Both a “parody” game of the boomer-shooter genre and an earnest spin-off/sequel to Hypnospace Outlaw (a game which I adore), it’s miraculous how it’s funny, genuinely enjoyable and inventive, as well as successful in translating the themes of Hynospace.
I think what made Hypnospace so special was how so much detail was put into each and every one of the characters. Humanity is woven deep into practically every user in Hypnospace, who, on the surface, could be an old guy who likes bikes and is bad at Facebook, or an all-encompassing stereotype of every “edgy” 14 year old (now 15, his username hasn’t updated yet) that adores an in-universe cheesy emo rock band. Zane is (or was) an asshole: infamously recognised across teentopia as a tryhard cyberbully who’s loathed so much people create gifs of his avatar getting punched in the face. Although in Slayers X (and partially in Hypnospace) you can get the idea that beneath the surface he laments his upbringing to a degree, and has a genuine connection to his mother (who for the most part was presumably the only constant relationship he had throughout his life). A detail that stuck out to me was the area modelled after Zane’s childhood apartment, where his mother sleeps on a pull-out sofa so Zane can have his own bed. Even in the narration of the bonus levels you can generally ascertain that he had a turbulent upbringing, (such as when you visiting the Idaho Housing Association, Zane makes a remark about going there frequently) but also positively reflects on the more pleasant experiences in his life (fun childhood memories making videogame levels shaped like his favourite band member or visiting his uncle’s house). The game is a hilariously pathetic, self-aggrandising ego trip for a 16 year old who doesn’t have much else going on in life, but still manages to be somewhat pitiful because of the finer details Zane subconsciously creates and seemingly glosses over. Slayers X at times feels like evaluative piece about a nonexistent human’s psyche, but it always feels believable. It captures the brilliant duality of the hypnospace characters magnificently.
It helps that this game is actually well designed too. Levels are expansive without being confusing to navigate. They’re both hilarious and unique each time (An “Idaho potato festival”, a trailer park, a “snobby rich people” place etc). Moment-to-moment gameplay is fun (although I’m not a huge fan of how the dual pistols handle, and I think the wolf enemies take a bit too much damage before going down), with the particular highlights being the Rocket launcher and Glass shotgun, which feel punchy and are always my go to for a lot of encounters. The Glass shotgun is a surprisingly innovative idea which happens to be very fun in practice, and acts as an incentive to be mindful of the immediate area in each level. I love all of the intentionally-unintentional deadpan voicelines, the crude enemy designs and item names (glass shard being renamed to “glass shart”), smaller side gags like the friendly psykos in the first level or one that has been crushed by a door in the aforementioned trailer park level. I think wayyy to many devs think that because a game is trying to be “funny” or “a parody” it can afford to be bad “for the lols” when in reality you can have a game that’s both funny and is fun to play (I do wonder what “funny” bad crass modern shooter about sludge and goop I could possibly be referring to right now!)
To close this off, I think Hypnospace Oulaw is one of the best indies of the last 5 years that I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and Slayers X is an excellent companion piece as well as a fun game on its own. I’m eagerly anticipating dreamsettlers and anything else Jay Tholen and the team create. Slayers X is a very sincere experience (even with all the literal shit) that loves its genre, loves its source material, and loves you too.
I think what made Hypnospace so special was how so much detail was put into each and every one of the characters. Humanity is woven deep into practically every user in Hypnospace, who, on the surface, could be an old guy who likes bikes and is bad at Facebook, or an all-encompassing stereotype of every “edgy” 14 year old (now 15, his username hasn’t updated yet) that adores an in-universe cheesy emo rock band. Zane is (or was) an asshole: infamously recognised across teentopia as a tryhard cyberbully who’s loathed so much people create gifs of his avatar getting punched in the face. Although in Slayers X (and partially in Hypnospace) you can get the idea that beneath the surface he laments his upbringing to a degree, and has a genuine connection to his mother (who for the most part was presumably the only constant relationship he had throughout his life). A detail that stuck out to me was the area modelled after Zane’s childhood apartment, where his mother sleeps on a pull-out sofa so Zane can have his own bed. Even in the narration of the bonus levels you can generally ascertain that he had a turbulent upbringing, (such as when you visiting the Idaho Housing Association, Zane makes a remark about going there frequently) but also positively reflects on the more pleasant experiences in his life (fun childhood memories making videogame levels shaped like his favourite band member or visiting his uncle’s house). The game is a hilariously pathetic, self-aggrandising ego trip for a 16 year old who doesn’t have much else going on in life, but still manages to be somewhat pitiful because of the finer details Zane subconsciously creates and seemingly glosses over. Slayers X at times feels like evaluative piece about a nonexistent human’s psyche, but it always feels believable. It captures the brilliant duality of the hypnospace characters magnificently.
It helps that this game is actually well designed too. Levels are expansive without being confusing to navigate. They’re both hilarious and unique each time (An “Idaho potato festival”, a trailer park, a “snobby rich people” place etc). Moment-to-moment gameplay is fun (although I’m not a huge fan of how the dual pistols handle, and I think the wolf enemies take a bit too much damage before going down), with the particular highlights being the Rocket launcher and Glass shotgun, which feel punchy and are always my go to for a lot of encounters. The Glass shotgun is a surprisingly innovative idea which happens to be very fun in practice, and acts as an incentive to be mindful of the immediate area in each level. I love all of the intentionally-unintentional deadpan voicelines, the crude enemy designs and item names (glass shard being renamed to “glass shart”), smaller side gags like the friendly psykos in the first level or one that has been crushed by a door in the aforementioned trailer park level. I think wayyy to many devs think that because a game is trying to be “funny” or “a parody” it can afford to be bad “for the lols” when in reality you can have a game that’s both funny and is fun to play (I do wonder what “funny” bad crass modern shooter about sludge and goop I could possibly be referring to right now!)
To close this off, I think Hypnospace Oulaw is one of the best indies of the last 5 years that I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and Slayers X is an excellent companion piece as well as a fun game on its own. I’m eagerly anticipating dreamsettlers and anything else Jay Tholen and the team create. Slayers X is a very sincere experience (even with all the literal shit) that loves its genre, loves its source material, and loves you too.