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Steelrising is a surprisingly strong Soulslike with homages to Bloodborne’s best bitsFrom Paris with love
From Paris with love
I confess, I was worried about revolutionary robot SoulslikeSteelrising. I’d seen it in a hands-off capacity and thought it lookedlike it could be in line for the Soulslike throne, but with Action-RPGs it’s all about hand feel: does it feel rough or smooth under the thumbsticks? As luck would have it, I managed to get hands-on with the game to confirm whether its substance does, in fact, match its style. Here are my findings.
I tackled two hours of Steelrising, which saw me battle through the tutorial area, sock it to some robots in a woodland zone, and get on a boat and row over to Paris - where I socked even more robots in a grander setting. Then after a quick intermission, the devs loaded me into a build where I fought a boss and did some extra exploration. Overall I got to play a hefty amount, and with no red tape. All the menus were open for perusal, alongside cutscenes too. On the other hand I only saw a bit of story and interacted with one (1) NPC, so it was almost impossible to get a sense of Steelrising’s storytelling pedigree.
Steelrising | 5 minutes Gameplay video (Alpha footage)Watch on YouTube
Steelrising | 5 minutes Gameplay video (Alpha footage)
I understood that Steelrising is trying to carve out its own Soulslike niche with its robo-revolutionary setting, though. Thing is, it’s hard not to compare it to the likes ofBloodborneandNioh. That has less to do with the baseline Soulslikery I’d seen a million times before - collecting some equivalent of souls (Anima Essence), saving progress at some equivalent of a bonfire (a chair), carrying some equivalent of an Estus Flask (vials of blue oil) - and more to do with how those influences clearly shaped exploration and combat. Some of these things Steelrising got very right, and others it couldn’t quite replicate.
Checkpoints initially appear as beautiful statues. To activate them, you clunk their arm downwards and the statue will spiral into the ground, before an equally ornate chair assembles itself and takes its place. A lovely touch.
Weapons were stylish and enticing, with a willingness to break away from the tried and tested. I used two massive iron fans that I could unfurl like a peacock to parry attacks with a clang. Later, I opted for twin claws that built up enemy stagger meters quickly, so I could hit them with a flurry of scratches and then finish them off while they were in a daze. I picked up a flaming ball on a chain too, which combined heavy hits with intricate twirls and spins.
The neatest thing, though? The game forced me to use everything in my innards (Aegis whips weapons and items out of her steel shins and intestinal piping). The game hit me with two tin dogs and a clunker, for example, which taught me to use the various elemental bombs I’d stowed in my front bonnet to slow them down or soften them up a bit. A freezy gun let me chill foes from afar, making them even more vulnerable to a sustained assault. Once I’d learned to utilise my arsenal, I brought the knowledge with me into boss fights.
Right at the end of my session I fought The Bishop, a little religious idol nestled inside a capsule that controlled the equivalent of an enormous Dyson Ball vacuum. Except that the ball wore a whirling buzzsaw and he threw a bible on a grappling hook at me - no, I am not shitting you. It was intense! I learned that I should jump to avoid his biblical bashes and mix in aerial attacks at the same time. It also reinforced the game’s cooling mechanic, which lets you recharge your stamina bar instantly if you time the button press correctly. Again, it’s very, very similar to Nioh’s Ki system, but less spammable. Do it too much and you’ll freeze over. Which is exactly what happened to me.
There’s depth in upgrades too, which I reckon has great potential for players who take their builds seriously. But it’s a screen that’s mightily confusing when you open it up, searing your eyeballs with percentages and numbers that won’t mean a great deal unless there’s a guide you can consult. Even if you’re a veteran Souls player, it’s difficult to discern how they’ve renamed stamina, strength, and the like.
Yet, there’s something compelling about Steelrising. It’s rough around the edges, sure, and a bit derivative, sure, but also comforting in its familiarity. Combat is deep and satisfying, while exploration isn’t half bad too. Once I’d defeated that Bishop, I gained his grappling hook and unlocked new ways to progress through zones I thought I’d ticked off. Neat! In some ways Steelrising builds on Souls, in others it steers too close to what’s been done already, but it’s shaping up to be a good time and that’s all that matters. The hand feel? Yeah, much better than I’d expected.
