10 Hidden Gem Video Games Of 2023
6. Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance Of The Slayer
The ludicrously titled Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance Of The Slayer may not seem to have much in common with the previous two entries, but look beneath its wilfully off-putting surface and you'll find one of the smartest games of the year.
Slayers is a spin-off from the excellent Hypnospace Outlaw, a game that imagined the internet never moved on from the blog-fuelled, flash animation-abusing days of the nineties. One of the game's most memorable bloggers was disaffected teen Zane Lofton, and Slayers X is positioned as his attempt at making a 90s-style FPS.
Turns out, Mr. Lofton is just as good at making shooters as he is at making angry comments about his mother's new boyfriend. Slayers X may only be 3-4 hours long, but it shows a real understanding of what made the FPS games of the day tick. Secret areas, ultraviolence and labyrinthine levels abound, but with everything coloured in by Zane's immature world view (one of the enemies is literally a pile of crap).
It's unfunny and obnoxious, but also one of the most affecting character studies of the year. Alex Zane may be unlikeable, but he's clearly frustrated by his circumstances and at being trapped in small-town America. Slayers X is his sad attempt at rebelling against the world that confines him, and the fact that it's a genuinely good FPS just makes his thwarted ambitions all the more poignant.