Steelrising

I would leave a neutral review if I could; it starts off like Dark Souls, but turns into a standard hack-and-slash game in the second half—they failed to get the difficulty balance right. If you’re craving something in a similar setting, you’re better off replaying Lies of P. Still, there are a few positive aspects here that outweigh the negatives, so it’s worth playing through at least once.

I was a bit apprehensive when I saw the reviews, but thought that at less than 10 euros at the time of purchase for the base game plus DLC, I didn't have much to lose. Honestly? I'm glad I gave it a chance. For context, I'm a long term gamer that has sunk thousands if not tens of thousands of hours in games across many genres, but the 'soulsborne' genre just clicks with me the most. I continuously replay Bloodborne, Elden Ring, the Dark Souls games and Lies of P by starting the next new game plus run. Now Steelrising might not be as polished as Lies of P, but it's still incredibly fun and compelling. It's minor flaws (some wonkyness, mildly repetitive combat) don't weigh up against the fun overall gameplay, great designs and competent storytelling. As for technical issues, I've had none, really, and you can see by my specs that I'm running some old hardware. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some new game plus stuff to get back to.

Pros: Great game with plenty of story content. Interesting choice of weapons to use. Great enemy design. Solid combat with plenty of options. Cons: Performance on my laptop is always below 30fps. I have to use lossless scaling to smoothen the experience. Enemies take too much hits to destroy. Heavy weapons lack impact to affect enemies and lack damage compared to light/medium weapons, we must rely on fast light/medium weapons. Level maps in urban areas are confusing. Story concluded with disappointing note: you do not get to fight the big bad evil guy

A bit clunky, but apart from that it is a really good game

I bought the game on steam because it was on sale for very cheap and looked kind of cool. When I first started playing it I didn't expect much. As I got further into the game I realized there was a lot of depth to it. I even started to like the main character who at first was perplexing. As the story got deeper and more characters were revealed, I started to really enjoy it. The graphics really stood out further into the game and it runs smooth. I think there was a lot of thought and passion that went into this game. It's unique in a lot of ways like setting and art style. It has a cool steam punk vibe and reminds me of Assassins Creed and Dark Souls. I really enjoyed the emotional ending. The game was a lot longer than I expected. There are a lot of good achievements to unlock and plenty of action to keep things moving forward. Not too difficult but offers a good challenge. It was an enjoyable and would recommend a playthrough if you want to experience something off the beaten path.

Steelrising reimagines a revolution in 1789 Paris where the monarchy deploys terrifying mechanical soldiers to crush the populace. As the automaton Aegis, players navigate these ruined streets while piecing together the grim truth behind the King’s army and the mysterious disappearance of the royal Dauphin within this alternate history. Combat rhythms feel unconventional initially, demanding players internalise specific timing before they can execute fluid dodges or chained strikes effectively. Rigid attack animations occasionally leave the protagonist vulnerable to unavoidable damage, especially when confronted by groups of automats that overwhelm the player with relentless aggression in tightly packed areas. Mastering the high-risk overheating mechanic eventually turns every skirmish into a rewarding exhibition of tactical prowess. Precisely timed rapid cooling allows for instant endurance recovery, transforming what once seemed like a punishing constraint into a vital tool for maintaining offensive momentum during even the most frantic and difficult encounters. Diverse weaponry provides distinct playstyles, as each piece offers unique capabilities ranging from kinetic s…