It’s a bold play, releasing a Soulslike in the year ofElden Ring.
Let me rephrase that, actually.
It’s a bold play releasing a Soulslike inanyyear, let alone the year ofElden Ring.
From what I’ve seen, it stands a chance of survival in a saturated land.
Defeat enemies and they’ll drop the equivalent of Souls, which you’ll lose if you die.
There aren’t bonfire checkpoints, but there are chairs that spring out of the earth and assemble themselves.
Weapons and items have cryptic descriptions.
But it’s the way it builds on this formula that makes Steelrising one to watch.
As the preview starts, the dev pilots Aegis as they traverse a Louvre that’s seen better days.
It’s patrolled by menacing robots with blades for kneecaps and clubs for wrists.
Houses are ablaze and fences lie warped.
And the balconies the French so adore?
Our Aegis uses them as alternate paths.
Depth also extends to stamina management, which has taken a leaf right out ofNioh’sscroll.
It seemed a fair system, especially as it only punishes you for being overzealous and rewards smart play.
Again, Spiders aren’t messing about when it comes to the game’s customisation options.
Easily the coolest were these massive metal fans that blended bin lid energy with the elegance of ballet.
In fact, every piece of armour looked cool.
Not only did Paris ooze style, Aegis and her arsenal were just as beautifully designed.
Fans of fashion-souls likely won’t be disappointed with the aesthetic combos on offer here.
Where Nioh focuses on complex loot systems and combos up to your eyeballs, Steelrising is a lot trimmer.
There’s depth, but it’s easily managed.
And not only is the game’s loot and combat manageable, its length is too.
But I like to think they aren’t.
Tweak damage numbers or make it so you don’t lose your equivalent of Souls whenever you die.
