Hellslave, how far will you fall to protect the innocent?
On the 26th of May, the gates of hell opened… Will you sell your soul to its Lords in order to defeat them?
Image from Steam
Hellslave is French studio Ars Goetia's new dungeon crawler RPG, eager to take you down a physical and psychological journey through a once prosperous but now hellish landscape. Its comic-like graphics and story telling paired with a score that will make your speakers shake instantly brings you into its world and atmosphere. A feat only made more impressive by the fact that the studio is just its head, Baptiste Miny, who created the whole experience apart from the music.
The game welcomes you with stunning art and sound from the menu screen and only gets better as you explore the world. The minimalist approach of the game design allowed Baptiste to focus on all the details required for the environment to speak for itself. I was so into the solemn and quiet ambiance of the first dungeon I genuinely jumped out of my chair at the first random combat encounter.
Image from Ars Goetia’s Twitter
Hellslave artfully mixes modern ergonomics and demands with the feel of an old school game, showing its inspiration from games like the early Diablos. It is intuitive while feeling nostalgic.
Image from Ars Goetia’s Twitter
The class system shows itself in which demon you choose to sell your soul to, and on the character screen, your chosen Lord's sigil creates a ring around your head, like a canonized saint of hell. The immense range of abilities available to you, both passive and active, are sure to give you a game experience catered to your needs.
Image from Steam
There's something about dungeon crawlers, where you never know what awaits at the end of the path, that feels right at home here as you brace yourself to explore the hellish dungeons available in this game.
Image from Ars Goetia’s Twitter
Hellslave is doing a release sale on Steam until the 2nd of June.
The experience takes around 10 hours per class and is well worth the try for one of the most impressive one-man projects I’ve witnessed.
