Sliding Hero Preview: Slippery when Wet
Sliding Hero is a top-down puzzle Metroidvania where sliding is key. While movement appears limited initially, the more you play, the more you realize how creative and explorative Sliding Hero can be. Whether it's the game's unique playstyle, Metroidvania mastery, hand-drawn pixel art, or every area's complex puzzle, Sliding Hero contains something for players looking for something fresh.
Presentation
Sliding Hero features a hand-drawn pixel art style inspired by the 1700’s Venitian carnival and all the unique masks it brings. The art style is coupled with just as many unhinged and unsettling animations for characters to sport. The art style shines and groups well with the sliding gameplay and character-to-character-driven narrative.
Unfortunately, during my playtime, I encountered a few instances of clipping and screen fissures. My character would actively get stuck, and the screen would tear when moving quickly or transitioning to a new area or scene. Luckily, the good outweighs these minor issues, considering that the movement and art style are intriguing and original.
Narrative
A story is present in Sliding Hero, but I was personally enthralled by the look and gameplay much more. You learn about your character's backstory and potential tragedy through subtle hints encountered through the environment and other characters, but it doesn't dig in too deep in the demo. However, I can tell the narrative is not intended to sit on the back burner. A genuine effort is put into the narrative. Considering the wacky characters they can play with in an expansive and colorful world, I wouldn't be surprised if the narrative shines too.
Gameplay
In Sliding Hero, you slide in a single direction until you come in contact with something. The game's fast movement allows players to quickly move from room to room, but the special sauce focuses on speedrunning and exploration. Speedrunning gameplay isn't for me, but it feels catered to those players.
This sliding mechanic grows in complexity as you play, including hazards, enemies, hidden passageways, and puzzles. Luckily for those who struggle like me, the game respawns and loads quickly, which could prove crucial to some players with low patience.
I couldn't figure out some early puzzles, so I was forced to move on. As it turns out, this was intentional, as backtracking is intended, hence the Metroidvania aspect. I was initially bummed, but the more I played, the more clever I found it all.
Combat is implemented by running into them, but you have the stats of your weapons that play into it. The number of strikes and blocks currently equipped plays a factor in initiating combat or whether or not you should. Some enemies and traps are even timing-based. Attack or trigger the obstacle and high tail it out of there to avoid the trap. You can also use these environmental hazards and sliding skills to defeat foes.
If you struggle, you can heal and save your game at statues in-game. I used this often to ensure I would not backtrack too much.
Breakdown
Game: Sliding Hero
Developers: Silent Chicken
Availability: Steam, Mobile
Previewed on Steam
Demo Length: Around an hour
Pros:
Hand-drawn pixel art
Unique sliding mechanic
Fresh setting
Exploration
Cons:
Technical hiccups
Final Thoughts
It may seem silly, but Sliding Hero's sliding mechanic makes or breaks the game. Luckily the mechanic itself is crips and only grows in complexity. That mechanic, coupled with the game's art style, implied focus on the narrative, fresh take on the genre, and interesting setting, make for a formula that could prove to be something special upon full release if the team at Silent Chicken can spruce up the bugs and deliver a complete product.
Preview by Austin Ernst