Steelrising Reviews
Steelrising feels like any other Spiders' game. It has intriguing setting, memorable cast of characters and fun combat mechanics. But overall lack of variety and poor exploration make experience incomplete.
Review in Russian | Read full review
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.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Steelrising sits right up there with the original Nioh as my favourite example of a Soulslike made outside of From Software. The spectacular alternative history backdrop is a delightful way of getting people interested in the events and people of the French Revolution, and that’s backed with some of the most enjoyable and distinctive level and environment design that we’ve seen from the genre to date. Of course, it’s not Elden Ring, and was never going to hit that level of polish or scope, however, it also wasn’t trying to. It’s very comparable to the likes of Nioh, and the sheer thought that went into making every building block within it relate to its themes and artistic vision makes it a compelling and thoughtful entry into an increasingly over-crowded genre.
Steelrising is an ambitious game, and its actually good in terms of both gameplay and storytelling, but unfotunately its not as polished as we would've liked.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
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.
Choppy combat and a lack of innovation aside, Steelrising is an incredibly unique take on the French Revolution with some brilliant environment and character designs, it just doesn't do enough to make it stand out from other titles in the genre.
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.
Reaching Steelrising’s credits, the impression is one of having played a work that perhaps doesn’t reach the heights of the best soulslikes on the market, but that still manages to stand out thanks to a strong identity. In a genre now full of imitators, Spiders chooses to walk its own path, betting on an unusual setting, a charismatic protagonist, and an original reinterpretation of the French Revolution. What we appreciated most is precisely the world building. The steampunk Paris the developers imagined manages to feel credible, fascinating, and different from any other setting released in recent years. Every district, building, and character helps build a narrative universe that keeps sparking curiosity and encourages further exploration, showing how much good art direction can make a difference even in a lower-budget production. The gameplay also works well overall. The combat system is fun, the weapon variety lets players experiment with different builds, and Aegis’s greater agility gives fights a more dynamic pace than many other genre entries. The game still manages to offer a satisfying, well-balanced challenge, even if it’s almost never frustrating. Naturally, a few flaws do show up. On the technical side, the typical limits of an AA production emerge, while the level design and enemy AI don’t always surprise. The narrative, too, despite starting from an extremely interesting idea, could have developed some characters further and handled certain situations with more incisiveness. Even so, I personally consider Steelrising a successful title. Spiders’ ambition in tackling the project is evident, and above all, so is the will to offer something that wasn’t a simple copy of the genre’s great classics. The result is an experience with its own personality, one that manages to entertain from start to finish while showcasing its artistic imagination above all. I recommend it both to soulslike fans who want to try a setting different from the usual and to those looking for a demanding action RPG that’s slightly more accessible than the genre’s most extreme titles. With a few inevitable compromises, Spiders’ work stands as one of the most interesting productions of recent years and shows how creativity and courage can offset, at least in part, far more evident production limits.
Steelrising manages to offer a more than valid experience, with dynamic and fun gameplay, an intriguing story and a well-crafted and pleasing to the eye setting.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Steelrising presents an intriguing take on the French Revolution, in which you play the pivotal role of a mechanical angel of death. An intriguing story transports you to an alternate history where mechanical automatons stand alongside a mad king. While their design is breathtaking, Spiders studio has once again struggled with character models and lip-syncing. This latest entry in the Souls-like genre can challenge seasoned players, but it lends a helping hand to newcomers. If you’re not afraid to lose a few nerves—and maybe even a keyboard—and if Steelrising has piqued your interest even a little, don’t hesitate to change history and contribute to the success of the revolution.
Review in Czech | Read full review
I know, by this point in the reading (because you've read this far, right?), you might find the score below too generous. In reality, despite its evident limits, I find it hard to condemn the work of Spiders, who, despite their first experience in the soulslike genre (and releasing just months after Elden Ring), have managed to create a fun and accessible experience. This isn't necessarily a flaw for such a production. True, Steelrising has some technical and gameplay naivety, but Aegis's adventure is enjoyable and engaging, even if it doesn't excel in any aspect. Hopefully, with the Greedfall sequel, the French studio will finally make the long-awaited quality leap. In the meantime, let's enjoy their latest work.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Steelrising is a story first, Souls-like second, with the player getting an alternative take on the French Revolution. The storyline, side quests and character development is pretty decent, but the combat does weigh it down since it is supposed to be more difficult than it is.
This game is the newest entry in the extremely popular Soulslike genre, but Steelrising simply doesn’t feel all that fun to play.
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
A fascinating game that isn’t quite a well oiled machine.
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.
Review in Korean | Read full review
Steelrising is a very unique Soulslike game. The developers clearly tried to make this game as French as possible and this worked well. The combat is fun and the bosses are also uniquely designed. The story is where Steelrising missed the mark. All characters look the same and it's just very boring to go through. The checkpoints and currency could have been better. The Assisst mode is the best aspect of this game, it helps newcomers to the Soulslike genre to give them the best experience as possible.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Steel Rising isn’t entirely a triumph. The narrative and the way it’s executed, the way you develop your character and its approach at something different is hugely commendable, but as a soulslike the timing feels off, the environment tends to get in your way and sadly it comes across being a bit dull. A real mixed bag.
For its first foray into this style of game, Spiders falls into some bad habits that never quite allow for the game to rise to its ambitions, settling into a groove that is at times competent but often uninspiring.
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.