Steelrising is an interesting take on the Soulsborne genre with good difficulty options and aesthetic, but doesn't do enough to set itself apart and has a fair amount of bugs.
Steelrising is being described as a new Soulslike game, with slight metroidvania style elements. It has been praised for taking on the genre with an aesthetic that sets it apart from others. Combat has been described as fun with a good variety of weapons, however, it has also been criticised for being janky with some imprecise hitting zones with certain weapons and some bad AI. The enemy types have been described as interesting, the variety being particularly highlighted. The metroidvania elements have also been criticised for feeling like an afterthought and being annoying due to a lack of map. There has also been a wide variety of bugs that have been reported that have ranged from crashes to minor glitches that have been described as hampering the experience.
The world and setting has been praised by critics, with the atmosphere being good and the alternative history aspect adding something unique and interesting that helps the game stand out. The environments and level design has been criticised for being samey, along with the graphics they have been noted as feeling last-gen with having rough textures. Sounds and music has been noted as being good, however, voice work has been criticised for feeling out of place for the setting.
The story is being called mediocre, it is being complimented for having more of a narrative than others in the genre, but the narrative isn’t very interesting. It has been praised for having some interesting side content, and for having choices included that seemingly make a difference to the story.
The high amount of customizability in the difficulty options has been widely praised, being able to cater the options to make it harder or more forgiving has been called perfect for newcomers to the genre whilst also making it great for those who are used to the style. It has been highlighted that Steelrising has come from a smaller studio, and whilst not perfect, it has been called, by some, Spiders best game yet.
