Slave Zero X is launching on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch on February 21, 2024. Made in partnership with Poppy Works and the team behind the renowned Devil Engine, Slave Zero X is a stylish 2.5D character action game set in the biopunk world of Slave Zero (1999).
The newest title in the classic Dreamcast Slave Zero™ franchise will bring a whole new side-scrolling hack-and-slash experience to fans of the original game. A satisfyingly punishing game, Slave Zero™ X sees the protagonist, Shou, merging with a stolen Slave Unit Prototype, becoming a furious Devil in pursuit of killing a false God. Take up arms and do battle against the violent forces of the tyrannical SovKhan, the violent dictator who rules Megacity S1-9 with fists of iron and flesh.
Featuring multiple gameplay modes and a variety of futuristic 2.5D dystopian urban levels to battle through, players will string together brutal combos and fight through waves of genetically enhanced biopunk opponents — all to the tune of a gnarly synth soundtrack. Run & slash your way through a dystopian future in this character action game which will resonate with fans of action and fighting game favorites Devil May Cry, Strider, and Guilty Gear.
Key Features of Slave Zero™ X include:
Different Modes to Mutilate: Play through the story, build your combo-crushing skills in training mode, or test your might in the post-story Bloody Palace mode
Hack-n-Slash ‘n Slash ‘n Slash…: Chain together lethal attack combos with your sword and an array of explosive ordinance while leaping, sprinting, and flipping your way through a grim biopunk world
A 2.5D Environment Worthy of H.R. Giger: Battle your way through massive levels and boss-rushes in a lo-fi blend of 2D and 3D art reminiscent of the 90s Dreamcast era.
Brutal Battles and Cutthroat Stages: Conquer mini-bosses and climactic arch-villains in unforgettable combat sequences
Blood-Soaked and Synth-Soaked: Immerse yourself in a world of heavy Drum ‘n Bass and industrial tracks that get more intense as the action heats up
Slave Zero™ X is available to wishlist now on Steam, GOG, and PlayStation and you can play through the demo on Steam.
New Trailer at OTK Games Expo - Calamities Trailer is out now!
We were thrilled to debut a new Slave Zero X trailer at the 2023 OTK Games Expo! This trailer focuses on the SovKhan's most powerful and formidable servants, known as the Calamities.
https://youtu.be/4CFPQ0HHHSg
Try out the game's demo at the link below, and tell all your friends and enemies to wishlist and follow the game to keep up with the latest announcements and updates!
Demo Update! Training Room, Opening Cutscene, and Performance Improvements!
An update to the Slave Zero X Demo has been released! In this updated demo (Build ID 11428315), you’ll find:
Training Room mode added
Opening cutscene added
Button command to skip cutscenes added
Changes and additions to Shou’s attacks (find the new secret super move!)
Lighting improvements and graphical polish
Performance improvements and bug fixes
We hope you enjoy the demo! Please refer to the FAQ and Support threads with any questions. And wishlist the game, will ya?
New Trailer at #Indie3 - Watch the Slave Zero X Abilities Trailer now!
The third full trailer for Slave Zero X debuted today at Indie3 2023! This trailer gives a first look at attacks, abilities, and enemies never before revealed, plus many new environments. Watch it now to also get a first glimpse at in-game footage of Hercules J. Thorman, one the SovKhan's five Calamities.
https://youtu.be/c52TprrHFKI
There is more to come this week, so be sure to wishlist and follow the game to keep up with the latest announcements and updates!
So, tell us about yourself! I'm Tia Rohrer- I go by TK in some places, and Irischroma is my username in many other spaces online. I am a digital artist, primarily versed in Photoshop and a few other programs like Art Rage and a tiny bit of Procreate.
At Poppy Works, I do quite a few things now. My tasks vary significantly from project to project, haha! ...But you'll often find me making some sort of Artwork now, I'm sure.
I've been doing digital art since I discovered PaintBBS + Oekaki Boards in the mid-late 2000's!
How did you start working on Slave Zero X for Poppy Works? I was brought on in 2021 to make a bunch of posters initially! The scope increased to a few more assets here and there and two character designs!
What sparked your interest to work on SZX? When I was brought on, I saw all the fantastic work the SZX team had been doing. I remember my heart skipping a beat from how absolutely cool it was, a type of game I have always wanted to do work for!
What do you enjoy most about working on SZX? The team. I loved working on the artwork itself, of course, but the people here really mean a lot to me. They made me feel incredibly welcome right away. It's already one of the things I miss the most since my part for SZX was over!
How would you describe the world of SZX? How did that World influence the art style? I would say it's rather... Intense. There's a lot there that feels incredibly uncanny and quite frightening in retrospect. The types of people and things that live within the world of SZX would be pretty frightening to see in our lives but are normal to everyone living there.
The feel of the world is a bit nostalgic for me, outside of the graphical style itself! It's a grand mishmash of things we once thought to be hyper-futuristic and the pinnacle of technology, and something that feels so otherworldly and alien, far beyond our reach through technological advancements.
Despite the advancements and scary things within SZX, some ordinary people live there, tormented by the hyper-capitalist Mega City. Many things there are very much rooted within our own reality that surrounds many people in their daily lives. People that wish for better lives, to live more comfortably- things that the Mega City does not truly provide to them.
With the Frankenstein-like biopunk technology that SZX touts with pride, the horrors that live within the walls, and the people that face the same hardships we do- This influenced me to create works that branched out in terms of presentation.
Some posters may feel very amateur, some feeling rather expensive. There is a character we have become very fond of; you may see her in a few places. Her design was influenced by many 40's-60's retro cartoons and how many toys and merchandise have rotted over time, looking quite unsettling. I wanted to create a mix of uneasiness and fake qualities, giving the world a not-so-trustworthy look, despite the subjects they may pertain to! Some images appear much happier than they ought to be; some are performative, and some are genuine!
Such is normalcy within the world of SZX. I wanted to portray those feelings.
What has been a challenge you overcame working on SZX? An art piece you wrestled with? The complex pipeline? The greatest challenge was probably my brain and the fact I was working in a freezing basement for most of this. My fingers and joints would hurt so much due to the cold, so some pieces are probably not as nicely rendered as I could have provided... I eventually got a small portable heater, but this could only provide so much for myself!
Oh no! Are you in a better situation now? I am in a much better place now, lol Because of the job here, I could escape that bad situation and move into a much better place.
What skill has helped you most on this project? I like multitasking a bit. Having multiple things to draw and bounce between, mainly so I can try to keep my eyes fresh and not overwork one picture into a mess I end up not liking at all.
Poppy Works has been completely work-from-home since 2012. They are a global company in the sense that they hire anyone qualified from all over the world. What has it been like working with such a diverse group of people? It's been so wonderful! There's a great variety of people that I've had the chance to work with, and I would absolutely do it all over again. I love these guys.
I'm also thankful that I can work from home and wear my wonderful fuzzy kitty paw slippers in total comfort! (:
Tell us something fun about working with the SZX team, a funny moment, something special that stands out to you about the team, or something you would like the world to know about this experience. These people really like Sonic the Hedgehog.
What has been your favorite piece to work on? This is quite hard to decide... I am so fickle with my work that looking back at most pictures I made even a month ago, I feel I could have done so much better. I find myself unsatisfied quite often.
One I recall having a good time working on, however, I think, was the Smiling Twins image. I was trying out a slightly different rendering style.
Was anything cut from the project you wish had stayed in? I miss him every day. The snake....
How did you get started in this industry? Any suggestions for up and coming artists who would like your job? I originally created comics for two different people for 3 years. I was getting burnt out massively, and the pay was not enough to support myself to live on my own. I injured my wrists and fingers quite a bit due to the workload I took on, and I would highly... Highly recommend taking care of yourself. Please. Wear a brace, stretch, and as soon as anything hurts, please stop. Find out if you need a different grip, get a chair that supports you, and make sure your setup isn't causing you any pain you can prevent... Anything to make sure your work isn't damaging your health in the long run. It's not worth it.
Outside of the unfortunate pain of artistry, I would recommend drawing things as if they were already going into a video game. Make a small plan, but not a full-on project as if you were going to develop this game in full.
Take the idea of "What sort of plants would live in a certain setting?" "What imagery would be present in the city/towns, and would they vary greatly?" Etc. You can get ideas for this by browsing various art books and seeing concepts that may or may not have ended up in the end product. Replicate these things! Create items a player could find/use/discover/collect, and a concept of what sort of shirts NPCs could wear!
Be sure to have rendered images and roughs to show your concept skills. These will help people figure out if you could fit into their pipeline and if you have the knowledge that could aid the rest of the group in moving forward!
Final thoughts I love this team. Everything Poppy Works has done for me as a whole has changed my life and made it possible for me to be happier and healthier. I Want to make Slave Zero X 2. Or Slave Zero 2. Or anything. I don't know-- I just know I still love video games. I want to help make more.
Slave Zero X: Artist Focus on Barbera Boone
Barbera Boone
Artist Focus: 2D FX and Animator
So, tell us about yourself! Howdy! My name is Barbera Boone, AKA Dieselbrain. I'm the 2D fx artist on Slave Zero X, though I also handled much of the UI assets and even some character animation as well!. I'm a queer artist who has spent over 10 years working freelance, primarily focusing on erotic art (something I'm still very passionate about).I'm currently living in Toronto Canada (working on immigrating!) but I'm originally from Virginia in the USA. My mediums of choice are primarily digital art and animation, often focusing on themes of body horror, LGBT sexuality, Americana, and big fucking tiddies.
How did you get started working on Slave Zero X for Poppy Works? I was notified of an opening by a friend who felt I would be a good fit for the project, and thankfully it appears the team agreed.
What sparked your interest to work on SZX? I had been dealing with severe creative burnout from working freelance, and working on SZX gave me the opportunity to change gears for a while so to speak, while still letting me use my primary creative skills. It's helped me heal a lot.
What do you enjoy most about working on SZX? I enjoy my coworkers, they've all been delights to work with. I've also really appreciated how much the team trusted my creative judgment as the FX animator, it's something that made me feel very appreciated.
How would you describe the world of SZX? How did that World influence the art style? I would describe the world of SZX as bleak and dark, with a little bit of 90s cyberpunk edge. I think that style really encouraged the whole art team to want to lean in and make something that would feel right at home on gaming consoles a few decades ago.
What has been a challenge you overcame working on SZX? An art piece you wrestled with? The complex pipeline? A major personal challenge was unlearning certain unhealthy expectations of myself that were a holdover from a previous game project. I've been able to tackle SZX in a healthier manner while still delivering quality assets that the team needs and I thank my superiors and coworkers for helping me with that.
What skill has helped you most on this project? My skills with Aseprite were invaluable of course, but I was also able to do some character animation due to my past experience focusing more on characters on past projects.
Poppy Works has been completely work-from-home since 2012. They are a global company in the sense that they hire anyone qualified from all over the world. What has it been like working with such a diverse group of people? Barbera: It's been great. my coworkers have been fantastic to work alongside, and I greatly admire their skill and experience. It's been particularly amazing seeing my fellow animators improve and really flex what they can do more and more as the project went on.
Tell us something fun about working with the SZX team, a funny moment, something special that stands out to you about the team, or something you would like the world to know about this experience. Seeing the little jokes team members would come up with or little shitpost memes they'd make with Shou or other characters always put a smile on my face
What has been your favorite piece to work on? My favorite piece I worked on was probably FistFucker, as it was both a personal challenge to move on to working with a character rather than fx, but also because the amount of trust the team had in me when I worked on him made me feel appreciated.
Was anything cut from the project you wish had stayed in? R.I.P. DICKSNAKE
How did you get started in this industry? Any suggestions for up-and-coming artists who would like your job? I had been on a few false start projects for a few years fresh out of college but the first project that truly put me in the industry was when I was brought on as the Lead Animator on an indie NSFW project back in 2017. For any up-and-coming artists, I think one of the things that will translate best to a professional game project is the ability to bring your work to a completion. Skill and talent is important but the discipline to look at something and say ""it's done"" is an invaluable one I feel, particularly when others are depending on you.
Final thoughts I don't have much else to say other than I’m proud of my work on SZX and I hope I can continue to work with this animation team on future projects with Poppy Works. """
Check out the NEW Slave Zero X Demo!
Join Ziggurat Interactive today at 4pm EST here on Steam for a first look at the Slave Zero X Demo. It's time to slash our way through some baddies and show (Shou haha) the world what we're made of!
Slave Zero X is a stylish 2.5D character action game set in the biopunk world of Slave Zero (1999). Run & Slash your way through a dystopian future in this character action game which will resonate with fans of Devil May Cry, Strider, and Guilty Gear.
From the top of Megacity S1-9, the Sovereign Khan rules with fists of iron and flesh. Beneath the city’s rotting foundations, a vengeful warrior embarks on a journey to murder him. 4 years prior to the events of Slave Zero, Slave Zero X brings new life to a world where horrific, living machines known as Slaves are primed to become the latest tools of war in humanity’s long and bloody history. A secret band of warriors known as The Guardians hope to stop these biomecha from being unleashed upon the world, but one swordsman among their ranks has a different idea: use the enemy’s own weapon against them. By merging with a stolen Slave Unit Prototype, Shou will become a furious Devil in pursuit of killing a false God.
KILLER COMBOS: Use swift swordplay, explosive ordnance, and stylish combos against an army of meat and metal.
DEATH FROM ABOVE: Air juggling, dashes, and frequent target switching allow for you to take down foes of any size while wall-jumping and platforming can help you outmaneuver your enemies.
FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE: Conquer mini-bosses, set pieces, and climactic 1-on-1 encounters that offer intense challenges against unforgettable villains.
STRENGTH IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL: Use the Training Room to hone precise and powerful moves to string together devastating attack sequences.
BATTLE TO THE BEAT: A 90s-inspired soundtrack features heavy Drum’n’Bass and funky industrial music that adds to the thrill of combat.
FEAST YOUR EYES: A unique visual aesthetic combines nostalgic 2D sprites with an advanced lighting system and stylized 3D environments.
Contains animated depictions of violent and gory content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
First Look at NEW Slave Zero X Demo!
Join Ziggurat Interactive today at 4pm EST here on Steam for a first look at the Slave Zero X Demo. It's time to slash our way through some baddies and show (Shou haha) the world what we're made of!
Slave Zero X is a stylish 2.5D character action game set in the biopunk world of Slave Zero (1999). Run & Slash your way through a dystopian future in this character action game which will resonate with fans of Devil May Cry, Strider, and Guilty Gear.
From the top of Megacity S1-9, the Sovereign Khan rules with fists of iron and flesh. Beneath the city’s rotting foundations, a vengeful warrior embarks on a journey to murder him. 4 years prior to the events of Slave Zero, Slave Zero X brings new life to a world where horrific, living machines known as Slaves are primed to become the latest tools of war in humanity’s long and bloody history. A secret band of warriors known as The Guardians hope to stop these biomecha from being unleashed upon the world, but one swordsman among their ranks has a different idea: use the enemy’s own weapon against them. By merging with a stolen Slave Unit Prototype, Shou will become a furious Devil in pursuit of killing a false God.
KILLER COMBOS: Use swift swordplay, explosive ordnance, and stylish combos against an army of meat and metal.
DEATH FROM ABOVE: Air juggling, dashes, and frequent target switching allow for you to take down foes of any size while wall-jumping and platforming can help you outmaneuver your enemies.
FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE: Conquer mini-bosses, set pieces, and climactic 1-on-1 encounters that offer intense challenges against unforgettable villains.
STRENGTH IS NOTHING WITHOUT CONTROL: Use the Training Room to hone precise and powerful moves to string together devastating attack sequences.
BATTLE TO THE BEAT: A 90s-inspired soundtrack features heavy Drum’n’Bass and funky industrial music that adds to the thrill of combat.
FEAST YOUR EYES: A unique visual aesthetic combines nostalgic 2D sprites with an advanced lighting system and stylized 3D environments.
Contains animated depictions of violent and gory content that may not be appropriate for all audiences.
Slave Zero X: Artist Focus on Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Artist Focus: Animator
So, tell us about yourself! I'm Scott Brown, AnimatedTako online. I grew up in Virginia, currently living in Georgia. My art style is aggressively shaped by American 80s toy-centric cartoons, late 90s action anime, action figures and 16-bit arcade classics. Pretty much, I love toyetic characters with functional designs, tightly controlled color schemes and cool, saturated shadows. I have the most fun animating fighting game scale pixel art because there's a duality to working in a rigid grid that's comforting in it's structure but challenging to find unique expressions with. Certain lines and curves just aren't possible to render literally, so you have to start implying them instead between pixels and I find that sort of interpretive element to be extremely engaging both to make and to look at. I'm an animator on SZX, working on all the pixel art sprite based aspects of the project.
How did you get started working on Slave Zero X for Poppy Works? Wolfgang messaged me out of the blue about it on twitter around October 2021. I signed some stuff and we had a call where he showed me what was being cooked up and I thought it had awesome potential. I still had some full time work to finish on other games at the time. A few months later, I started working on SZX in early 2022.
What sparked your interest to work on SZX? Even in the earliest form I saw it in, SZX looked like something I wanted to play. The action was crisp, Shou looked like fun to animate, and the dark dystopian setting felt like a fun playground for violence.
What do you enjoy most about working on SZX? Trust, freedom and synchronization on the team. Francine empowers us to go wild with action and posing, adapting her characters to pixels. Tristan is open and receptive to any attack ideas or animation flourishes we come up with. We all mesh well on the animation team passing the characters back and forth, we're pretty much on the same page about what kind of acting and posing to use and any time we aren't, we pretty easily come to a consensus after weighing the pros, cons, and efficiency of different decisions. It's just really nice to be doing your best with very little friction in the way, and I think that shines through in our work.
How would you describe the world of SZX? How did that World influence the art style? It's a dark oppressive world tailor made to keep you down with a protagonist and combat built around pushing past your limits, and finally doing something about that problem everyone has been telling you're too weak to solve. At least, that's how I see it and think about it when animating the characters. Even though Shou has tremendous power via X, He's finally putting all this pent up emotion inside him to use with a singular goal in mind, so no effort is spared. Every action is carried out with 100% intensity and effort. It's really fun to animate a character that's just exerting themselves so frankly. I feel the same about the various enemies in the game. They're all cogs in SovKhan's grand machine, little micro machines shaped for a specific purpose to keep the mega city functioning. They've ruled unchallenged as a power that's never tasted loss, and their entire lives are shaped around performing their particular combat role. So, we make their attacks very measured and practiced, but their hit reactions are messy and inelegant - They're not used to the resistance.
What has been a challenge you overcame working on SZX? An art piece you wrestled with? The complex pipeline? Mostly just having to wrestle with cutting certain ideas because of time constraints. There were a couple times where we had to finish animating a character before they were implemented in a rough state, so I think we didn't take some risks we could have if we knew we had time to adjust them based on some testing in game.
What skill has helped you most on this project? It's a cornball answer but it's true, communication is the key, and not having an ego helps even more. Anything I couldn't solve on my own I just brought to the table and talked it out with the team and we either knocked our heads together to come up with an easier approach or way to divide the work. Just keeping each other up to date and sharing sprites saves you so much time in small little ways. On a character like Enyo for example, she has a lot of props and wings. We saved each other so much time by making sure we shared reusable wing poses, sharing sprites every time we drew a prop for a new angle, etc. A leg here, an arm there. That's one of the best parts about working in pixel art as a team and it goes a long way to maximize your output as a group.
Poppy Works has been completely work-from-home since 2012. They are a global company in the sense that they hire anyone qualified from all over the world. What has it been like working with such a diverse group of people? It's been awesome. Everyone has that unique little extra chance of adding a flourish I might not have thought about. The timezone coverage is pretty nice too - when I wake up there's already some awesome work posted in the team discord that was done somewhere else in the world while I was asleep. It's great to start the day off inspired like that.
Tell us something fun about working with the SZX team, a funny moment, something special that stands out to you about the team, or something you would like the world to know about this experience. Building a game is a challenge of course - but especially one bolted together with tools that weren't necessarily meant to be used the way we use them. The team has a pretty good sense of humor about it when things go a little sideways and it's spawned some pretty incredible internal memes in the team discord.
What has been your favorite piece to work on? I think the hammer wielding Heavy has been my favorite character to work on. He was the first character on the game I got to work on the majority of sprites for a few weeks in as I was starting to feel comfortable on the team and really started to get into the swing of things. So, I'm both happy with how he turned out and nostalgic for the time I was working on him, getting to know the team and starting to feel confident this game was going to be something special!
Was anything cut from the project you wish had stayed in? We got really excited collectively about a third, final "perfect god" form for SovKhan where he would be fighting you without any of his armor and minimal powers, just buff naked martial arts. After a long march animating mecha-like characters with rigid armor and huge mutants, I thought a final sprint focusing on just an idealized human anatomical figure would be a fun cool down and neat climax as SovKhan eventually has nothing left to fend off Shou and X with. We ended up cutting it in favor of focusing on more new content for the middle of the game, but it would have been nice to get to.
How did you get started in this industry? Any suggestions for up and coming artists who would like your job? It took awhile working on small game projects in my spare time while doing animation in other fields before I was able to cross over into games full time. Experience on a team is important, and having a personal project you can work on to build a portfolio is great. The most important thing with animation in games with fighting game inspiration like this is having enough example work on one character to show you can draw them consistently doing a wide variety of stuff, especially doing a backflip and landing on their face after eating a nasty attack. Really, you'd be surprised. I think I've animated a backflip on every single game I've been on. Walk cycles, run cycles and back flips. Make that your life.
Final thoughts I've really had a great time working on SZX at Poppy Works, I can't wait for people to get their hands on the game!
Our game and its demo are in active development, so we appreciate any reports you can share on issues you encounter! Please use the support links in this thread to inform us of any bugs or issues.
Wishlist and follow the game on Steam to be notified of more updates to come!
The game will also be participating in Steam Next Fest beginning on February 6!
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