From Paris with love
I confess, I was worried about revolutionary robot SoulslikeSteelrising.
Here are my findings.
Overall I got to play a hefty amount, and with no red tape.
All the menus were open for perusal, alongside cutscenes too.
I understood that Steelrising is trying to carve out its own Soulslike niche with its robo-revolutionary setting, though.
Thing is, it’s hard not to compare it to the likes ofBloodborneandNioh.
Some of these things Steelrising got very right, and others it couldn’t quite replicate.
There are signs that Steelrising isheavilyinspired by a certainGothiclegend in particular.
This pattern continued, with NPC chatter and dialogue doing the bare minimum to get by.
That’s the sort of craic you could expect.
So, if it wasn’t extra curiosity that pushed me forwards, what was it?
The combat, baby.
I fought a variety of spindly brass fellas who lurched and span at me.
Big clunkers that swung balls on chains.
Bulbous golems that self-destructed before I had a chance to smack them into shutdown.
Weapons were stylish and enticing, with a willingness to break away from the tried and tested.
I used two massive iron fans that I could unfurl like a peacock to parry attacks with a clang.
The neatest thing, though?
A freezy gun let me chill foes from afar, making them even more vulnerable to a sustained assault.
Once I’d learned to utilise my arsenal, I brought the knowledge with me into boss fights.
Again, it’s very, very similar to Nioh’s Ki system, but less spammable.
Do it too much and you’ll freeze over.
Which is exactly what happened to me.
Yet, there’s something compelling about Steelrising.
Combat is deep and satisfying, while exploration isn’t half bad too.
Yeah, much better than I’d expected.
