Dreamcast action game Slave Zero perhaps wasn't the most well-received game on the system. Mixed reviews pointed out poor frame rate, a lack of music, and bugs. However, a 2014 Steam and GOG rerelease saw this flawed title find a new audience.
Now the cult classic is being brought back by publisher Ziggurat and developer Poppy Works with a brand new prequel. Slave Zero X changes the game from a 3D action game to 2.5D pixel art hack-and-slash arcade-like experience, complete with stylish combos and frenetic action.
The upcoming game — inspired by the likes of Devil May Cry, Shinobi, and Guilty Gear — doesn't have a release date yet, but it will be bringing its chaotic and gory action to Switch. it reminds us of a blood-soaked Strider in many ways, and we're absolutely here for it.
Publisher Ziggurat revealed that Slave Zero X, set in the same world as the original, is based on concept art for the Dreamcast game and sports an H.R Giger and biopunk aesthetic. Now the team are looking to bring the true vision of the original to fruition.
Here's everything we know so far about the game straight from the press release:
Features of Slave Zero X include:
- Multiple Gameplay Modes: Play through the story, build your combo-crushing skills in training mode, or test your might in the post-story Bloody Palace Mode
- Side-Scrolling Hack and Slash: Chain together lethal attack combos with your sword and an array of explosive ordinance while leaping, sprinting, and flipping your way through a grim biopunk world
- Stunning Set Pieces: Conquer mini-bosses and climactic archvillains in unforgettable combat sequences
- Action-Packed Heroic Missions: Battle your way through massive levels, mazes, and boss-rushes in a dynamic 2.5D world
- Epic and Dynamic Ambiance: Immerse yourself in a world of heavy Drum ‘n Bass and industrial tracks that get more intense as the action heats up
You can check out the debut (and very bloody, therefore age-restricted) trailer for this surprise sequel right here on YouTube.
Are you a fan of Slave Zero? What do you think of this prequel? Let us know in the comments!
Comments 16
Oh I remember playing this on Dreamcast at the time and I remember how bad it was too.
Looks really cool , will definitely keep my eye on this. The sprites against 3d backgrounds remind me a lot of Strider 2.
This looks cool. hats off to Ziggurat, they are publishing some interesting stuff at the moment. The original Slave Zero wasn't much to write home about.
I got this game back in the day for Dreamcast. It was very... meh.
Pretty sure its Windows version had music (not to mention that you don't mention the Windows version at all, even though that's the one most people this side of the Iron Curtain played), but I am still unsure what is so memorable about an old mecha game without that many distinguishing features.
Why does this look like a garbage beat em up? Even Shinobi on Sega Genesis looks better than this.
I thought we really weren’t using this word anymore.
Anyway, it might be in the developers best interest to maybe rename it. They can rename to something like Firespray Zero.
Now THIS is some obscure ***** right here
The screenshots looked bland to me at first and Slave Zero means nothing to me, but as it looked like a flat-plane, beat-em-up game, which I enjoy, I had to check out the trailer. It looks a lot better in motion. Definitely worth checking out the trailer, the link for which is under the screenshots for those who may have missed it.
Yeah it definitely looks better in motion. Although from watching the trailer then watching gameplay from the original,it seems the Slave Zero name has just been tacked onto a completely different game with little relation to the original.
@ChromaticDracula No, we're calling it Boba Fett's Starship Zero.
Which I gotta say, I would buy that game in a heartbeat.
Huh? I played Slave Zero on my PC back in the day… thought it was cool because you were a giant ruining a city… and it had good graphics at the time.
…this game has neither. Why even use the Slave Zero name? I doubt it has any weight
“Penned by RWBY writer” is not exactly a great selling point.
While the first game wasn't very good, this one looks even less ambitious. The graphics look worse, which is a real achievement. It seems to have very little connection in terms of gameplay with the first game. I like 2.5D games but this looks like a lazy way to make a sequel with less scope than the original.
I played it on the Dreamcast back in the day. I think I paid a whole dollar for it. Anyway, I got to the very end, beat the boss, and the game froze before the story could progress. I didn't feel the urge to play it again to [try and] see the ending. Overall, it was a competently average mech-shooter, neither awful nor great. Just kind of "meh".
PC (with the much superior version of Slave Zero with a great soundtrack): Am I a joke to you?
Just port the original, maybe work improved textures and models, it's still great after all those years. This new take seems to just be using the name.
Cya
Raziel-chan
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