The year is 1789, and the French Revolution has been suppressed by King Louis XVI and his mechanical army of automatons. Hope remains with Aegis, a mysterious warrior who stands as the last line of defense against total chaos. She must confront the entire royal army in this challenging action role-playing game that offers a unique spin on historical events.
Steelrising exhibits several compelling aspects, making its shortcomings all the more disappointing. As a title ostensibly designed for next-gen consoles, it would be reasonable to expect it to fully leverage the enhanced capabilities of this hardware. Unfortunately, the game falls short in this regard. While the graphics are visually impressive in screenshots, the animations and overall execution leave room for improvement.
The stiffness and lack of dynamism in the characters are immediately apparent, even during the introductory sequence. Regrettably, this issue persists into the gameplay. Texture pop-in is noticeable, and the player character often feels detached from the environment. Furthermore, enemy AI exhibits repetitive behavior and lacks fluidity.
While Steelrising is not a AAA game with a massive budget, this does little to excuse certain shortcomings. As with any creative endeavor, the budget is ultimately secondary to the final product’s quality. Steelrising possesses a strong core concept, but its execution is wanting.
Steelrising presents a significant challenge initially, with the player character exhibiting limited agility until sufficient experience is acquired. The sluggish combat can be frustrating, and the initial lack of variety is a drawback. However, the gameplay becomes more engaging and diverse as the player progresses.
In conclusion, Steelrising boasts impressive visuals and an intriguing narrative, which could have contributed to a higher overall score. However, the animation issues and other aforementioned negative aspects ultimately detract from the experience, resulting in a rating that is positive but falls short of a full recommendation.
Nacon provided a review copy for this assessment. The provision of materials does not influence our editorial objectivity.
