Saint Slayer Nails NES Nostalgia But Misses Modern Gamers

A Gory Homage Built for Retro Devotees

Saint Slayer follows Rudiger, a former soldier turned farmer in a gothic seventeenth-century Europe who takes up the Spear of Sacrilege to stop a crazed Catholic priest stealing relics and building cults. The game spans 21 stages of platforming, combat, and boss battles, drawing heavy inspiration from Castlevania’s level design and tone.

The game wears its NES authenticity like armor. Jumps require full commitment, attacks have no lunge range, and damage knockback can send you plummeting into instant failure. This isn’t a flaw, it’s intentional design that rewards pattern recognition and muscle memory over modern hand-holding.

Gameplay That Tests Your Patience and Skill

Rudiger’s moveset is deliberately limited: spear stabs, throwable attacks using Rosary Beads, and a DuckTales-style pogo bounce. Later upgrades add complexity, but the core remains stripped-down and deliberate. Success demands learning enemy patterns and knowing when to attack versus sidestep into safety.

Here is how progression works across multiple playthroughs:

• Passwords unlock specific stages and treasures discovered during exploration
• A persistent Orb currency carries across runs and purchases upgrades from a travelling merchant
• Four different endings reward replays with new story details and unlockables
• Local co-op adds chaos, especially with friendly fire enabled

Difficulty options matter. The easiest setting removes knockback entirely, making it accessible without gutting the challenge. Classic mode strips lives entirely, turning each death into a stage restart. Players farm Orbs to strengthen runs, creating a satisfying progression loop that mirrors NES-era design philosophy.

Presentation Nails the Retro Aesthetic

Artist Josh Gossage’s pixel work is stunning, faithfully emulating the era with subtle modern touches. Composer Josh Davis delivers a soundtrack that perfectly matches the time period, with several tracks that genuinely stand out.

Lilymo Games also implemented dual Trophy lists for PlayStation versions, offering different difficulty tiers across PS4 and PS5, encouraging completionists to chase the Platinum on both platforms.

Not Everyone Will Click With This Design

The core criticism is straightforward: Saint Slayer refuses to innovate. It doesn’t try to be shiny or new. Instead, it succeeds wildly at being a game that could have shipped during the actual NES era.

A few levels overstay their welcome, and some deaths feel cheap. More importantly, this game isn’t for everyone. It demands players raised on retro hardware or willing to learn its specific rhythms. Modern gamers expecting accessibility or evolved mechanics will bounce off hard. The stiff controls and unforgiving knockback that make the game brilliant also make it alienating.

The Verdict

Saint Slayer: Spear of Sacrilege earns a solid 4 out of 5. It’s an excellent, fitting homage to the classics that knows exactly what it wants to be and executes that vision with precision. The game succeeds because it refuses compromise, even when that means excluding players who didn’t grow up with NES-era design. That’s not a weakness, it’s the entire point.