In general, I’ve always found the Action RPG subgenre to be overused. On the one hand, I understand and appreciate that the challenge it offers is aimed at a wide audience, and it’s also more than clear that many games of this type are based on very interesting and creative worlds. But at the same time the way its narrative is manifested (which often relies on the player guessing everything himself), the interface, the variety of items and customization items, and even the enormously taxing gameplay that makes you feel like you are me take one step forward and two back, well…let’s just say I never quite got the fun of these action RPG elements. And yet, here I am reviewing Steelrising, an action role-playing game from Spiders, the talented French team that developed GreedFall.
And the reason why I’m reviewing this game is mainly for two reasons: The first and most important is that the concept and setting of an alternative French Revolution (in which deadly mechanical automatons end the uprising of the oppressed people) seems really unusual and intriguing for me; and second, because the preview version I played a few months ago made me realize that Steelrising doesn’t have all those quirks of the Action RPG subgenre. What I mean is that the RPG elements feel straightforward and not as complex, the UI is cleaner and more intuitive, and the gameplay seems less overwhelming. I have to say that some of these things weren’t kept in the version I reviewed (especially the last one I mentioned as Steelrising can be really challenging at times) but have generally stayed in the same direction making a game more accessible and yet very demanding.
Anyone who has played an action RPG Steelrising will feel instantly familiar. The gameplay is based on advancing through a location facing all sorts of powerful creatures and having to choose between fighting them or running away and saving our precious health. This circle gets complicated as you only get the resources you need (Anima Essence) to level up your team by defeating enemies. At the same time, as per usual in the genre, if you die in battle, you will respawn at the last vestal (a kind of Dark Souls bonfire), leaving all your anima essence on your corpse. The similarities to Dark Souls don’t end there; Items along the way are shown as a sort of blue flame to ensure they don’t go unnoticed in their often tricky and hidden locations.
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The combat is also similar, but much more fluid. Aegis, the protagonist of this story, is an automaton like the machines she fights, but she is more agile and appears to be built with more advanced technology, allowing her to battle giant mechanical beings with her agility and speed while avoiding blows. This system feels more rewarding and fun than the slower system in FromSoftware’s games, as maneuverability is key here, be it horizontally or vertically.
The vertical element is also quite unique to Steelrising as it adds some replay value to each of the locations you can visit. As you progress through the story, you will find items and equipment that improve Aegis abilities such as: B. a hook or the ability to break some walls or doors. Once you master these moves, you can reach new heights on the Parisian rooftops and discover new ways to move through a level or find well-hidden loot. Exploration doesn’t feel as rewarding as some other open-world RPGs and comes more from walking around, but it’s clear that Spiders has worked to encourage players to return to previous locations, even if there’s not much reason there is a narrative perspective for that.
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Speaking of narrative, this is another section I have a problem with because on the one hand I like the concept of the story and how it brings a new focus to the French Revolution while keeping key elements of the story as names. Cult figures (such as Robespierre or Marie Antoinette) deeply involved. But at the same time, most of the story is told through texts that explain the background of the game or discover strange animated flashback sequences related to each character. Also, the interactions between Aegis and the other characters lack some emotion (mainly because Aegis is an automaton and doesn’t show human naturalness), putting a lot of responsibility on the supporting characters and their often quirky facial animations. It’s a combination that doesn’t always work.
Roleplaying and customization options are also interesting in that while we do have options for finding and swapping weapons, armor, items, etc., I’ve found that you can keep your firearms and upgrade your starting gear (if that suits your playstyle) and you will no problems. You’re wondering why you’d want to switch weapon types, especially if you start out as an alchemist (who specializes in using elemental weapons) and decide to use low elemental affinity weapons. You’d literally shoot yourself in the foot from minute one, and it feels like an odd design style, to keep it short.
But while it has its flaws, I do appreciate the welcome accessibility options that make the game’s challenge more manageable. You can ignore them entirely and play the game the way Spiders intended, or remove the feature where you lose all your anima essence on death, deal less damage to enemies, etc. It just allows a larger audience to enjoy the game enjoy while maintaining its own integrity and I can only see it as a positive thing.
While I think Steelrising lacks some of the grandeur and ambition that games like Elden Ring exemplify, it’s still an impressive and entertaining action RPG. It’s challenging, set in a beautifully constructed world full of opportunity and danger, and plays smoothly. It’s not a perfect game, but it has enough character and individuality to hold its own in an already highly competitive genre.
