It's hard to stand out in the Soulslike genre. Many titles merely copy the genre's founding titles, mimicking their style and mechanics without contributing anything of their own. This leads to a parade of games that look and feel much like those beloved Soulslikes, but that fail to capture their magic.
Steelrising does its best to avoid the pitfall of simple mimicry. While it doesn't always succeed, it does offer a unique alternate history and visually distinct enemies. There's a lot to enjoy about fighting one's way through legions of clockwork robots in Paris during the French Revolution, but Steelrising still has some flaws that keep it from gaming perfection.
6 Love: The Setting
Louis the XVI uses robots to eradicate his competition, changing the entire course of the French Revolution in Steelrising's unique alternate history. Fusing the Soulslike and mech genres with alternate history may seem like a strange decision, but it lays the foundation for one of the game's strongest elements: its setting. Of all the things that Steelrising could have taken from the classic Soulslike formula, an original setting is one of the best.
Paris itself is an iconic and appealing locale. Everywhere the player goes, there is something cool and interesting to look at. Even more important are the ways in which the plot plays with real history. In no way is it realistic, but it is fun, which is by far the more important factor when it comes to gaming.
5 Don't Love: Simplistic Combat
Combat is the indisputable heart of the Soulslike genre. However much these games differ in aesthetic, storytelling, level design, and other factors, all of them value combat above virtually all else. The difficulty of combat is pretty much the point of the genre, after all. Whether it's by giving characters multiple forms, a host of weapons, or a stamina bar to keep an eye on, Soulslikes do their best to give players combat options that make things as engaging as they are challenging.
Steelrising struggles on this front. The game includes multiple weapons, elemental damage, and the ability to stack status effects such as burning and freezing upon enemies. Yet, none of this adds too much to the genre or feels very distinct. Games don't have to revolutionize every aspect of their content in order to be fun, but if a game is going to walk the same path as dozens before it, it needs to make that walk feel unique. Combat in Steelrising mostly boils down to dodging, slapping enemies around, and inflicting status effects. Though the effects, weapons, and effect stacking do add some strategy to the game, the player isn't much worse off if they simply club enemies at every opportunity. It leaves combat feeling boring at times.
4 Love: Aesthetics
Aegis, the protagonist of Steelrising, is a dancing robot turned solitary warrior in a tricorn hat. That detail alone makes Steelrising more creative than half the titles in its genre when it comes to character design. Watching Aegis in and out of cutscenes is a pleasure, but the protagonist is far from the only character with a compelling design.
A player's tolerance for powdered wigs and gold buttons will change how they feel about some of the game's NPCs, but even for players who hate the French Revolution aesthetic, it's hard not to be swept away by the visuals of these clockwork robots. These steampunk-influenced contractions take their visual cues from realistic objects such as clocks and cannons, so even the wildest of them still have some logic to their design. This leads to the entire cast of enemies feeling pleasantly cohesive.
3 Don't Love: Rough Edges
One can't overstate how difficult it is to smooth all the rough edges in a complex 3D action game. Coding Soulslikes in a way that feels fair and looks good is no small task, especially within a tight development timeline. This is, unfortunately, an area in which Steelrising struggles. The game's rough edges can be seen in aspects like its cumbersome camera, but they're most evident in combat.
Enemy AI isn't stellar. Instead of hunting down the player, they'll sometimes just wander around in the player's vicinity until they're dispatched. Hitboxes and targeting also leave something to be desired; at times, players will find themselves missing or gliding off of enemies they felt confident they would hit. The game also has a number of bugs, including jittery character animations. While none of these glitches are game-destroying, their collective presence does impact overall enjoyment.
2 Love: The Characters
Players who have always wanted to pal around with French Revolutionaries or complete quests for Marie Antoinette have their chance to shine in Steelrising. The story of the Revolution takes extensive liberties with history, of course, but many of its characters were real people. Getting to interact with the likes of LaFayette and Robespierre is as enjoyable as it is ridiculous.
The campaign is about 15 hours, and while its plot isn't exactly original, it gives the player enough time to get to know its key players. The voice acting is uneven at times, but that doesn't hold the characters back from being truly enjoyable to watch and listen to.
1 Love: Branching Story
Though there are notable exceptions, the Soulslike genre is known for its mostly linear storytelling. Indeed, most games in the genre focus on environmental storytelling over dialogue and exposition, further limiting the influence the player has over events. The player may have a great deal of agency in battle, but their input matters remarkably little when it comes to changing the course of events.
In a welcome change of pace, that can't be said of Steelrising. The player has several opportunities throughout the campaign to make decisions (such as which faction to fund and support) that alter the course of the game. By no means is the game an open-world, choice-driven RPG in the traditional sense, but it does reward players for their decision-making often enough to feel good.
Steelrising is now available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.