Valfaris (2019)

Valfaris is a semi-sequel to Slain, overseen by Slain's team of Andrew Gilmour and Thomas Jenns. While Slain was a straight fantasy that emphasized swordplay, Valfaris shifts to a sci-fi theme in which the hero wields guns as much as melee weapons. It might be coincidental, but the death metal/gothic/space opera mixture of Valfaris makes the game come across like what you might get if someone decided to combine Contra with Warhammer 40K, especially the old school extra++ grimdark 40K of the 1980s.

Slain ends with a Moorcockian twist that the character you've been controlling, Bathoryn, was actually the hero's sentient sword all along, with Bathoryn and his next wielder looking to the stars for the next adventure. Valfaris picks up with its hero, Therion, landing his wolf-shaped spacehip on his home world of Valfaris (and atop of a bunch of bastards he was going to kill anyway), which was apparently once a paradise but has since fallen into a cancerous decline, doomed to soon be swallowed by the star it's orbiting. It's hard to imagine what an idyllic paradise in these games' death metal aesthetic would actually look like, but Therion seems to have been fond of the place before he left. Much as Bathoryn was battling Lord Vroll in Slain, Therion is on a quest to slay his father, Vroll. Somehow, Therion and Bathoryn are brothers, and Therion even gains the option of wielding Bathoryn during the game.

As grim as the game's story and characters are, there is a sense of nobility and honor conveyed through them. Valfaris comes to a tragic end but the hero keeps his square chin up and never loses his resolve. There's no crying in metal. There's even a bit of humor in the form of his female AI sidekick, who has a wiseass personality similar to Cortana in the Halo series.

Valfaris plays quite similarly to Slain in the sense that in many ways it's just Slain with guns added, but that's in no way a bad thing. The extra layer of gameplay provided by the guns makes the combat a bit more lively and requiring different solutions in different situations. The guns, which are named like all the other weapons in these games (e.g., the Bastard, the Hellhammer) can be upgraded for extra effects. And much like Slain, the game is tough but fair, requiring that the player really learn how to play it instead of button-mashing through.

Graphically, it's even lusher and more impressive than Slain, and it features another very good, heavy soundtrack by former Celtic Frost member Curt Victor Bryant. There are some instances in which the game's art direction can get a bit out of hand and obscure the player's view of the action, overwhelming parts of the screen with particle and lighting effects that completely cover up the characters. Even despite this, it's a dazzling game to look at.

Valfaris does tell a complete story, but much like its predecessor it ends with a hook for another sequel,  which will apparently be more of a horizontal shoot-em-up that continues Therion's journey.