Slash-Out: Fantasy Dueling is a stylish and fun boss rush where every level presents a unique experience, held back a bit by a short campaign and lack of options.
Slash-Out: Fantasy Dueling is an homage on the level of genre films like Hot Fuzz and Cabin in the Woods. It wears inspiration proudly, but still does surprising and new things (particularly in the encounter design). The name “Slash-Out,” to my estimation, is itself a direct callback to arcade classic Super Punch-Out!! The moment-to-moment gameplay is a synthesis of that, Infinity Blade, and more.
The game recommends you use a controller and I strongly agree. One button readies your shield, one stick moves it around to block, one stick lets you slash in the four cardinal directions with the sword, one button lets you do a shield bash, and one button lets you power up for a super move on your next slash. Every hit you score without being hit yourself builds up your power for the fire sword attack. You will also be drip-fed some additional info on combos and counter-attacking, but it’s also possible to discover them early with experimentation.
Some enemy attack animations are tricky (appearing to come from one direction, then shifting to another at the last second), but almost each one is telegraphed and blockable if you read it correctly. Block enough attacks and most enemies will be stunned, allowing for a combo or a few random attacks. Counterattacking (interrupting an enemy attack by slashing in the opposite direction) feels cool, but I found sending the enemy to a stunned state and then hitting them with a medium or heavy combo more consistent.
If you hit a stunned enemy with your fire attack, it does a lot of damage but knocks them out of stun. So I think you probably maximize your damage per second by stunning the enemy, building up enough power for a fire slash, and then using the fire slash as a well-timed counter attack so you get full combo damage and full fire damage. Though perhaps a more skilled player could find a better path.
Slash-Out’s vector-style graphics are rich and emotive. They’re bright, colorful, and expressive. The music is good to great. You get a chill base line in the music so there’s room to pump it up when appropriate. The game does a really great job of taking what looks very simple and layering on challenge, excitement, and pomp at the correct times. On that note – the game’s progression path is near-perfect. From a training dummy and a “basic” sword fighter up through a kraken, a wizard DJ, and an immortal vampire lord that cribs from Ganondorf and Dio Brando. Each level manages to both build on what came before but also provide a unique challenge.
The game loves references, but it’s not annoying about them. It’s a given that the “Echo Fighter” is an Enemy Stand User. The corresponding achievement is titled “Is that a reference?” – which is itself one hair away from the “Is that a JoJo reference?” joke. But the character also joins in a support role (in the grand tradition of early chapter JoJo), and has music that is very reminiscent of “Roundabout,” and the castle they guard looks straight out of part 1. So there’s the obvious and the slightly less obvious references depending on how tuned in to the material you are, which I think is perfect for the balance Slash-Out is striking.
If you know the reference, it’s fun. If you don’t, no problem. During the course of the game you encounter an enemy which reminded me of Grendel from the epic poem “Beowulf.” You have an attack exchange that’s reminiscent of the energy volleyball segments that are often featured in Legend of Zelda games. You run through a wizard rave that’s a bit like Amplitude, a bit like Rift of the Necrodancer, but not really either. There’s also a fun Metroid-like moment that I won’t spoil.
The only real weakness of Slash-Out: Fantasy Dueling is that it could use more stuff. The level-to-level progression is fantastic and I don’t think it necessarily needs more levels. My wishlist for the game would be more accessibility options for players with fine motor challenges (maybe an “easy block”), creative difficulty modifiers, and some kind of leaderboard or score/time attack. I think back to the modifier suite in Beat Saber and think Slash-Out could really benefit from something like that.
Game level accessibility options paired with level specific challenge modifiers: increasing or decreasing enemy attack tempo, removing certain visual cues, input reversal, one-hit death mode, etc. You can see your fastest clear time on any given level, but I think going a step or two further could add a lot of life to the game. There are also some cool character profiles that the dev has been posting on social media which I think would make nice additions to the game itself. Maybe as a foot note during level select, from a “Gallery” type option, or interspersed in the end credits.
Accessibility
The default revive option is to wiggle the stick back and forth. If needed or preferred, players may revive by holding down a single button. I believe it’s the same button as whatever you have your fire attack mapped to. I wasn’t able to find it listed in the options or any tutorials, so it’s either not told to you in game or easy to miss.
AI disclosure
Per the game’s Steam page: NO AI USED. MADE BY 100% FLESH AND BLOOD.
Verdict – Slash-Out: Fantasy Dueling
What Slash-Out has is great, but it is missing a few things. I appreciate that the developer, Caleb Draper, wears his inspirations on his sleeve but still finds creative ways to synthesize and iterate on the ideas of the past. This is clear in both Slash-Out and his previous game, You Can Save Everyone. I also appreciate that the easy revive option is the result of Caleb quickly reacting to player feedback – but the impact is minimized somewhat by how easy it is to overlook the feature. Just a few little additions would make a huge impact here.
Slash-Out: Fantasy Dueling is a great game and I think Caleb’s work will only continue to improve. He is definitely someone to watch.
Reviewed on Steam.
A key was provided for this review.
Developer/Publisher: Caleb Draper
Release date: Out now
Pros
- Visually stylish and aurally pleasing
- Near-perfect progression between levels
- Excellent balance between serious and quirky
- Creative encounters go beyond what you’d expect
- Responsive developer actively addressing player feedback to improve the game
Cons
- Campaign can be finished in less than 90 minutes
- Would benefit from some kind of difficulty select, challenge mod system, or time trial / leaderboard
Review covers version 1.06
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Great
