Steelrising

Steelrising will catch grief from people who want it to be Dark Souls. And it’s not Dark Souls. Nor should it be. This is a competent, well-designed game that seems to focus on accessibility and reimagining history using a quasi-steampunk aesthetic. Does it have problems? Certainly! The enemies are samey, the platforming is tiresome, the sidequests focus on retracing steps far too often, and the graphics issues will irritate many. That said, I love it. This is a fun game. Soulslike purists will lambaste Steelrising for being too easy and short (about 15 hours), but I’d argue that the genre needs this game. The barrier for entry is far too high for many people who just want to have fun, and Steelrising gives those folks the ability to enjoy this genre. I’m not about gatekeeping. I, for one, applaud Spiders (the developer) for this bold work and hope we see more titles like it.

Steelrising is a more accessible Souls-like which has plenty to appease rookies and veterans of the genre. A stunning visualisation of revolutionary Paris and a more direct story make for an engaging romp and while the combat has some balancing issues, it has the variety to remain interesting through its runtime. A Souls game with delicious French flavour, you’ll want to hear these people singing the song of angry Automats.

Without ever excelling or establishing itself as a new benchmark in the genre, Steelrising is a completely solid Souls-like that is sure to please fans of Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Yes, there are pros and cons everywhere! The technique is behind but the artistic direction wins hands down. The action phases are enjoyable but lack challenge at the end of the adventure. The level design of the various areas is quite academic but works well. Despite everything, we quickly get carried away by this demanding action game, tinged with robots, French Revolution and History. If the atmosphere speaks to you and you like Elden Ring, you can go there without hesitation.

Steelrising is a mediocre game just like Spider's previous works. Although subtle innovations in combat make dull combat a bit more fun, the linear map design with bad side quests still make the gameplay experience boring. But then again, Spider's courage is admirable, and its game production ability has obviously improved a lot, but there is still a certain gap between Steelrising and other excellent souls-like games

It is certain that the game creates an eye-catching mood by infusing 18th-century French Revolution and Automata into Souls-like gameplay. The game well supplemented its organized action and growth gimmicks for those who are not well aware of Souls-like games. However, you will eventually notice that the game is far from perfection when there are frequent frame drops, bugs and some loopholes that are hard to see in other Souls-like games.

Steelrising is a stylish, original game, despite its numerous blemishes. There is fun to be had in saving Paris during a revolution.

Steelrising is completely different from what the fans of Spiders’ previous games could expect. It copies traditional soulslike mechanics but does stand out thanks to an interesting art direction and options that let you adjust the difficulty level to your liking. It should have been optimized better though, because the game’s visual quality does not justify its thirst for processing power.

Steelrising is not a bad attempt to become one of the more prominent acts in the Soulslike genre. The game attracts attention primarily with the chosen historical epoch with real French personalities of the time, which it makes special with machines and automatons. Basically, Steelrising delivers what fans expect from this type of game and manages to appeal to them, even if it doesn't become an icon like Dark Souls or Elden Ring.

These faults are frustrating, mainly because they waste time, but they don't completely deter from Steelrising's unexpected charm. You can be cynical about Spiders' brazen inspiration of other Souls-like games--yes, it's derivative, and it's all too easy to get hung up on the similarities--but once you look past resemblances and notice the differences, you'll see all of the ways in which Steelrising stands out. From the disparate parts that make up its satisfying combat, to the wonderful setting and worldbuilding that meshes dark fantasy with alternative French history, there's much to enjoy in what sets Steelrising apart from its peers. It's one of the better Souls-likes in a now-crowded genre.

I come away from Steelrising feeling satisfied but not enamored. It's an adequate foray into the Souls-like space, and it incorporates its own traversal gimmicks well enough, but lackluster quests, boss encounters, and level design hold it back from being an exceptional entry in the genre.

Steelrising has the clearly defined bones of a great Soulslike. It features development team Spiders’ most well executed and fluid combat to date, offers players a plethora of build options that feel meaningful in customizing their approach to combat, and delivers on its unique historical aesthetic well. Unfortunately, these obvious positives are dragged down by level design sorely lacking in verticality, enemy encounters sorely lacking in variety, and a narrative sorely lacking in investment. It’s one of the more admirable attempts at the Souls formula in recent memory, but it doesn’t have every piece of the puzzle.

Steelrising could and should have been a step up for Spiders. Unfortunately the choice to create a souls-like game at this point in the history of the genre did not help to reach the goal, bringing the team to a substantial stalemate. The story of Aegis works, the worldbuilding is interesting and the twists make the progression in the plot really interesting, but speaking of a genre so dependent on the technicalities of the gameplay, a bit of everything collapses under the weight of the experience pad in hand.

Very accessible Soulslike with an intriguing setting, yet it suffers from technical issues and balancing flaws.

Steelrising is the latest game from developer Spiders, and while the premise of a robot army thwarting the French Revolution is certainly attention-grabbing, it doesn’t manage to consistently maintain that excitement. The character designs and environment are well done, but where Steelrising stumbles is the clunky movement and shallow RPG mechanics that fail to keep progression and combat exciting throughout. As a souls-like game, Steelrising is following in the footsteps of some highly regarded modern games, but it doesn’t quite live up to the standards that those games set.

It’s hard to fault the stylish, moment-to-moment combat in this confident souls-like. Unfortunately, most of what surrounds it – from the muddied level design to a host of frustrating quality-of-life choices – dampens the experience.

With its setting and story, Steelrising could have been the Bloodborne-inspired Soulslike that many have been waiting for since the release of From Software's masterpiece. Unfortunately, the game developed by Spiders doesn't manage to be anything more than a middling game, with its gameplay issues making it hard to recommend to those who are not die-hard fans of the genre.

Steelrising presents no challenge for veterans of the soulslike genre, even complete beginners should do just fine. The game itself, apart from pretty graphics and a cool idea, doesn't offer much - world building is so-so and the story promised in the promotional materials is absent.