While there are no shortage of Metroidvanias flooding the PS Store these days, Castlevania’s side-scrolling era is a well that remains largely untapped.
Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege unashamedly draws inspiration from Konami’s 1987 NES classic, delivering a mostly delightful action platformer with fun combat and some surprisingly smart set-pieces.
Set in 1698, you assume the role of hatted hero Rudiger, an agricultural everyman who gets drawn into a wider, somewhat political plot, involving a power-hungy priest named Father Pacer.
The writing is sharp and amusing at points, and it gives momentum to the star of the show here, which is the aforementioned action platforming.
The protagonist’s combat arsenal is straightforward at first – he can jump, attack, and pogo-stick like in Ducktales – but it expands in interesting ways as you work your way through the 21-stage campaign, providing a good sense of progression.
One thing that’s really remarkable is how inventive the game gets within its own framework. For example, one stage sees you riding a carriage through a graveyard; another has you rowing a boat while dealing with Cthulhu-esque aquatic monstrosities.
Even though the core side-scrolling fundamentals remain, Lillymo Games consistently finds ways to mix things up. We particularly liked one level involving a gondola, where you have to deal with attacking gargoyles while you try to keep the cable car moving in the correct direction.
Boss fights are fairly inventive too, boasting unique patterns and awesome pixel art.
While the protagonist’s mostly brown sprite is a clear nod to Castlevania’s Simon, the game successfully channels the “style” of the 8-bit era while going above and beyond what an actual NES could feasibly output.
Specifically, there’s some really nice animation work when you reach a new stage, showing Rudiger juggling with some coins or punching the air as he prepares for the challenges ahead.
The soundtrack is also a chiptune triumph, packed with evocative earworms that suit the gothic setting but bring a bit of pep to the retro gameplay.
While a run through the campaign can be completed in around an hour if you’re good, there’s a ton of replay value in the form of collectibles and gameplay modifiers, which give you a reason to return.
There are also multiple endings and references to Easter eggs in the Trophies we didn’t find; we get the impression this is the kind of game that has a bunch of secrets lingering in the loins of its code.
If we had any real criticism, it’s that the jump can be a little stiff, sometimes locking you into a vertical leap if you’re not precise with your direction at the moment of ascent. It’s not a big deal – git gud, right? – but it does stick out a teensy bit during the last few levels, where you need to be spot-on.
But all in all, this game made us smile. If you have any fondness at all for early era Castlevania, then you should definitely give it a try.
