Saint Slayer Review: 80s NES-Style 2D Lancing Fun

Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), PS5, PS4 Genre: 2D, Retro, Action, Castlevania tribute Old-school players yearning for the days of 2D NES-style platform and vampire-killing action are in a good place, with dozens of indie games (usually on PC) mimicking and/or paying tribute to that formula throughout the years. Lillymo Games’ latest, Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege, is no exception. It goes the very traditional route of linear stages with multitudes of challenges, some reworked controls so that the experience isn’t completely frustrating yet tethered between fun and challenging, and even options to forgo all that accessibility nonsense and just stay “classic”. Soldier On You play as ex-soldier Rudiger who ends up wielding the Spear of Sacrilege (instead of the tried-and-true-to-90s super-powered whip), saving the Holy Roman Empire from corrupt priest Father Pacer. The way the game is paced out narratively is well-done, as each stage you go through from start to finish shows a lot of the supernatural escalation Rudiger has to experience without breaking 2D immersion. The writing, while brief, is also as eloquent though it knows to let the pixel art do the talking. And it is detailed and full of life, while also game-affecting. Interactable switches, enemy corpses that leave putrid meat that hurts you when accidentally collected, killable villagers if you are too trigger-happy with your spear, and even your corpse on display if you died on the same level over and over. Lillymo Games had a history of making lovely and arcade-centric 2D games, and it’s safe to say they haven’t lost their touch. Ditto the gameplay too, which is a combination of old and new 2D action tropes that would fit well in today’s retro-savvy crowd. Rudiger has reach with his attacks, can use a pogo-stick move to get through spike traps, and even collect Rosary Beads to use powered-up moves. The currency you collect for buying power-ups and tips to level secrets carries over level to level, so you can either spend early for easier gameplay, or just save it all for the last few gruelling sections. Level design is creative and punchy, while not relying on repetition so that each stage gim [Conteúdo truncado para controle de custo.]