Steelrising Reviews

Spiders Studio’s Dark Souls-inspired steampunk action-RPG Steelrising launched last week. And if you’d like to know more about this fairly experimental project for the studio usually specializing in BioWare-style games, you can now find a number of reviews below:

IGN 6/10:

Steelrising is a competent action-RPG with an unforgettable setting, but it’s dragged down by its humdrum soulslike formula that doesn’t do anything to make its combat or exploration stand out. Despite having some memorable weapons and enemies, combat often feels imprecise or sloppy, and boss fights are largely forgettable. That said, even if the story is fairly straightforward, the recognizable faces from history you meet and the beautiful French vistas you find them can still help make fighting robots in an alternate history somewhat entertaining.

WCCFTech 6/10:

With its setting and story, Steelrising could have been the Bloodborne-inspired Soulslike that many have been waiting for since the release of From Software’s masterpiece. Unfortunately, the game developed by Spiders doesn’t manage to be anything more than a middling game, with its gameplay issues making it hard to recommend to those who are not die-hard fans of the genre.

GameSpot 7/10:

These faults are frustrating, mainly because they waste time, but they don’t completely deter from Steelrising’s unexpected charm. You can be cynical about Spiders’ brazen inspiration of other Souls-like games–yes, it’s derivative, and it’s all too easy to get hung up on the similarities–but once you look past resemblances and notice the differences, you’ll see all of the ways in which Steelrising stands out. From the disparate parts that make up its satisfying combat, to the wonderful setting and worldbuilding that meshes dark fantasy with alternative French history, there’s much to enjoy in what sets Steelrising apart from its peers. It’s one of the better Souls-likes in a now-crowded genre.

Rock Paper Shotgun Scoreless:

Despite the story and side missions being interesting enough to make you want to finish Steelrising (and they are), despite the world being pretty-ugly (and it is), despite the combat having the ingredients to be interesting and cool (and it does), you still might end up annoyed and a bit bored by it all. And it’s worse because it’s so almost better than that.

NME 3/5:

It’s hard to fault the stylish, moment-to-moment combat in this confident souls-like. Unfortunately, most of what surrounds it – from the muddied level design to a host of frustrating quality-of-life choices – dampens the experience.

RPG Site 7/10:

I come away from Steelrising feeling satisfied but not enamored. It’s an adequate foray into the Souls-like space, and it incorporates its own traversal gimmicks well enough, but lackluster quests, boss encounters, and level design hold it back from being an exceptional entry in the genre.

Metro 6/10:

A competent Soulslike lifted by its alternate history premise and Parisian setting, but it’s not quite enough to compete with its obvious inspirations.