Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege is a dark, Castlevania-inspired romp that will push your buttons all the way. I admit that it made me angry many times. The precision action, retro design, and sometimes hard-to-follow moments were enough to make me want to quit. However, it is brilliantly rewarding and ideal for anyone who wants a hit of nostalgia.
Lillymo Games has published and developed this NES-style Metoridvania/platform adventure. It is a single-player or couch cooperative experience where patience and good reactions are a must. There are 21 stages to “enjoy”, 7 major boss battles to master, and plenty of secrets to find. In short, it utilises every genre trope to great effect.
Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege shows that retirement isn’t a choice.
You’ve fought your fight, and you wish to retire and live off the land. Sadly, the demented priest known as Father Pacer has other ideas. He begins stealing Catholic relics and unleashing monstrous forces upon the land. You use your experiences as a former soldier to fight every demonic being and defeat the crazy priest.
The story may sound intense and interesting, but it quickly becomes a non-starter. I soon found myself forgetting what it was about as I traversed each stage and searched for hidden areas. This is a core layer of the action. You must use your spear and your skills to explore each pixelated level and find every item and destroy every monster.
Basic ideas.
Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege doesn’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, it does everything to a good standard. Instead of the Castlevania whip, the hero is armed with a spear. This can be upgraded to improve movement prowess and combat. Moreover, it can be used as a projectile or a melee weapon. This gives you an array of options as you face every minion.
Yet, it is the huge boss battles where your skills and memory are tested. These multi-staged affairs demand that you memorise attack patterns and work out every weakness. This isn’t easy, as precision, platforming, and other core gameplay mechanics collide to create a challenging and often unforgiving test of your skills.
It is this design choice that may put people off. Sadly, it is brutal and getting through every stage unscathed is almost impossible. This is a make-or-break element that’ll separate the men from the boys. I’ll admit that it made me want to uninstall it plenty of times. However, I enjoyed getting past each boss and finding the treasure and normally unreachable areas in each stage.
Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege is wonderfully dated.
NES gaming was fantastic, and those rough textures, uncomfortable colours, and the simple stage design made them irresistible. Thankfully, Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege incorporates each of those elements within its presentation. The world flows as a mainly side-scrolling experience. You’ll leap over traps, avoid monsters, and aim to move from platform to platform as you explore a sinister and troubling world.
The audio supports the dark nature of the gameplay. The music has a sombre chiptune edge that sounds horrible but is brilliant as well. The authentic 8-bit music will take older gamers back to their youth. Furthermore, the OTT and energetic boss battles draw you in while breaking your spirit.
Clunky controls.
The controls are clumsy by modern standards, but they are accurate for a game based on the NES era. The simple D-pad design, basic and occasionally slow inputs, and easy-to-follow instructions are brilliantly old-school.
Replay value comes from the game’s extremely tough approach and its moral-choice system. The latter was great, as you can do the right thing throughout or break the rules and change your path and the ending. Either way, multiple solutions make you come back for more.
Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege won’t be for everyone.
I can say with certainty that Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege won’t be for everyone! It is too tough, too clunky, and very unforgiving. Additionally, the lack of checkpoints will be enough to stop people from playing. However, if you like a challenge and you love the NES era, this will be right up your street. Accordingly, despite it destroying me, I recommend buying it here! Can you save the day and destroy the priest? Master your tools, explore the dark world, and defeat every giant boss you encounter.
