Slain: Back from Hell Thumbnail

Slain: Back from Hell similar games & best alternatives

Slain: Back from Hell

PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Linux • 2016

Related articles

Quick resume

Slain: Back from Hell. A heavy metal inspired arcade combat with puzzle elements and gore galore. Stunning visuals and true old school gameplay accompanied by the most metal soundtrack you've ever heard.

Global score

72/100

Genres

Action, Indie, Adventure, Platform, Arcade, Fighting

Similar games

    Pros

    • Beautiful pixel art and animations
    • Excellent heavy metal soundtrack
    • Challenging and rewarding combat
    • Frequent checkpoints reduce frustration
    • Developer responsiveness and updates

    Cons

    • High difficulty and occasional unfair deaths
    • Short game length
    • Limited enemy variety and progression
    • Some control issues on keyboard
    • Repetitive level design and combat

    Motivations

    • Autonomy

      Game with the same Autonomy vibe

      4

      "Players have control over tactical combat decisions and character development, with some freedom in battle strategies and progression."

      Capsule for Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth

      "Players have control over combat style, weapon choice, and tactics; no RPG progression but freedom in approach to enemies"

    • Competence

      Game with the same Competence vibe

      5

      "High skill ceiling with challenging boss fights requiring mastery of parrying, timing, and pattern recognition."

      Capsule for 巫兎 - KANNAGI USAGI - 巫兎 - KANNAGI USAGI -

      "High skill ceiling with challenging combat, timing-based parrying, and boss fights requiring mastery"

    • Competition

      Game with the same Competition vibe

      -3

      "Focus is on personal challenge and mastery rather than competing against others; no multiplayer or leaderboards."

      Capsule for Castlevania Anniversary Collection Castlevania Anniversary Collection

      "Focus is on personal challenge and mastery rather than competing against others; no multiplayer or leaderboards"

    • Continuation

      Game with the same Continuation vibe

      3

      "Players report habitual play, repeated attempts on difficult levels, and motivation to keep playing despite frustration."

      Capsule for Uncraft World Uncraft World

      "Players report repeated attempts and persistence despite difficulty; some frustration but strong motivation to continue"

    • Cooperation

      Game with the same Cooperation vibe

      -5

      "Single player experience with no cooperative elements"

      Capsule for NO THING NO THING

      "Single-player experience with no cooperative elements"

    • Creativity

      Game with the same Creativity vibe

      1

      "Limited creativity in gameplay; some weapon variety and build choices, but mostly predefined levels and enemy patterns."

      Capsule for Metal: Hellsinger Metal: Hellsinger

      "Limited creativity in gameplay; some weapon choice and tactics but mostly predefined combat mechanics and linear levels"

    • Domination

      Game with the same Domination vibe

      -5

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; solo play with no social dominance."

      Capsule for Perilous Warp Perilous Warp

      "No evidence of exerting control or superiority over others; solo play with no social dominance"

    • Escapism

      Game with the same Escapism vibe

      4

      "Players use the game to immerse themselves in a dark fantasy world, escaping real-life stress through challenge and exploration."

      Capsule for DARK SOULS™ III DARK SOULS™ III

      "Players use the game to immerse in a dark fantasy metal world, escaping real life stress through challenging gameplay and atmosphere"

    • Expectation

      Game with the same Expectation vibe

      -4

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and passion for the genre and style, not out of obligation."

      Capsule for Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game Colony Ship: A Post-Earth Role Playing Game

      "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and love for the genre and style, not out of obligation"

    • Experimenting

      Game with the same Experimenting vibe

      2

      "Some experimentation with weapons and tactics, but mostly familiar combat routines."

      Capsule for RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business RoboCop: Rogue City - Unfinished Business

      "Some experimentation with weapon choice and combat tactics, but mostly learning fixed enemy patterns"

    • Exploration

      Game with the same Exploration vibe

      -2

      "Levels are linear and familiar; limited exploration but some discovery of secrets and hidden items."

      Capsule for METAL SLUG METAL SLUG

      "Mostly linear levels with few secrets; limited exploration but some hidden areas exist"

    • Expression

      Game with the same Expression vibe

      -3

      "No character customization or avatar personalization; fixed protagonist with preset appearance."

      Capsule for Alien Shooter 2 Conscription Alien Shooter 2 Conscription

      "No character customization or avatar personalization; fixed protagonist and visual style"

    • Fantasy

      Game with the same Fantasy vibe

      5

      "Strong dark fantasy theme with supernatural elements, magic, and gothic atmosphere."

      Capsule for Witchfire Witchfire

      "Strong dark fantasy theme with gothic, metal, and supernatural elements"

    • Fellowship

      Game with the same Fellowship vibe

      -5

      "No social or community features; strictly solo experience"

      Capsule for Survival: Fountain of Youth Survival: Fountain of Youth

      "No social or community features; solo experience"

    • Growth

      Game with the same Growth vibe

      1

      "Some skill development through learning enemy patterns, but no character progression or upgrades."

      Capsule for ORCS ORCS

      "Skill improvement through learning enemy patterns and combat timing; no character progression"

    • Health

      Game with the same Health vibe

      -4

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; intense focus but no physical engagement."

      Capsule for KILLBUG KILLBUG

      "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity; intense focus required but no physical engagement"

    • Idle

      Game with the same Idle vibe

      -4

      "Requires constant attention and focus due to challenging combat and precise timing."

      Capsule for Nine Sols Nine Sols

      "Requires constant attention and focus due to difficulty and timing-based combat"

    • Intimacy

      Game with the same Intimacy vibe

      -5

      "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; purely individual gameplay."

      Capsule for Bayonetta Bayonetta

      "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; purely individual gameplay"

    • Leadership

      Game with the same Leadership vibe

      -5

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player only"

      Capsule for Dark Devotion Dark Devotion

      "No leadership or group management roles; single-player only"

    • Progression

      Game with the same Progression vibe

      -2

      "No meaningful item or skill progression; some weapon switching but no upgrades or leveling."

      Capsule for Frenzy Retribution Frenzy Retribution

      "Minimal progression limited to weapon changes; no upgrades or leveling"

    • Relaxation

      Game with the same Relaxation vibe

      -3

      "High tension and difficulty create sustained pressure rather than relaxation."

      Capsule for Death to Spies: Moment of Truth Death to Spies: Moment of Truth

      "High tension and frustration reported; challenge and difficulty create sustained pressure"

    • Sensation

      Game with the same Sensation vibe

      4

      "Strong sensory stimulation via detailed pixel art, gore effects, and energetic metal soundtrack."

      Capsule for Iron Meat Iron Meat

      "Strong sensory stimulation from detailed pixel art, gore effects, and heavy metal soundtrack"

    • Status

      Game with the same Status vibe

      -5

      "No social recognition or status systems; individual play."

      Capsule for Thief Thief

      "No social recognition or status systems; individual play"

    • Story

      Game with the same Story vibe

      1

      "Minimal narrative with some lore; story is secondary to gameplay and atmosphere."

      Capsule for Dungeon Peplum Dungeon Peplum

      "Minimal narrative with some dialogue; story is secondary to gameplay and atmosphere"

    • Strategy

      Game with the same Strategy vibe

      3

      "Combat requires timing, parrying, and tactical use of environment and weapons."

      Capsule for Skydance's BEHEMOTH Skydance's BEHEMOTH

      "Combat requires timing, parrying, and tactical weapon use; some strategic planning needed"

    • Thrill

      Game with the same Thrill vibe

      4

      "High suspense and thrill from intense combat, boss fights, and survival challenges."

      Capsule for Killing Floor 2 Killing Floor 2

      "High suspense and thrill from challenging combat, instant death traps, and boss fights"

    • Value

      Game with the same Value vibe

      3

      "Generally regarded as good value for price, especially with ongoing updates and added content."

      Capsule for Rebel Inc: Escalation Rebel Inc: Escalation

      "Good value for price especially after updates; short but satisfying experience"

    • Violence

      Game with the same Violence vibe

      5

      "Explicit enjoyment of brutal melee combat, dismemberment, and gore is central to the experience."

      Capsule for Chivalry: Medieval Warfare Chivalry: Medieval Warfare

      "Explicit gore, blood, and brutal combat central to the game experience"

    • Survival

      Game with the same Survival vibe

      4

      "Focus on avoiding death, managing health and meter, and overcoming challenging enemies."

      Capsule for Slave Zero X Slave Zero X

      "Focus on avoiding death, managing health, and overcoming lethal enemies and traps"

    Analysis

    Less representative of its motivational profile, with noticeable differences. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Expression, Fellowship, Cooperation, Competition. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Progression, Exploration, Relaxation.

    How to use the graph
    Similar games map

    Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Motivations” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

    • Larger dot with a light outline: the game you are viewing.
    • Colour: groups of games with comparable motivation patterns (statistical clusters).
    • Hover a dot to see the game name; click to open its page.
    • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

    Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers.

    Last update: 30/04/2026