YMMV / Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengance of the Slayer

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • A straightforward reading of Zane is that he's an edgy Manchild who hasn't aged one bit. Given the subtextual tragedy surrounding him outside his game, however, another interpretation is that he actually has wisened up more than he lets on, and his childish behavior is a coping mechanism as he struggles with the reality of his life.
  • The text suggests that Adam Chase was a programmer for the project only because Zane called him up and cited their promise to complete their old mod from 20 years ago. Knowing the circumstances of Zane's life as a deadbeat dollar store manager, though, it's very easy to read this as Zane simply not having any connections to any other programmer that he could bring on to make the game.
• Awesome Ego: The game is basically one big In-Universe ego trip for Zane, but it's hard not to love him for it. It helps that the "real life" Zane has not only grown up quite a bit since Hypnospace Outlaw, but is also a pretty good dad to his son as well.
• Awesome Music: Despite being a parody of 2000s Nu Metal, the music by fictional band Seepage (portrayed by queenjazz) isn't just perfect NuMetal to relive one's edgy teenage days with, it's awesome music even by itself. Shoutouts to "Break Me", the trailer song, which perfectly encapsulates that "teenager cool" aesthetic that the game exudes.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • The game's violence toggle exists primarily because Zane wants to share his interests with his son, and doesn't want to overwhelm him with the gore inherent to the game's engine. Based on scattered mentions of his son, it seems overall Zane is trying his best to be a good father, which is even more heartwarming when you consider he never knew his own father.
  • A secret in the penultimate level includes crayon scribbles done by said son, because he wanted to put something in the game. The real heartwarming part is that Zane immediately starts gushing about how his son is going to be an artist one day, and how he also “knows all of the letters”.
  • Zane's Twitter doubles as a dev log, and during one particular brainstorming session he considers adding rats to the game as enemies since most games have them as enemies... but can't bring himself to hurt them even in a game, and realizing that this is his game, he makes rats consistent helper NPCs. He even voices a good deal of them, giving them goofy little voices, chipper personalities and helping the player by attacking Psykos. And tellingly, they're the only characters other than Mikey Sykey to have professional voicework done rather than calling in a favor or doing it himself.
• Jerkass Woobie: While Zane borders on being a straight-up woobie given that he Took a Level in Kindness, he is still an edgy Manchild with a bad case of Small Name, Big Ego. Yet it's hard not to pity or even flat-out empathize with his situation. Not only did he have a birth father he never knew and a mother who's recently deceased, but is currently works as a dollar store manager for mediocre pay, while living as a single dad. And all the while believing he can create a name for himself from a game that (In-Universe at least) is considered subpar at best and didn't create much of himself. The game heavily implies that for all of his immaturity and egomania, Zane is a pretty sad man struggling with a great deal of disappointment about his life and circumstances in it.
• Memetic Mutation: "The S-Blade Has A Hackblood Charge!"^ExplanationA voice clip from Zane that plays whenever the player's Hackblood meter reaches the 95% threshold needed to fire Sword Beams from the S-Blade. This clip also plays whenever the player loads a save where their Hackblood meter is at that level, resulting in it being a very common sound during the game's harder moments. Furthermore, as much as Zane likes to remind you to use the Hackblood-charged S-Blade, there's no real advantage to using it over his other weapons. And, lastly, the phrase sounds like utter nonsense if you don't know what the S-Blade and Hackblood refers to. Consequently, quoting and parodying the line is very popular among fans.
• Narm Charm: During the cutscene following the Hackblood Talismen level, Mikey's spirit leaves for the afterlife after saying "Goodbye, my son" to Zane. Zane's reaction ("Son? What did he mean by son? I will never know...") manages to simultaneously be hilarious as hell for how clueless that response is, but also genuinely melancholic thanks to the genuine delivery of that line as the camera shows Zane now left alone after Mikey's passing.
  • Put on top of that the In-Universe Reality Subtext that Zane never knew his own father, and is probably projecting into the character of Mikey a lot about what kind of dad he wished he had.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Most of Adam Chase's unflattering thoughts about the game in the hidden area are amusing. Then there's this:
    "This guy is delusional but he has a kid and really thinks this game is his ticket out of being a deadbeat dollar store manager so I pretty much HAVE to help him now."
    • Zane's Twitter has him acknowledge the message in-game as a personal betrayal after learning how Chase really felt about him.
  • On that same topic, a lot of the game's undertones are tinted by Zane coming to terms with how his life has played out after the fact. Having never known his father and never getting along with his stepdad, lashing out at previous "rivals" from Teentopia by using them as inspiration for the Psyko Sindikate, only getting the budget to sustain the game due to a lucky lottery win because his job barely keeps him and his son afloat, several of the rats having very wistful dialogue that sounds like things he's either been told, or things he wishes he'd heard growing up, and reminiscing about his mother who's implied to have passed away since we last heard from him. Despite his seeming best efforts, it gets hard not to pity him.

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