Line #173 VideoGame/SlayersXTerminalAftermathVenganceOfTheSlayer


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/3361263_3187435819_slaye.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''"Hope your ready you MOTHERFLIPPIN turd pile... because I AM the X Slayer!!!"'']]
3
4	->''"So.... got what it takes to be a X Slayer?!?... 7 weapons, blood and gore, twisted music by Seepage & Psyko Syndikate, and maps where you can blow up everything. its awesome. started making it in 1998 in high school with my friend and now im 37, so i have life experience now."''
5	-->--'''Steam description'''
6
7	''Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer'' is a FirstPersonShooter developed by Tendershoot ([[{{Kayfabe}} credited]] as "Big Z Studios") and published by No More Robots, released in 2023.
8
9	The plot follows the story of our protagonist, Zane, who belongs to a group of martial artists with psychic powers known as the X Slayers. One day, while training at the X Slayer dojo, Zane hears a news report that their enemies, the Psyko Sindikate, have bombed Zane's apartment and blown up his mom.
10
11	Zane's mentor, Mikey, sets out to confront the Sindikate and tells Zane to stay behind since he's still in training, but Zane refuses to let him go alone, setting out to follow him -- and eventually, pick up his crusade against the Sindikate when Mikey dies...
12
13	That's only the surface level of the game however, and the true meat of the story is {{meta\|fiction}}textual. ''Slayers X'' is the {{defictionalized}} magnum opus of the person behind "Big Z Studios" -- Zane Lofton, the edgelord BreakoutCharacter of Tendershoot's previous game, ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw''. 20 years after the events of ''Hypnospace'', Zane uses a winning lottery ticket, a guilt-tripped former classmate with programming skills, and an obsolete game engine from his childhood to make his dream game a reality. Through this premise, the game playfully jabs at the classic FPS genre, amateur {{game mod}}ders, and "edgy" teen culture, all the while hinting at the mundane hardships and tragedies of Zane's adult life.
14
15	The game can be purchased on Steam [[https://store.steampowered.com/app/1931020/Slayers_X_Terminal_Aftermath_Vengance_of_the_Slayer/ here]], and is featured as part of the Xbox Game Pass. The game's Twitter account, which doubles as a devlog and CharacterBlog, can be found [[https://twitter.com/Zane_Rocks_36 here]].
16	----
17	!!I am... the X Troper:
18	* NinetiesAntiHero: PlayedWith, as Zane is a foulmouthed AntiHero with guns and crude design who lives and breathes the nineties, but is too immature to come off with the same typical image as one.
19	* AbnormalAmmo: The Glass Blasta is loaded with handfuls of glass sharts[sic] that are gained from breaking windows, bottles and mirrors.
20	* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Some of the game takes place inside the sewers that are large enough to freely walk and jump in. Some places even have large rooms.
21	* ActorAllusion: Creator/GianniMatragrano voices some of the rats in this game. They may randomly do a ''VideoGame/DukeNukem'' impression when talked to, referencing Gianni's Website/YouTube channel where he regularly does voice impressions of Duke.
22	* AdjustableCensorship: Explained in-universe as being added [[SoMyKidsCanWatch so Zane's son can play the game]]. However, it only lets you set the gore to "Normal" or "Extreme".
23	* AdrenalineTime: Firing either the blast or the laser using the Hackblood Talismen will cause the game to temporarily slow down, giving you extra time to react to enemies or align a shot.
24	* AffectionateParody:
25	** Of crude '90s FPS games such as ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', ''VideoGame/ShadowWarrior1997'' and ''VideoGame/RedneckRampage''. It has the same edgy, crude humor as those games, but rather than using it to make Duke Nukem and Lo Wang seem like the carefree R-rated action movie heroes they are, it's played to make Zane seem all the more immature and puerile. But the parodic elements aside, given the number of actual classic FPS tropes {{played straight}},[[labelnote:such as]] the StandardFPSGuns, the perennial SewerLevel, the unnecessary background object interactivity, an "early-game gratuitous building destruction sequence with multiple explosions" like in many classic Build games, and the [[StylisticSuck bad 3D model intro cutscene]] that parodies ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'''s cutscenes,[[/labelnote]] it's hard to view this as anything but made by someone who understands the genre.
26	** This game is also a parody of "edgy teenager" self-authored stories: the highly {{Troperrific}} story of "author insert of VagueAge but implicitly teenage is leader of a team; is left the SoleSurvivor of their group and goes on a quest for {{Revenge}}" points to this in the broad strokes, but you can also see this in the minor details, from the unprofessionally-made MS Paint comics and overtly "cool" weapons, to the loose pop-culture influences and rebellious gross-out humor. Again, given how many elements of them are mixed together, it's easy to imagine that this game is targeted towards adults who remember having a "cringe" {{Chuunibyou}} phase.
27	* AIBreaker: Warewolves have two attacks: a claw swipe if the player is close, and a missile launch if they're not. Despite being the most lethal enemy and a boss encounter, they can be easily killed with even an unpowered S-Blade by repeatedly weaving in and out of their melee range to bait the claw swipe, stunlocking them and preventing them from using their actual dangerous move.
28	* AirVentPassageway: Many air vents are large enough for Zane to enter.
29	* AlmostDeadGuy: Zane finds Mikey in a state where he can give most of the necessary information to him before dying.
30	* AlternateUniverse: The game is still grounded in the universe of ''Hypnospace Outlaw'', so divergences like a trennis court and the acronym "BWL" are included. Also included is set dressing that implies similar divergences to Trennis happened to other games such as Billiards now having two color-coded sides.
31	* ApprovalOfGod: In-universe. Mikey Sykey (the frontman of the fictional NuMetal band Seepage) agreed to be part of Zane's project after [[VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw the Hypnospace archive went public]]; Mikey saw the original ''Slayers X'' comics, which featured him as a prominent character, and loved them. He was ''so'' enthusiastic that he allowed Zane to use Seepage's music, and even composed a new song specifically for the game, as well as voicing the fictional version of himself. His voice acting is [[TookTheBadFilmSeriously surprisingly competent]] compared to the amateurish or phoned-in performances of everyone else, lending genuine emotion to his death scene in particular.
32	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Sloppo's menu consists of of [[ToiletHumor the terd burger, diarrea burger, pig butt-hole sausage, fried terd nuggets]], fries and a soft drink. The drink's quite a steal at $1.
33	* ArtificialHuman: The base beneath the Dollar$haver shows that Psyko Injectas are assembled on a factory.
34	* AscendedFan: In-universe. The real Mikey Sikey found out about Zane through the published Hypnospace Archival Project, and reached out to not only give him the license to use Seepage tracks in ''Slayers X'', but composed an exclusive song for it.
35	* AsteroidsMonster: Poo Guys can split into Poo Babies on death.
36	* AttackOfTheTownFestival: The Psyko Sindikate has attacked the Boise Potato Festival, and are using the location to center their power.
37	* AuthoritySoundsDeep: Mikey, Zane's mentor, has a rich and deep voice.
38	* AuthorAppeal: InUniverse, the reason why rats are friendly [=NPCs=] is because Zane likes rats and didn't want to kill them so he chose to make them supportive helpers in his game.
39	* AuthorAvatar: For an InUniverse example, the protagonist is quite obviously a stand-in for Zane Lofton, himself a character from ''Hypnospace Outlaw''.
40	* AwesomeButImpractical: The Slayers' bathroom at the Steel Sewer is a toilet guarded by sawblades and a lava pit. Cool, but very obviously impractical for anyone who just wants to take a whizz.
41	* AwfulWeddedLife: Implied in one of the houses in Cult Die Sack, where one of the beds is separated into two with a chainlink fence.
42	* BadBadActing: Voice acting example, InUniverse voice actress of Steffanie clearly did not care about partaking in voice acting.
43	* BattleAura: At 95-100% Hackblood, a glowing green aura appears around Zane's head in the HUD, corresponding with his ability to shoot {{Sword Beam}}s from the S-Blade.
44	* BigBad: Mevin, a member of the Psyko Sindikate as well as being Zane's manager at the Dollar$haver store and his mother's boyfriend. Understandably he's based on various figures in Zane's real life that he hates.
45	* BigBadassRig: Mevin drives around a massive truck as his personal vehicle, regardless of how impractical it would be.
46	* BigNo: When Mikey dies, Zane lets out "Noooo!"
47	* BlandNameProduct: Many props strewn about levels are photos of what are presumably Hypnospace-verse brands for things like toilet paper, dog food, and so on, with the brand names and slogans scribbled out in MS Paint.
48	* BorderPatrol: One brief instance of this occurs in an EasterEgg at the end of the trailer park level - if you pass the level exit and continue to head down the road, you begin to hear [[HellIsThatNoise some demonic noises]] and then a [[JumpScare giant demented skeletal creature flies out of the dark tunnel ahead of you]], homing in on you and killing you very quickly if you don't leave the level.
49	* BrainMonster: The Jezta enemy type consist of mostly-exposed brains.
50	* BulletTime: Seen in introductory cutscene where bullets fly out very slowly and leave trails.
51	* BurgerFool: Steffanie has to excuse herself from the X Slayers' training so that she can work at Sloppo's under her boss' threatening to fire her. During the events of the game, this leads to her getting isolated from the rest of the X Slayers and kidnapped.
52	* CharacterShilling: The whole project is one big ego trip for Zane, being a self-insert GameMod where he saves the world through the power of guns and supernatural hacker powers. Of course, that's all part of the joke.
53	* ChekhovsGunman: Take a look at Mevin's office desk at the Dollar$haver, and you'll see notices of termination for Zane and a spiky-haired coworker of his. She becomes relevant when [[spoiler:Mevin gets killed, teasing a possible sequel to the story]].
54	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: The comic of Zane's origin as an X Slayer in ''Hypnospace Outlaw'' depicts a BigRedDevil preparing to kill Zane, with the last line implying that demons are Psykos. The comic doesn't resolve this character, and neither does this game: demons never show up (besides the printed copies of the original comics in the attic), nobody mentions or references them, and Psykos are instead {{Artificial Human}}s.
55	* ClownSpecies: Jeztas are aliens with a lifecycle that's represented by several enemies and obstacles in-game. One secret even has you visiting their homeworld.
56	* ColonCancer: The name of the game manages to cram in two different subtitles.
57	* ContinuityNod: The game generally makes sure it's clear that it takes place in the ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' universe.
58	** Various decorations reference media from Zane's youth, such as "Professor Pizza" boxes based on Doctor Pizza of the infamous Pizza Dance (combined with Professor Helper) and a poster of "Taurus X: 2089" in his room.
59	** Various elements reference Zane's old Hypnospace page:
60	*** The game being "developed by Big Z Studios" is a reference to Zane's self run "studio" from ''Hypnospace'', which he made his comics with.
61	*** Kataklysm, the fictional game that ''Slayers X'' is a mod of, is listed as Zane's favorite game on there.
62	*** The Steel Sewer where the X Slayers base their operations is derived from Zane's crude drawing of it in his comic, featuring a band stage, firing range, and a giant TV with video games.
63	*** The attic of the X Slayer dojo contains Zane's comic of his origin as an X Slayer, which was part of his Hypnospace page.
64	*** When staring into a mirror, Zane may randomly quip that he's "sexy both on and offline", which is one of the first things you'll read on his page.
65	*** The "WELCOME TO THE STEEL SEWER" room in the second level has a hidden message where Zane mocks the player for exploring. This is a reference to how his pages would mock the player for scrolling to the bottom of them.
66	---->"did i tell u that u could come here? [[GroinAttack kicks u in the nards]]"
67	** The embarrassing photo of Zane at the end of the hidden hallway in the Boise Potato Festival has "BWL" repeatedly superimposed on it, referencing ''Hypospace Outlaw''[='s=] equivalent of "LOL," "Bursting With Laughter."
68	** There's a Gumshoe Gooper mask on sale at Dollar$haver.
69	** The animation playing in Mevin's home theater is [[https://tcrf.net/images/d/d9/HSO-Zane1.gif Zane getting decapitated]], an animation seen in earlier versions of ''Hypnospace Outlaw'' before the ''Plus'' update changed it to Zane getting punched in the teeth.
70	* CuttingOffTheBranches: Depending on the player's actions in ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'', [[spoiler:Zane could have died in the Y2K Mindcrash. This game confirms he survives into the 2020s.]]
71	* CreativeClosingCredits: The credits are a touring shot of various 3D spaces designed within the engine. Also, they're initially written as credits to Zane Lofton, before being blown up and replaced with credits to the actual staff behind the game.
72	* CreatorBreakdown: [[invoked]] As much of the game is a self-aggrandizing story by Zane, it becomes fairly clear some of it is working out his own baggage over how his life went, such as missing his mother (who is heavily implied to have passed away at this point), never knowing his real father, and disliking his stepfather.
73	* CreatorsApathy: An in-universe variant with Adam Chase, Zane's unseen classmate who helped him finish developing this game. According to Adam, the reason why the final boss sucks so much is because he just gave up, since he only helped Zane because of a high school promise that he hoped he would forget.
74	* CyberGreen: The beams at the exit of each level, the swirling voids that appear in bottomless pits and some skyboxes, and Hackblood are all bright green, fitting the game's focus on supernatural computer hackers.
75	* {{Cyberspace}}: The Psyko Sindikate have hidden the Hackblood Talismen in a computer inside their base beneath Mevin's house. Mikey programs the world inside it to look like a level from ''[[FictionalVideoGame Kataklysm]]'', so that Zane has an easier time exploring it.
76	* DamselInDistress: Zane's not-quite-girlfriend and fellow Slayer Steffanie is abducted at the start of the game. She's injected with wolf DNA, becoming a violent Warewolf.
77	* DartboardOfHate: Mevin has a dartboard with Zane's face on it at his house.
78	* DeadManWriting: One of the houses in Mevin's neighborhood has last words written on the wall of a child who suspects their parents were replaced by Psykos. They also wrote down a scream of terror as they're being killed, with a blood splatter on the wall covering part of the scream.
79	* DeathByOriginStory: A news broadcast in the opening cutscene reveals that Zane's mom was killed by Psykos in a car bombing offscreen. It's implied that this was written into the story by Zane as a means to memorialize her after her actual passing.
80	* DefectorFromDecadence: Scattered here-there are Psykos attempting to live normal people lives instead of slaughter the residents of Boise. The first level has some Psykos camping out harmlessly in the woods and they won't shoot you unless you shoot first, and another one has some Psykos attempt to start a door installation service.
81	* DegradedBoss: When you reach Steffanie, she is transformed into a rocket-launcher-wielding werewolf, and the game treats the encounter like a mini-boss fight with her. Several clones of her then appear throughout the rest of the game as regular enemies.
82	* DelusionsOfEloquence: One of the final few levels is essentially titled "stinky crater", but with the words swapped out for sophisticated-sounding ones in the incorrect context.
83	-->'''NOW ENTERING... CREVASSE OF REPUGNANT'''
84	* DyingDeclarationOfLove: Warewolf enemies will wail "I love youuuu" as they die.
85	* EasterEgg: Falling down the crevasse at the Boise Potato Festival and landing on the small outcropping just below the kill plane [[https://youtu.be/h9o1QT-CpDY?t=7800 reveals]] a hidden hallway littered with disparaging messages from Adam Chase, an old high school classmate of Zane who only helped him finish this game because of a promise that he made when they were teenagers. Continuing to go through the hallway reveals that Zane is now a father and thinks the game will elevate him from "a deadbeat dollar store manager," and that the reason why the final boss sucks so much is because of Adam's CreatorsApathy.[[invoked]] The very end of the hallway also features an unflattering photo of Zane in his underwear with "BWL" repeatedly superimposed atop.
86	* EpicFail: In the Cottonwood Trailer Park, one of the doors is labeled "EX-PSYKO CHEAP DOOR INSTALLATION", with the subtitle "trying our best". Take a peek inside, and you'll see a bunch of destroyed doors and one Psyko having been flattened by his own door.
87	* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: While Zane is a foul-mouthed AntiHero prone to making YourMom jokes, the tutorial level set in his house does have him pay respects to his now-departed mom when her photo or personal belongings are interacted with, saying she was the best that a kid could ever have and dropping the usual "edgy badass" affect in the process.
88	* ExplodingBarrels: Red barrels often are scattered throughout the levels. Those barrels explode when shot at. The Cottonwood Trailer Park's post office includes a gratuitous number of these for some unexplained reason, and a sign that says to not blow the mail up.
89	* ExpressiveHealthBar: Keeping in step with the game's heavy ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' influences, Zane's face acts as a health indicator. The more damage the player takes, the more injured the face looks. The face also MouthFlaps whenever Zane ever does so much as to vocalize (either talking or jumping) and even makes a whoah face whenever the player discovers a secret.
90	* FlippingTheBird: Subverted. While there is a button dedicated to flipping off enemies, Zane flips them off with a ring finger instead, since he is [[GoshDangItToHeck committed to not using swears.]]
91	* FlushingEdgeInteractivity: Toilets can be interacted with to flush away any of the grimy water left in them. They can also be attacked, which shatters them and leaves behind a busted, water-spraying pipe.
92	* FrameUp: Whether the Jeztas are AlwaysChaoticEvil is unknown, but their animosity towards the X Slayers seems to be due to the Psyko Sindikate stealing their Hackblood and blaming it on the Slayers rather than being simple minions for them.
93	* FreudianExcuse: PlayedForLaughs -- the post-game "Downtown Boise" bonus level reveals that Zane hates [[{{Phonymon}} SquisherZ]] because he used to collect the trading cards, until some bully at the local laundromat stole his entire collection and the police refused to help.
94	* GameMod: According to a hidden message from Adam Chase, ''Slayers X'' was developed as a mod for ''Kataklysm'', the ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' equivalent of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''. Certain elements of the game make {{In Joke}}s about actual amateur game modifications for classic shooters:
95	** Various objects (such as bushes) look photosourced, riffing on the habits of classic game mods to use edited photos as game textures with little effort to form a cohesive style.
96	** The secret levels "Mikeys Head" and "Uncle Gopher's House" borrow from two classic amateur map mod tropes: map editor doodles and levels based on the residence of a family member.
97	** The secret levels' songs are titled as if they're just raw file rips from ''Kataklysm''[='s=] MIDI soundtrack (much like how many amateur ''Doom'' modders leave in the default music instead of replacing it).
98	* GangstaStyle: Zane turns his pistols sideways when holding down the fire, tying in with the real Zane Lofton's inability to move on from his teenage years in the late '90s.
99	* GenreShift: From a retro internet adventure game in ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' to a retro "boomer shooter" FPS.
100	* GlowingEyes: Zane's eyes glow green, while major antagonists have eyes that glow purple.
101	* GoshDangItToHeck: Even as an adult, Zane still refuses to say any actual swear words. This even extends to FlippingTheBird, which is done with people's ring fingers instead.
102	* HatesRichPeople: Zane doesn't like rich people, of which Mevin is one.
103	-->'''Achievement text for beating Cult Die Sack, a rich neighborhood:''' "flippin rich people"
104	* HeadBob: When Mikey gives Zane his dying last words, the camera cuts to a view from behind Mikey. Because he's hooded, he has to start bobbing his head to make it clear he's the one talking in this scene.
105	* HerCodeNameWasMarySue: Old habits die hard, as Zane Lofton's habit of making incredibly deific self-insert fics continues here. The game follows the same story as his webcomic from ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'', depicting an in-universe fictionalization of Zane as TheChosenOne who fights the Psyko Sindikate alongside the members of his favorite NuMetal band. The BigBad, a sleazy retail manager dating Zane's mom, appears to be Zane's attempt to work out his frustrations with his mother's dating habits, a step-dad who cheated on said mother, and his SoulSuckingRetailJob.
106	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Psyko Springjackers can be be dealt with by shooting their bombs right as they've tossed them out, doing heavy damage if not outright killing them.
107	* HostilityOnTheSet: [[invoked]] Adam Chase vents his feelings about helping Zane in a secret area, revealing he never even wanted to work on ''Slayers X'' in the first place, but that Zane called in a favor that Adam hoped he forgot, only continuing to help out of pity for Zane trying to escape his manager job and provide for his son. Steffanie is also played by Zane's ex-girlfriend, likewise called in for a favor, who obviously didn't want to be there and [[BadBadActing doesn't even try to act]].
108	* HowDoIShotWeb: Zane is still learning how to master Hackblood powers. He manages to launch an energy shot during the opening cutscene [[CutscenePowerToTheMax without having the Hackblood Talisman to do so]], but clearly looks confused as to how he was able to after.
109	* HyperactiveMetabolism: The main instant healing items in this game are burgers and soft drinks.
110	* HypocriticalHumor: Zane doesn't think highly of Mevin because he lives with his parents. Zane himself also lives with his mom.
111	* IAmTheNoun: "I am... the X Slayer" is a semi-frequent catchphrase of Zane's, which has a new meaning after both Mikey and Steffanie die, making him TheLastOfHisKind.
112	* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: There are four goofily-named difficulty levels, from easiest to hardest: "[[EasyModeMockery Not a real gamer]]", "Normal gamer", "Im awesome", and "Inzane".
113	* IFellForHours: Fall into the toilet for Psykos at the Steel Sewer base, and you get treated to a painfully long drop to think about [[SchmuckBait how obvious of a trap it was]]. It'll take a couple of minutes to reach the lava-filled restroom at the bottom.
114	* ImmediateSelfContradiction: Can happen in the Fun Zone's arcade. Zane will refuse to play most of the games in it, saying things like "I don't have time to play games!", but the skee-ball machines are fully usable by Zane, and you can even get rewards for winning them.
115	* InCharacterCommentaries: The bonus levels contain in-character commentary from Zane Lofton. His quips explain the nature of each level as well as context for some bits of level design (such as an anecdote about how he fell down the stairs at his Uncle Gopher's house and right out an adjacent window, explaining the blood splatter outside the game version of the house's window).
116	* InheritedIlliteracyTitle: The word "Vengance" in the title is deliberately spelled like so.
117	* InsurmountableWaistHeightFence: Relatively low road barriers block the player from going outside.
118	* IntentionalEngrishForFunny: Absolutely everywhere. That extends to the game's subtitles, achievements, marketing copy, and even its title!
119	** The glass shards ammo type is typoed as "glass [[ToiletHumor sharts]]".
120	** The game also constantly uses the word "yield" when they mean to say "wield". It seems that Zane might not know the difference between the two.
121	* KiAttack: When wielding the Hackblood Talismen, Zane can shoot energy blasts and beams using Hackblood, the game's {{Mana}} system.
122	* LateArrivalSpoiler: Parodied. In a [[https://youtu.be/kOr3g9TQyYM video]] announcing the game coming to the Playstation 5 and Nintendo Switch as well as teasing an expansion, Zane refers to the deaths of Mikey, Steffanie, and his mother as spoilers ''after'' he has plainly stated that they die.
123	* LavaPit: Lava is found here-there. For an example, in the X Slayer base, the Psyko restroom is filled with lava.
124	* LevelGoal: The end of every level has a shimmering pillar of green light. Zane jumping into it ends the level as he quips that "I am... the X Slayer."
125	* LukeIAmYourFather: Mikey says this to Zane twice. He still can't put the pieces together.
126	-->''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint Son? What did he mean by son? I will never know...]]''
127	* {{Mana}}: In addition to standard ammunition, Zane can also gather Hackblood, which allows him to perform {{Ki Attack}}s with the Hackblood Talismen and, at 95-100% capacity, fire {{Sword Beam}}s from the S-Blade. Lastly, it also acts like armor, absorbing half the damage Zane takes.
128	* MegaphoneGag: While at Zane's workplace at Dollar$haver, if the player interacts with the landline, Zane will do a half-assed impression of Mevin on the loudspeaker page, and either say something embarrassing about him or announce a wage increase for all employees.
129	* MentorOccupationalHazard: Mikey is Zane's mentor. He dies near the beginning of the first level, barely making it outside the X Slayer dojo.
130	* MercyKill: Steffanie, a fellow X Slayer, is kidnapped and turned into a werewolf wielding a rocket launcher. Zane is then forced to kill her to progress, which he briefly laments about afterwards.
131	-->''rip... my friend... and fellow x slayer... we would of probably gone out if you werent turned into a warewolf''
132	* {{Metafiction}}: ''Slayers X'' is presented as a GameMod of a game that doesn't exist in our universe; the main game is a pretty straightforward '90s style FirstPersonShooter, but many hidden aspects, such as the [[InCharacterCommentary "developer commentary"]] and secret rooms, provide backstory to the game's fictitious creator and how his personal life affected the game's development.
133	* MonsterCloset: A few of them appear in the game. For an example, in a Psyko base, a hallway opens up to reveal enclosed room full of monsters.
134	* MonsterClown: The Jeztas are floating brain monsters with jester hats that cackle maniacally as they shoot lightning and charge at their victims. A majority of the Psykos have a similar demeanor as well, even if they don't match the theme visually.
135	* MookMaker: Jezta Spawn Tents and Jezta Big Sickos spawn Jeztas periodically.
136	* MouseWorld: Several secret areas feature colonies of rats in tiny housing structures, governed by a rat king.
137	* MuseumLevel: Completing the game unlocks three bonus levels accessible from the tutorial area, [[InCharacterCommentary each including developer commentary from Zane.]] One of them was an ambitious level that was planned to be included in ''Slayers X'' but was scrapped because Zane ran out of budget, and the other two are a couple of Zane's earliest ''Kataklysm'' mod levels.
138	* MyNaymeIs: Zane's maybe-girlfriend Steffanie.
139	* NewWeaponTargetRange: Level 5 gives Zane the Hackblood Talismen, the {{BFG}} whose use is limited by how much Hackblood Zane has. The level also gives him a fast, automatic Hackblood recharge, giving the player a good opportunity to see how destructive the Talismen is. It also features multiple areas with platforming oriented around the Talismen's floating capabilities, allowing the player to learn how that mechanic works.
140	* NiceMice: Zane's Explosive Sludge Launcher summons groups of rats to tear enemies apart. These rats, as well as others hidden throughout the game, can be interacted with, and say in squeaky voices how they're on Zane's side.
141	* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: This game's setting is loosely modeled on ''Hypnospace Outlaw'''s version of Boise, Idaho. One of the locations is a Dollar$haver, Zane's place of work, and another is the Boise Potato Festival, referring to the real-world Idaho Spud Day.
142	* NoGearLevel: Level 5 removes all of Zane's weapons except the S Blade, but gives him automatic Hackblood recharge and the Talismen to use it with so he's not completely defenseless. Zane's other weapons can be found scattered throughout the level, giving the player an opportunity go enter the following one fully-armed again.
143	* NonLethalBottomlessPits: Falling into a bottomless pit simply respawns you back inside the level with a bit of damage taken.
144	* NoticeThis: If the player gains enough Hackblood to use the S Blade's SwordBeam, Zane will excitedly announce that "The S Blade has a Hackblood charge!" so the player can be absolutely sure in the heat of combat.
145	* ObfuscatingStupidity: Zane's dismal opinion of Mevin leads to him dismissing him as a Psyko Sindikate boss, despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary. By the point of their second confrontation, Zane has found a Psyko Sindikate base beneath Mevin's Dollar$haver, and potentially went inside Mevin's house and found the Psykos' plans, but when he confronts Mevin the latter plays dumb and Zane lets him go because Mevin is a loser who still lives with his parents.
146	* OddlyShapedSword: The S-Blade is a sword that, per its name, is shaped like a stylized letter "S."
147	* OneWingedAngel: The final boss turns into a giant head on a spring when his first form is defeated.
148	* PainfullySlowProjectile: Noticably absent from this otherwise classic-style FPS is the "low health hitscan" enemy archetype. All ranged enemies shoot slow, dodgeable projectiles.
149	* PaintingTheMedium: The songs for the secret levels are noticeably less advanced than the main game's tracks, and are named "[=KATAKL01.xsm=]", "[=KATAKL02.xsm=]", etc., both of which imply that they're taken directly from the sequence files of ''Kataklysm'' -- the fictional game that ''Slayers X'' was modded from in-universe.
150	* ParryingBullets: In the intro sequence, Zane and Mikey are sparring; Zane uses dual pistols to shoot a flurry of bullets at Mikey, who cuts them apart with his S-Blade.
151	* PlungerDetonator: Near the end of one of the levels, there is a plunger detonator that opens up the level exit.
152	* PointOfNoReturn: Most of the levels connect in logical ways, such as the first level being down the road from Zane's house and the Steel Sewer, which itself is a couple backyards away from Dollar$haver. If you ever attempt to retrace your steps to return to a previous level from the start of a later one, however, you'll see your attempts will be foiled by signs that say "NO TURNING BACK".
153	* PostDefeatExplosionChain: The final boss goes down with multiple small explosions.
154	* PostMortemOneLiner: Zane has lots of these during gameplay. Whether they're actually cool is another matter...
155	-->''Your grandma's a toilet! ...Dummy!''
156	* PowerFloats: When using the Hackblood Talismen, Zane will float a certain distance above the ground immediately below him.
157	* PowerPerversionPotential: Psykos are largely {{Artificial Human}}s created to take over Boise. Mevin has particularly horny plans for building one of them: a "hot girl Psyko" designed after Zane's mom, which Zane can find in the motel near Dollar$haver. Still in beta though, according to Mevin's plans beneath his house: her gibberish babbling "makes it hard to get it on because its distracting", and "if the batterys run out your thingy can get stuck in there... ow".
158	* PresentDayPast: In the game-engine sense. ''Slayers X'' is meant to be a mod for an early 90's FPS with room-over-room added in, making it on-par with ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D''. Of course, the actual game is made in UsefulNotes/{{Unity}}, and most levels have layouts that wouldn't be possible in an engine of the time.
159	* RaceLift: In Zane's original comics, Mikey had [[AmazingTechnicolorPopulation vibrant green skin]] beneath the shadow of his hoodie. In this game, Mikey looks more like a white guy who's merely lit up with slightly-green lighting.
160	* RecoilBoost: The X100 Rapid Mutilator enables flight if shot while aiming downwards.
161	* RevengeViaStorytelling: At least some of the antagonists in the game are based on characters from Zane's life, if the description for the "Over the Road" achievement is any indication.
162	-->''this is for makig me work on sundays kevin! I mean... mevin...''
163	* RewardingVandalism: Beyond being able to find health or ammo pickups in random crates and such, the Glass Blasta shoots "glass sharts", gotten by smashing windows. Zane himself encourages to break the drink vending machines instead of inserting coins.
164	* RuderAndCruder: ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' had its share of creepy imagery and language, but Slayers X dials up the 'tude and gore. {{Justified\|Trope}} in this case, as the game is established to be an in-universe project by Zane Lofton, ''Hypnospace''[='s=] resident edgelord who grew up to be an utter {{Manchild}}.
165	* SawBladesOfDeath: Circular saws moving on metal sticks can be found in the restroom section of the secret base of X Slayers.
166	* SchmuckBait: The Steel Sewer has a couple of restrooms near it. One of them is specifically for Psykos, and it's very obviously just a long fall down a pit. If the player decides to jump in anyway, [[IFellForHours they'll spend a couple of minutes waiting to reach the bottom]], which is a flaming lava room with a single toilet in the middle that'll kill them in seconds. [[TooDumbToLive It has a lineup of Psykos outside it, waiting their turn to use the loo.]]
167	* SequelHook: After the FinalBoss, [[spoiler:an unknown DarkActionGirl laments that Mevin may have died, but she still has some unknown plan to deal with Zane before remarking that "[she] is... the [[EvilCounterpart Z Slayer]]". Zane starts an X Slayer training dojo, and the final scene is of Mikey resting his arm on another unknown person]].
168	* ShoutOut:
169	** The level geometry of the Steel Sewer steals the poop texture from ''VideoGame/{{Gloomwood}}'', but properly credits that game's authors anyway.
170	--->"This poo texture stolen by Zane from [[MaliciousMisnaming David Slymanski & Dylon Rogers]]..."\
171	"Copy right Zane Lofton 2022 now its mine suckers..."
172	** The drawing of Zane that appears when respawning after a death is an homage to the album art for [[Music/LimpBizkit Limp Bizkit's]] ''Music/SignificantOther'', tying in with Zane Lofton's affinity for NuMetal.
173	** WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}} members Vinny and Joel, whose playthroughs of ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'' helped expose the game to a wider audience, are depicted on the ''Metal Masters'' cover.
174	** One of the random rat quotes is "[[WebVideo/RatMovieMysteryOfTheMayanTreasure Rats, rats, we are the rats]]".
175	** One of the bonus levels available after beating the game, which Zane claims is based on "Uncle Gopher's House", is actually a recreation of [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/groverhaus Groverhaus]], a DIY house renovation project that became a popular subject of online mockery for its poor build quality. The level also doubles as a nod to the high volume of amateur ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' [=WADs=] that just recreate the modders' houses.
176	* SingleTear: A green growing tear falls off Zane when he says he must "revenge" his dead mother.
177	* SoulSuckingRetailJob: The main antagonist is a sleazy dollar store manager that Zane works under, who is clearly a vehicle for the real Zane to [[RevengeViaStorytelling act out his teenage frustrations]] with a crappy retail job. [[spoiler:A secret room has the game's beleagured programmer state that Zane hopes to use the game's success to escape from a "dead end managerial job", suggesting that the [[{{Manchild}} underachieving]] Zane is still working at that same retail store, twenty years after the game's story was written.]]
178	* SpeaksFluentAnimal: Zane can, inexplicably, interact with, summon and talk to rats.
179	* SpringsSpringsEverywhere: Jumping on tyres makes the player bounce. Slightly.
180	* StandardFPSGuns:
181	** S-Blade: Zane's basic melee weapon, a sword with a blade shaped like an S. Usually only useful in an emergency, but if the S-Blade has a Hackblood charge, Zane can shoot {{Sword Beam}}s with it, which penetrate through terrain and can OneHitKill a Jezta up close.
182	** Double Pistols: Zane's basic hitscan weapon, two pistols that shoot modestly fast.
183	** Glass Blaster: A [[ShortRangeShotgun shotgun-type]] weapon that launches glass shard shrapnel.
184	** Explosive Sludge Launcher: A crossbow that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin launches cans of explosive sludge]], filling an explosive weapon niche.
185	** X100 Rapid Mutilator: The automatic weapon of the game, a sawblade-lined {{gatling\|Good}}-gun with a fast fire rate. Doubles as the game's Chainsaw, since it rapidly deals melee damage if the player is close enough.
186	** Triple Helix Missile Launcher: Zane's other explosive weapon, which shoots three rockets at once.
187	** Hackblood Talismen: The {{BFG}} of the game: uncharged, Zane launches powerful energy balls from his hands, and when charged, it unleashes a WaveMotionGun.
188	* StockAnimalDiet: The rats like cheese, in addition to Psyko meat.
189	* StylisticSuck: The graphics have a very intentional crude style to them; many textures are just photo sourced with little to no attempt to have a cohesive style (a-la classic [[MediaNotes/GameEngine Build engine]] amateur modding) whenever they aren't intentionally replicating early [=3D=] CGI. The rest of the aesthetic is generally approached with the intent of a edgy teen with tons of ideas as to what's "cool" with no sense of subtlety, with elements like the Nu-Metal soundtrack and the love of ToiletHumor pointing towards it.
190	** For one particular example of this trope happening, when Zane first encounters Mevin outside the Dollar$haver, the sign advertising the tinygolf course next door suddenly changes when Mevin's truck takes off.
191	** When Zane lifts his left hand to shoot energy balls with the Hackblood Talismen, you can see that his arm from the wrist-down is cropped out of the image, an issue that some classic sprite-based shooters shared.
192	** To reinforce that "classic Build engine" style, many locations look overly angular and geometric in shape.
193	* SueDonym: "Mevin Raniels" is blatantly based on Zane's stepfather Kevin Daniels.
194	* SuspiciouslyCrackedWall: Shooting cracked walls with explosives reveals secrets.
195	* SwissArmyGun: The Rapid Mutilator is the game's chaingun and chain''saw'', meaning that if you use it at melee range, it won't consume any ammo.
196	* SwordBeam: If he has more than 95 Hackblood, Zane can shoot energy bullets by swinging the S-Blade.
197	* TakeThat:
198	** In-universe one regarding [[{{Phonymon}} SquisherZ]]. A secret is hidden behind a wall with "[=SquisherZ=] Sucks!" written on it, and in said secret you can shoot a Mushi, its Pikachu equivalent.
199	** Done subtly with the game's constant references to ''Film/TheMatrix'', with Zane using them as a starting point for his typical brand of edgy, hypermasculine content. Zane's handling of the WholePlotReference jabs at the wide number of contemporary viewers who similarly read the film as a standard "macho" flick, overlooking its nature as a UsefulNotes/{{transgender}} allegory.
200	* TakeUpMySword: Mikey Sikey, in his last act before dying, imparts his [[OddlyShapedSword S-Blade]] to Zane soon after the game begins.
201	* ToiletHumor: In spades -- poop enemies can be spotted all over the sewer; one secret has Zane attacking living poop while it's on the toilet. There's an achievement for breaking every toilet in the game, and one level even features a mutant toilet as a boss fight.
202	* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: The end of the Boise Potato Festival is an innocuous-looking forest route leading to the level exit. Crossing it on foot opens up a sudden pitfall into the next level, Crevasse of Repugnant. If the player attempts to skip the trap by flying using the Hackblood Talismen or the Rapid Mutilator, they'll find themselves stymied by an invisible wall. The only way to exit the level is to fall into the trap.
203	* UnusableEnemyEquipment: Warewolves use the Triple Helix Rocket Launcher, one of the weapons Zane can pick up. When killed, they only drop Hackblood energy.
204	* VariableMix: The music becomes less intense or even more ambient when there are no enemies nearby.
205	* WeaponSpecialization: According to the monitors in the X Slayer dojo, each of the X Slayers has a weapon preference: Mikey likes the S Blade, Zane uses the Double Pistols, and Steffanie prefers the Triple Helix Missile Launcher. Besides the Double Pistols, you can only pick up the other X Slayers' preferred weapons after they die.
206	* WhatTheHellPlayer: At the start of the sewer level, if the player makes Zane break the stuff in his own house (other than glass for Glass Blaster ammo), he'll ask why he's doing that and moan about how he spent his paychecks on that stuff.
207	* WholePlotReference: A significant influence from ''Film/TheMatrix'' can be seen in the game, fitting the idea of it being made by a guy who never moved on from 1999. Zane is a jacket-garbed action-movie hero who wields two guns at once, has a form of psychic power from hacking, and enters a computer simulation at one point in the story.
208	* WorkingClassHero: Steffanie works at a Sloppo's fast food place when she's not training with the other X Slayers, and Zane likewise is an employee at the fictional dollar store Dollar$haver. [[spoiler:In the "real" world, Zane Lofton is only slightly less of a retail slave, being promoted to management rather than still being an employee.]]
209	* WriterRevolt: InUniverse. There's a secret room left by Adam Chase, the programmer friend Zane got to make the game for him. It contains text saying that he regrets ever agreeing to help decades ago and that he's only following through because he pities Zane.
210	* WritingAroundTrademarks: InUniverse -- the companies in this game are knockoffs of already-fictional brands from ''Hypnospace Outlaw''. Steffanie works at a fast food place called "Sloppo's", which is a clear stand-in for the food company Boppo's, while the soda machines feature "Grays Leak" cola, referencing the soda company Gray's Peak.
211	* XtremeKoolLetterz: If the spelling hasn't been massacred by the StylisticSuck, then it's probably from Zane's attempts to make words look edgier, "Psyko Sindikate" for one. Then again, it's impossible to tell which trope is in play.
212	* YourMom: Zane likes to make fun of victim's mothers (and other relatives) after killing them. Mevin likes rubbing it in Zane's face in return.

Context VideoGame / SlayersXTerminalAftermathVenganceOfTheSlayer