effectively asked to just fuck around and find out. And yet, for a game that so desperately wants you to appreciate the depth of it's combo system, to appreciate your protagonists abilities and make use of them, the training mode is very sparce in options. You cant pick what enemy you train against, you dont get meter refills, you cant change the stage design at all. It feels very limiting.
While I called enemies punching bags, later on the game introduces incredibly frustrating enemy designs, who have full armor on everything they do, which would be fine if they had clear telegraphs to make parrying or dodging easier. But instead you're faced with unreactable attacks that more often than not will lead to you getting combo'd for a solid 15 seconds, only to get smacked on wake up with nothing you could do. Just waiting for your burst meter to come back so you have some solace. Lord forbid you try and tech out of any combo either, it will just lead to a reset and another 15 seconds of your life gone. It's incredibly frustrating. Oftentimes, with how inconsistent your defensive options are, it winds up feeling like you're unable to do anything but wait to die and try again, hoping to not get hit this time. The burst function is made specifically to counter this issue, and it does it's job adequately, ensuring you get 2 or 3 tapped instead of one tapped in the later levels, but I think that's just a bandaid placed on poorly thought out difficulty. I never felt challenged by the game, it was just annoyance and frustration.
Also, this isnt specifically a consistent issue with the game but I wanna say I had to fight the final boss 3 times because the first two times the game crashed at the end, it sucked. It sucked a lot.

However! Now that I'm done moping about all the ways this game fails, I can explain why I still recommend it despite all the bitching and moaning I just did.
Like I said earlier, the game strives to give you a specific experience. And it's one that's never really been done before. And it succeeds. A single player fighting game is a dream a lot of people have and this is the closest we'll ever get.
It never got boring slashing through the hundreds of enemies the game throws at you. Seeing the combo counter tick up with that oh so satisfying sound, punching enemies to hard they explode into little bits all around the arena. Chaining ground bounces, wall bounces, jump cancels, dash cancels and dozens of different options to cut through the opposition. It has a similar satisfaction to musou games, just with an infinitely better combat system
Then we get to the games presentation which perfectly evokes the era it's trying to. The animation on sprites is absolutely beautiful to see, and the art seen in cutscenes has such a unique style that sticks out in the best way. The music is also amazing, Enough to make me spend the cash on the soundtrack despite getting the game for free as a present. The whole presentation evokes a strong sense of identity and I love it.
The plot I won't into here, I will just say it tackles it's themes very well. The characters are all very likable and well written. The voice acting from everyone is on point, I can't think of a single bad line delivery. There is a few typos and misspellings within the script but it's not enough to detract.
All in all, if you're interested in this game, you'll probably like it. Just be prepared for an experience that's rough around the edges, though personally, I will gladly that that over a boring one.

Slave Zero X is a game that speaks to me. It’s a masterpiece. It has almost everything that I can ask for from a game. I never thought that someday, someone would purchase a dormant IP and turn it into something extraordinary. I’m really glad how Slave Zero X turned out and introduced me to the amazing series that I’ve been missing out on. It acts as a prequel to the original Slave Zero, which came out back in 1999, and it expands and enhances the lore and the universe in an amazing way. Instead of a mecha shooter, it’s a side-scrolling, stylish hack and slash with PSX aesthetics that heavily resemble Strider 2 and Guilty Gear. The gameplay derives a lot from the Devil May Cry series, which is a good thing, and it was the main reason why it caught my attention in the first place.
As I’ve just mentioned, it plays pretty much like Devil May Cry. The main purpose is to get high combos and avoid taking damage to get an S-style rating from each encounter and the level overall, but it is very difficult to do as it’s a game that has a lot of depth; therefore, it would be safe to say that learning how to play properly could take some time. Aside from your regular attacks, you have a meter that you can use to unleash the Hidden Techniques that can be pulled off via their dedicated fighting game-style inputs. They are overpowered; thus, they are very useful against bosses and armored enemies. What’s better is that you can execute one of the most broken moves in the game when you have at least 25% meter. However, the other one, called the Raging Demon, is a bit difficult to pull off and requires a full meter.
Once the meter is full, you can enter a state called Fatal Sync, in which you can steal life from the enemies. There are also some special attacks called EX moves that are executed upon hitting light, then heavy attacks in quick succession, but when you’re in Fatal Sync, they don’t deplete your meter, and you can perform them as many times as you want! Your attacks’ speed and their damage output also rise if you’re in Fatal Sync. While it sounds pretty useful, and it is for regular enemies, it’s not when it comes to bosses, so you’ll be relying on your Hidden Techniques instead. Most of the bosses can be cheesed by using a Hidden Technique called Border Break, which rips them off the challenge they offer. I personally wouldn’t recommend relying on it that much unless you’re going for the S rank, but it’s up to you, of course.
More gameplay techniques and information about the achievements, as well as the extra game mode called Crimson Citadel, can be found in my guide. Be sure to check it out!
The story takes place before the original Slave Zero, and we’re donning the role of a gay man called Shou with extraordinary swordsmanship who steals a Biomecha, or should I say, a Slave called X, from the Guardian Base. Note that he is also a Guardian, and he’s a hot-headed individual due to the many hardships he’s faced throughout his life. He doesn’t approve of the decisions of the leader of the Guardians, Kurikara, and mostly rebels against him. Aside from SovKhan, there are many other antagonists called the Calamities, and they are very interesting in their own regard. I really liked the clever usage of religious metaphors throughout the story, and they make perfect sense when you think about it. The original Slave Zero lacked the proper storytelling, but Slave Zero X does a great job when it comes to it. The voice acting and the soundtrack are also wonderful; they left me speechless.
Despite exploring the idea of a gay protagonist, the game doesn’t fall into the “woke” category because the writing is very good and doesn’t seem to be tied to any sort of agenda. So, yeah, this is how you make a homosexual protagonist. Take notes! There is also another prequel that takes place before this one, and it’s called Slave Zero X: Episode Enyo. It’s a mod for Quake; thus, it would be wise not to expect anything wonderful, but as a mod, it sure stands out!
TL;DR
A masterpiece that expands the lore and the universe of Slave Zero. It plays like Devil May Cry and looks like Strider 2 and Guilty Gear. If you’re into stylish action games that offer a good story and a banging soundtrack with an extraordinary voice acting, don’t miss out on Slave Zero X!

Difficult as all hell, but man, this game is an underrated gem! Total ripper! A+

beats you down but eventually opens up in a great way. i had a stellar time overcoming it, and i want to play it multiple times now.

Beat it, ehhhh.... Really not a bad game but for sure could do with some improvements. I'll list my main gripes:
1. Fatal Sync is OP: I really love that they threw meter management into this game and any Guilty Gear or BlazBlue player will feel right at home with it (you can even RC drift, like wow that's some dedication). The problem is Fatal Sync is WAAAAAAAAAAY too good to ever justify using meter. Why continue a combo when you can get infinite meter and health regeneration for the cost of a full bar and burst? Any good character action game needs to have a DT but if you're playing optimally (which isn't too hard) you'll never be meter starved and can essentially loop FS into itself since you don't build burst by taking damage
2. No default stick mapping: This one wasn't too hard to remedy but for a game that takes so much inspiration from arcades and FGs the lack of a included fight stick mapping is odd, I feel like the jump button could have been replaced with an UP input as well but that probably would have made the platforming annoying, after I plugged my stick in I enjoyed the game a lot more since I'm not a pad player.
3. NO MOVELIST?!: This one really bugs me, again for a game that takes so much inspiration from FGs not having a movelist in the game is CRIMINAL especially when you have 2 secret moves with surprisingly tight inputs. I'm not asking for a GG: Strive-esque movelist but for the love of god a screen labeling all the moves should have been standard
4. Really generous parry window (and not much reward): It's possible I missed something but parrying doesn't seem to do much... like I just didn't take damage and I have frame advantage? Ok but enemy attacks don't have much recovery plus there's usually plenty of enemies on screen ready to hit me so whats the point? The parry mechanic is very fitting for the whole samurai thing Shou has going but it's just kinda there. The parry window is VERY generous so I guess this kinda cancels itself out. I'm not asking for table hopper levels of precision but a tighter window rewarded with extra meter gain and a guard break would have been nice
5. It's a party and you're the pinata: People have commented on the BS enemy combos that take you from corner to corner, only for you to wake up into another one. It's really prevalent at the end of the game and not having an armored reversal really sucks. Yeah you could burst but in the end game fights you may as well just die cause you need that FS, plus getting burst baited is a real thing here
6. How do I S rank it?: I'm not good at video games but I don't suck that bad, ranking is vague when it comes to the factors that go into making up your end of fight rank. If I cared I could google it but showing the different variables that make up the rank in game would be a welcome edition
Summary: a rough little gem made by people who wanted to do something cool worth it on sale

Fun to play, but annoying by the end. It has great potential but still needs polishing in some areas.

you know a game is good when you get 10 pages of text about in-game mechanics the moment you go through the intro level