Steelrising Reviews
Steelrising is yet another feather in Spiders’ cap that clearly shows how far the developer has come. Not content with putting out a steady stream of sprawling Western RPGs, the plucky French studio has made a largely seamless transition to the souls-like genre. Hitbox frustrations aside, Steelrising’s challenging combat and deep world-building feel like the work of a team who have been churning out souls-likes for years, rather than a studio stepping into uncharted territory, and they’ve successfully created a world that I hope we see a lot more of in the coming years.
Spiders have modified the soulslike formula in some very unique ways, but not for the worse. Steelrising's enjoyable and smooth gameplay might attract attention of wider gaming audience, however this might be curtailed by the very demanding GPU requirements.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I didn’t know what to expect going into Steelrising. Expecting a challenge but on the whole, it was quite easy to pick up once I had gotten used to what I thought was going to be a complex battle scenario. I really enjoyed my time in-game, however, it felt like there was something missing when it came to the combat formula. I, therefore, award Steelrising a Thumb Culture Gold Award.
Steelrising has the necessary gears to offer a solid soulslike experience.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Undoubtedly another quality entry in the Soulslike lineage, not only drawing on inspiration, but also straying from the familiar path to chart its own image. Even with any flaws that arise, Steelrising is a product that Spiders should be proud of.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
I enjoyed my time with Steelrising much more than I thought I would. Usually, soulslikes don't come anywhere near FromSoftware's games but this is impressively close with the exception of its copious amounts of weird bugs and inconsistencies.
Steelrising is a mix of decent to damned good parts that takes the Soulslike Action RPG and puts it into one of the most ridiculous and awesome settings I’ve seen in a while. Mediocre graphics are countered by a fantastic art style, fun combat, incredible music, and a story that I found myself deeply invested in. If you’ve got an itch for the genre and don’t want to wait for Lies of P, then Steelrising is an excellent alternative to hold you over.
Steelrising sets itself apart from the Souls-likes by doing what Spiders does best, adding its own unique elements while preserving what is best about the genre.
Its gameplay is effective, the choreography of its fights is impeccable and the challenge is present. The chosen era and the steampunk aspect also blend surprisingly well and bring a little freshness to a genre that has become accustomed to heroic fantasy or science fiction.
Review in French | Read full review
Steelrising is a good if challenging time. If you’re thirsting for your next Souls-like after milking Elden Ring dry, then the combat here will feel oddly familiar and you’re sure to find something to enjoy, but it isn’t without its faults. Overall Steelrising hits way more than it misses, but a forgettable story and a few repetitive boss battles hold it back from achieving true greatness.
On the surface, Steelrising looks like “just another soulslike with a twist”, but the more I played, the more I felt enamoured by its gorgeous aesthetic, its likable robot protagonist and its variety of horrifying, angry automaton enemies. By incorporating cutscenes, a linear narrative and traditional RPG quest structure, it keeps the action and progression feeling very focused throughout, with no real roadblocks aside from the difficulty itself. Then, if that’s bothering you too, you can turn on Assist Mode and still enjoy the experience your own way. Despite some simplistic combat and unmemorable boss fights, Steelrising is a satisfying robot action romp that earns bonus points for being one of the most accessible soulslike titles on the market, meaning more gamers will be able to enjoy its haunting vision of alternate history Paris overrun by dastardly machines. Bon travail!
Steelrising is sort of an average Soulsborne game. The fascinating aesthetic doesn't hide the fact that it's repeating the same sort of things we've seen in a lot of other games, and it can't manage to carve out its own identity. That doesn't mean it is a bad title; the combat is largely fun, and there are enough little things to discover to keep you moving forward. Steelrising might help to scratch the post-Elden Ring itch, but otherwise, it's best for those who are looking for another Soulsborne to play.
Steelrising could be a great start if you were hesitant to walk into the Soulslike genre due to the genre's complications and difficulty levels, and while it doesn't revolutionize or add anything special to the genre, it still offers a great setting in 1978 Paris and a solid overall experience.
Review in Persian | Read full review
It’s a bit janky and it has some questionable design choices, but Steelrising is yet another pretty good effort from Spiders, solidifying the small French studio as one of the most interesting developers in the industry nowadays. Its absolutely unique premise, mixing the freaking French Revolution with robots and Dark Souls, is the main reason you’ll want to play it. Even though it has some progression and level design issues, as well as a bit of AA jank, it’s still well worth your time.
Steelrising is a manual soulslike, which implements every characteristic of the genre correctly and without taking big risks. Its history and development are one of its greatest attractions, and its graphic section is diminished by average production values that, without being bad at all, had potential thanks to a top artistic section. Despite the lack of final polish, this is a remarkable game and players who enjoy Dark Souls-style games will enjoy joining Aegis in the French Revolution.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Steelrising isn’t just another forgettable soulslike experience. Its familiar gameplay is elevated by the stellar look and feel of the weapons alongside a visually striking reimagining of 1978 Paris. There is a lot to love her and a lot more to look forward to in terms of what Spiders can do with a future entry.
The other area where Bloodborne’s influence can be seen is the level design. The cobble stone streets of France evoke Yharnam in not subtle ways. Where Steelrising sets itself apart, however, is the sheer verticality. Aegis can jump which allows her to climb to the rooftops to get around (where the game will allow it, of course) and eventually she acquires a grappling hook that allows her to ascend in specific areas for even more traversal options. It’s not open, and most of these areas just lead to item pickups or chests that contain armor or new weapons. Unlike Bloodborne, the levels of the game don’t really change save for one section that takes you into mines so it all eventually looks samey. More variety in the levels would have made the later portions of the game feel distinct and would have done wonders for the pacing of the game. In addition to the repeated enemy variety the back half of the game drags a bit.
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
Review in Chinese | Read full review
An action rpg that offers a solid combat system and interesting encounters (albeit with a never really demanding challenge), but fails to tell a story that can hold on to the player.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Steelrising could and should have been the proof of Spiders' maturity, but unfortunately the French studio did not know how to hit the target even at this turn.
Review in Italian | Read full review