Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 63 | 10 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 72% | 68 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 76% | 71 | 4 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 12 reviews sampled · 11 total reviews in window · weighted 3.8 up / 1.2 down · computed 4h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (33)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
- 40
“Like the inside of Ozzy Osborne's head, Slain is simultaneously gorgeous, intense, chaotic and deeply, deeply frustrating. The presentation is excellent, with every part of the game exhibiting stunning 2D animation that really brings its hellish underworld to life. Where it all falls apart is the gameplay; Slain is simply no fun to play thanks to its painful difficulty level which chokes the tantalizing potential of its combat system. While it has been compared to the Castlevania series, and its combo mechanics call to mind the underrated Mirror of Fate, Slain isn't really worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as Konami's legendary gothic franchise.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“If you’re a fan of challenging games Slain: Back From Hell is happy to sate your thirst for aggravation, loud music, and pretty copious gore...”
read full review ↗ - 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.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Slain: Back from Hell has one of the very best pairings of stunning visuals and amazing audio that you'll find on the PS4. Unfortunately, it's let down by a dull combat system and a horribly unfair level of difficulty, meaning that the game never picks up the momentum that it should. Wolf Brew Games had an awesome idea here with stacks of potential, but the complete package is hell to play through.”
read full review ↗ - 75
“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.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Slain: Back from Hell is finally the game it set out to be.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“You will go to Hell and back, just to play this game a little more. Definitely worth playing!”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Overall, Slain: Back From Hell is a fun game. Despite the critical tone of much of this review, I very much enjoyed my time with Bathoryn and will be going back to try and unlock the rest of those no-hit boss achievements. It is best to go in with a clear idea of what to expect, however, which is a no-nonsense old-school hack and slash platformer fuelled by heavy metal.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“It isn’t perfect by any means, but Slain: Back from Hell is a far more worthy challenger than it was when it was initially launched.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“This is what Slain: Back From Hell suffers most with. While it’s blatantly attractive to look at, the reliance on being too old-school in the hack ‘n’ slash department makes the game struggle to feel anything above mediocre. This doesn’t mean that I found it terrible by any means. There are a few decent surprises present and I am sure Slain: Back From Hell can be that guilty pleasure for some in its own right. I just didn’t find it nearly as fun as I had hoped it would be, especially considering the potential that can be seen within the half a dozen hours it takes to beat it.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Slain: Back from Hell is a very solid, yet run of the mill action platformer. Its strong audio and incredible visuals are the initial pull to play this game, but the uneven enemy difficulty and simplistic combat system hurt the experience. I liked playing the game for my Slain: Back from Hell review, but I’m sad to say that I didn’t love it, however, I’m very interested to see what Wolf Brew Games release”
read full review ↗
Fintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
Cubed3
Push Square
NintendoWorldReport
ZTGD
GameGrin
TheSixthAxis
We Got This Covered
Nintendo Insider
PS3Blog.net…and 21 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Slain: Back from Hell now live on GOGAug 19, 2016
- Slain: Back from Hell now live on GOGAug 19, 2016
- Linux version out now! + new patchAug 13, 2016
- Linux version out now! + new patchAug 13, 2016
- OSX version out now! + some fixesAug 8, 2016
- OSX version out now! + some fixesAug 8, 2016
- New patch is live!Aug 4, 2016
- New patch is live!Aug 4, 2016
- Fixes announcementAug 3, 2016
- Fixes announcementAug 3, 2016
- Fixes coming soon!Aug 2, 2016
- Fixes coming soon!Aug 2, 2016
- Slain: Back From Hell is out now! & Comes With Free Gifting CodeAug 1, 2016significant · resets scoring window
- More updates + Patch 2.0 Announcement!Jul 26, 2016
- More updates + Patch 2.0 Announcement!Jul 26, 2016