Deck stacked like the best of them
If you playedHypnospace Outlaw, there’s a high chance you’ll remember Zane “Zane_Rocks_14” Lofton. He’s one of the more memorable characters you meet in Tendershoot’s alternate reality web simulator, an angsty teenage boy whose home page is slathered in camouflage textures and GIFS of exploding handguns. Since release, Zane has become one of Hypnospace’s de facto mascots, a beloved dweeb that is abrasive but also kind of painfully relatable? It’s hard to laugh at Zane’s baggy trousers andlove for Linkin Park-esque rap-metalwhen you grew up in the mid-2000’s. I mean, we all bought a dog lead from Wilkinson’s and hooked it between the belt loops on our jeans at one point, right?…right?
Ahem. Anyway. Announced earlier this year alongsideDreamsettler(a proper sequel to Hypnospace),Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayeris an FPS spin-off that stars the fan-favourite teen. Slayers X is framed as being an in-universe project that Zane worked on as a teen, and has been uncovered by his now 37-year-old self, who is determined to finally see it released. There’s ashort demoavailable as part of Steam’s most recent Next Fest, and I’m delighted to say it’s exactly what I hoped it would be.
It’s a little stomach-churning, sure, but it works! Mainly because it replicates the look and feel of FPS titles from the era surprisingly well. This isn’t a build engine game, but it could be. It pulls off the same pseudo-realistic look that madeDuke Nukem 3Dsuch a hit, and its shooting is as solid as any other modern retro throwback (I refuse to use the term Boomer Shooter, it makes me feel too old). The demo level is a looping labyrinth packed full of secrets to discover and horrible creatures to take down, such as flying skulls wearing jester hats, bin bags full of poo and the previously mentioned shoeless cultists. It’s a competent shooty bang-bang, but I suspect that won’t be the game’s true appeal.
Creator Jay Tholen hasalluded on Twitterthat the game could tell a subtle story about the “real-world” Zane as much as the game’s exaggerated version of the character, conveying the teen’s naivety about the world through the way he interprets it within this passion project. I think what’s already here is very good - and I would be perfectly happy if it remains as a surface-deep meme game for Hypnospace-likers - but if the full release can pull off this dual-narrative idea it could become something very special indeed.
Still, even in its current form, this is a fun curio that fans of Hypnospace should absolutely check out. There are a few references to the original game, and just the fact that this bonkers project exists is reason enough to give it a try. Zane does rock, it turns out, even if he doescanonically hate this website for some reason.
