Action role-playing game Steelrising was created by Spiders and released by Nacon. Despite proudly displaying its Souls-like influences, Steelrising succeeds in standing on its own. Although those who struggled with Elden Ring and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will find it simpler to complete, it is a fast-paced, difficult combat game with wide and stunning stages.
A different history of the French Revolution is the setting for Steelrising. Aegis, a female robot and Queen Marie Antoinette’s bodyguard, is the character that the player assumes. Aegis has weapons built into her body, from those found on her arms for light warfare to heavier weapons and alchemical rifles. The queen urges Aegis to locate her inventor in order to stop the killings perpetrated by the robotic army of a tyrant King Louis XVI. With that said, today we will take a quick overview of this hardcore game.
The Story
Since we are speaking about a true alternate timeline, the historical context is obviously quite limited. Nevertheless, even if you are not a great expert, you will note the care with which the developers used actual-world events. An inspiration to conform them to alternative settings. This setting where numerous characters will act and interact in manners is nothing less than intriguing. Ironically, Steelrising’s core narrative isn’t all that groundbreaking. A ragtag band of misfit priests, academics, and creative types are led by Aegis in their quest to overthrow an evil king.
Even though most characters are somewhat one-dimensional, it’s not a show-stopper. Additionally, the narrative provides an adequate reason for each significant enemy and boss, demonstrating that it is performing its job.
Due to the story’s setting, a voiceover in French would have been much appreciated. Unfortunately, due to other factors, including the production’s typical budget, they decided to forgo this option in favor of the traditional (but still good) acting in English with a slight French intonation and a few exclamations, words, and names. While, Italian menus and captions have also been well localized. Without the Compass item, it could have been challenging to navigate Paris’s streets. It also helps the player by pointing out spots that are crucial to sidequests, ensuring that they never get lost.
The game’s narrative is more akin to that of Assassin’s Creed, bringing together significant historical figures—like General Lafayette and Robespierre. Since Aegis has the capacity to see past events, the majority of the narrative is delivered in flashback scenes. In the course of the narrative, Aegis does come across historical individuals. Most of whom are connected to sidequests where the player can choose a side in their disputes. Although Steelrising’s story is passable, a player who is familiar with this particular historical era will undoubtedly find it more interesting.
The Gameplay
In terms of gameplay, Steelrising is the traditional action RPG with souls-like components that we’ve grown to love (or despise) over the past several years. Thankfully, Spiders does not just copy and paste the clichés of the genre; rather, it reimagines them in light of the story’s environment and the unusual traits of the main automaton. By eliminating adversaries, Aegis will be free to obtain soul essence and utilize it to fuel her Vestal Virgins and machines strewn across the realm that is capable of maintaining and improving their parts.
It’s almost difficult for Aegis to lose because she has so many tools at her disposal to handle every battle. In addition, Steelrising game has an aid option for casual players who desire the souls-like experience without the suffering, which makes things even simpler. The pace of stamina recovery can be altered and damage taken can be lessened (or even fully negated by enemies’ attacks). Players can even have Aegis keep her Anima Essence even after death. While some difficulty-related trophies are disabled in this mode, it allows casual players to participate in the game without feeling intimidated by the level of difficulty.
Minor Issues
Still, the game Steelrising is with few minor problems. The jumping can occasionally be a little problematic. It causes Aegis to become stuck behind an impenetrable meat counter or in otherwise harmless level geometry. There are a few places where it’s not always obvious how to go. Most of them are concealed, breakable wall that fades into the background someplace. Additionally, the game occasionally drops a large number of foes in an area that is insufficient for them, leading to a confusing and chaotic battle. These situations might get challenging when enemies attack simultaneously without waiting their turn.
The Game Overall
Undoubtedly, Steelrising is a game with a fantastic concept at its core. It is capable of creating an original story based on myths, facts, and characters from our world. The game also provides hard action and creative opponents. It possesses an appealing and atmospheric portrayal of 18th-century Paris at a period of enormous change, despite falling short of its Souls contemporaries. Steelrising’s robot revolution is nevertheless worth its weight in the cake. You can see Spiders’ ambition, passion, and talent at work here. Even though the outcome is not nearly as successful as it could have been.
Although Steelrising isn’t the best souls-like game on the market, it still managed to be a good-looking game. Even though it contains a lot of innovative ideas that weren’t all implemented perfectly. The best game that Spiders have ever created, without a doubt.
Steel Rising, as of writing, has an overall Metascore of 73 for the PS5 and 70 for the PC. In contrast with that, the game has an average user score of 9.3/10 from players.
