Steelrising - Soulslike from Spiders set in clockpunk 18th century France

[EdgyRightWinger]

Does the plot let you actually change the course of history to defeat the French Revolution?

 

[Paul_cz]

Greedfall was an outlier, these are normal Spiders Wars Logs/Bound by Flame/Technomancer numbers.

You never want to go back. And I very much doubt Nacon was buying Spiders with the idea of "yeah Greedfall did well, but now it is fine if you sell as little as Technomancer".

Of course, I am glad for the pitiful sales. Hopefully it means Spiders will never waste time with fucking soulslike again and just focus on more story/questdriven RPGs.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Based on this review and the other comments, this is definitely a Spiders title.

 

[Hobknobling]

I really like the character designs and locations based on the footage, but that is some really uninspired game design.

 

[GentlemanCthulhu]

View attachment 28035

Does the plot let you actually change the course of history to defeat the French Revolution?

There there 0 choices to be made in this game. The plot is entirely linear.

 

[Bad Sector]

Greedfall was an outlier, these are normal Spiders Wars Logs/Bound by Flame/Technomancer numbers.

But as you wrote, the development costs was certainly beyond Greedfall.

The developer’s 2013 cyberpunk RPG Mars: War Logs took nine months and €600,000

I've been replaying Mars: War Logs in my Steam Deck a bit and the game is a decent ARPG. I knew it was made by a small team at the time but not that it was made so fast and with such a small budget. I think they should go back to their roots or something but alas with the 93 people team size it seems they've succumbed to Team Bloating™ and are unable to do that - even assuming everyone who works there loves the company so much to be fine with (France's) minimum wage, they'd still will need double that for wages alone.

Has anyone checked on Piranha Bytes' size recently?

 

[Roguey]

Has anyone checked on Piranha Bytes' size recently?

As far as I can tell, they're still around 30.

 

[Lautreamont]

About 15 hours in and the game is a solid 7/10. Arguably in the above-average tier for soulslikes along with The Surge 1/2, Ashen, and Mortal Shell.

+ Excellent weapon design taking its cue from Bloodborne's trick weapons. 2H hammer, dual wielding sabres/claws/batons/fans, ball and chain mace ala Kill Bill, halberd rifle, giant wheel like Bloodborne's Logarius Wheel. These are all fun to use and figure out
+ Combat is good and reports of its jankiness are exaggerated. It's not a Nioh or FromSoft game, but there are atrocious janky soulslikes and this isn't one. Like Mortal Shell, the pacing of combat is different and you're more liable to trade hits if you play it like Bloodborne. The combat rewards using the many kinds of bombs that drop in order to stun and induce status effects on enemies. Alchemical capsules--dropped by enemies--function as the ammo to employ special attacks. Making use of bombs, applying status effects based on the enemy type, and judicious use of special attacks breaks up the monotony of typical R1/R2 spam. In addition, there is Sekiro-like jumping with mid-air attack combos and special heavy jump attacks (different for each weapon)
+ Uses Nioh's ki pulse mechanic for recovering stamina
+ Metroidvania-style unlocking of movement abilities as you progress (dash unlocked after beating a certain boss, Sekiro grappling hook found after story progress)
+ Steampunk French revolution setting and not the typical grimdark or generic fantasy world

- Unpolished levels with inconsistent quality of content. Some areas are rich with interesting nooks to explore and items to find. Others are bland mazes of street alleys and corridors with no enemies or items.
- Linear areas with lack of verticality and limited buildings and rooms to access. So often there are balconies, walls, and other structures you'll want to jump on or climb, but the terrain can't be traversed. The many doors you find are static. Missed opportunity in the city street levels with no rooftop access. This game needed 6 months of development with a focus on expanding options for exploration.
- Bosses are too easy and trivialized with bombs

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gamebanshee.com/news/126801-steelrising-reviews.html

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.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaySteelr...erything_you_need_to_know_about_the_new_game/

 

[rusty_shackleford]

are french not aware that Lafayette is a national hero in america?

 

[Sarathiour]

I mean, they're not implying that any of those figure where bad people, only controversial.
We still have a bunch of larper going about how Robespierre did nothing wrong in France, and Marie-Antoinette was basically the pinata of popular resentment , "let them eat cake" is probably an entirely made-up quote.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

the french revolution was a mistake

 

[rusty_shackleford]

to be fair there's not many rpgs that let you play as the clearcut bad guy though so...

 

[SpaceWizardz]

the french revolution was a mistake

Being pro-American Revolution but anti-French Revolution is a completely unserious take, no love for your Republican brothers overseas?
Seeing lots of Anglo-coded posts ITT, something needs to be done about this.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

the french revolution was a mistake

Being pro-American Revolution but anti-French Revolution is a completely unserious take, no love for your Republican brothers overseas?
Seeing lots of Anglo-coded posts ITT, something needs to be done about this.

???
The French revolution is unrelated to the American revolution, if anything, they're opposed. The French monarchy funded the American revolution and USA refused to pay back debts owed because it didn't recognize the French republic as a continuation of the Kingdom of France.

The American revolution was a revolution over rights owed to an Englishman. To quote Condorcet(iirc from when he was rotting away in prison, got what he deserved)

It was more complete, more entire than that of America, and of consequence was attended with greater convulsions in the interior of the nation, because the Americans, satisfied with the code of civil and criminal legislation which they had derived from England, having no corrupt system of finance to reform, no feodal tyrannies, no hereditary distinctions, no privileges of rich and powerful corporations, no system of religious intolerance to destroy, had only to direct their attention to the establishment of new powers to be substituted in the place of those hitherto exercised over them by the British government. In these innovations there was nothing that extended to the mass of the people, nothing that altered the subsisting relations formed between individuals: whereas the French revolution, for reasons exactly the reverse, had to embrace the whole economy of society, to change every social relation, to penetrate to the smallest link of the political chain, even to those individuals, who, living in peace upon their property, or by their industry, were equally unconnected with public commotions, whether by their opinions and their occupations, or by the interests of fortune, of ambition, or of glory.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

Being pro-American Revolution but anti-French Revolution is a completely unserious take, no love for your Republican brothers overseas?

The majority of French revolutionaries were basically pre-commies
American revolutionaries were not

 

[Erebus]

The majority of French revolutionaries were basically pre-commies

In 1789, most French revolutionaries weren't even against monarchy. The Declaration of the Rights of Man included an article just to say that that private property was "inviolable and sacred".

Even in 1793, probably the most radical year of the Revolution, only the lower urban classes (the Sans-Culottes) and a handful of others had ideas that could be described as proto-communist. And, though they played an important role, they weren't in charge.

The only noteworthy attempt to create a proto-communist regime was a complete failure.

 

[Rean]

It was updated, apparently, with NG+. Still no fixes to performance.
Awful framerates plus utterly uninteresting gameplay makes for an instant uninstall. Legitimately 10 times worse than Greedfall.

 

[Pink Eye]

It was updated, apparently, with NG+. Still no fixes to performance.
Awful framerates plus utterly uninteresting gameplay makes for an instant uninstall. Legitimately 10 times worse than Greedfall.

That bad, huh. I guess I should have expected that much from a developer who has never made an action game before.

 

[Infinitron]

It was updated, apparently, with NG+. Still no fixes to performance.
Awful framerates plus utterly uninteresting gameplay makes for an instant uninstall. Legitimately 10 times worse than Greedfall.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1283400/view/3269074373286784101

Steelrising - New Game Plus is now available!

A brand new patch has been deployed on all platforms, and with it comes changes to Steelrising. Not only the introduction of New Game Plus, arguably the star of this patch, but a balance pass that overall should see the difficulty of the game shift upwards, and some store adjustments that should reduce reliance on cheese strats. Without further ado, let’s have a closer look together!

New Game Plus

This patch adds New Game Plus to Steelrising! It allows you to play the game again on a higher difficulty level while keeping your character’s progress (level, weapons, upgrades etc.).

There’s also new content to discover in New Game Plus:

• Exclusive weapons to use;
• A full exclusive outfit to discover;
• Exclusive enemy variations (new skins, weapons and movesets) to fight.

All you need to do to enjoy the new content is to reach the end of the game. Once you have done so, your save will be automatically able to be converted to a NG+ save (and yes, should you already be at the end of the game, it will do so automatically as well), and a new option in the menu called “New Game Plus” will appear.

Fixes and Improvements

We also took the time to investigate and fix some reported issues, as well as provide improvements to other areas:

• Fixed the endurance issue while using the Gaia’s Claws special move.
• Fixed the infinite item glitch.
• Fixed some Achievement issues:
  • Fixed the “Stabiliser” Achievement.
  • "Fashion Victim” can now be obtained.
  • Using the Assist mode won’t prevent you from unlocking Achievements anymore, and they will be credited retroactively, should you have met the necessary conditions to do so.
• Fixed various issues related to sidequests.
• Fixed and improved the cinematics and NPC dialogues.
• Fixed and improved various audio issues.
• Improved Aegis running animation.
• Improvements to the lighting in the game.
• Other various fixes and improvements.

The patch will also bring some balance changes within the main game for weapons, items, and mobs, mainly:

• Increased damage, resistances and armor for Bosses.
• Reduced damage, loot quantity and shop quantity for Grenades.
• Reduced loot quantity on mobs for Alchemical Ammunitions.
• Reduced loot quantity on mobs for Life Potions.
• Reduced damage for the following weapons: Charleville 1789 Shield Musket, Charybdis Fan.

On that note, we hope that you’ll enjoy the new content to its fullest. We can’t wait to read everything you’ll share with us! Let’s dive into the Revolution even more and happy gaming!

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gamespress.com/STEELRISING-THE-NEW-DLC-CAGLIOSTROS-SECRETS-AVAILABLE-ON-NOVEMBER-10

Lesquin, 24 October, 2022 - Spiders and NACON are pleased to announce that a new DLC "Cagliostro's Secrets” will be available on Steelrising on November 10th. The game is already available on PC (Steam, GOG and Epic), Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation®5.

This DLC offers players a new level of gameplay, and includes new content:

• 1 level (Hôpital Saint Louis)
• 1 "main" quest
• 5 weapons
• 1 boss
• Several new enemies and new variations of existing enemies
• 2 new characters
• New side quests that will invite you to revisit certain levels

Access to the expansion “Cagliostro's Secrets” is restricted until you have progressed past a certain point in the main story. You must have completed the level ''Bastille'' to gain access to the new content.
In this new quest, you find yourself embroiled in a gripping story involving the King's agent, the Comte de Cagliostro. No one will return unscathed after exploring Hôpital Saint Louis – a new area whose secrets have been hidden by Louis XVI.
On this dark adventure, where you must outwit Cagliostro's Mesmer-inspired machinery, you will encounter new enemies and unlock new weapons and costumes. Are you ready to discover the shocking truth about the alchemy that powers the King's automatons?

Acclaimed by the French and international press, Steelrising plunges players into 1789, in an alternative Paris, where the French Revolution has come to a halt: the people's revolt is severely repressed by an army of automatons, deployed on the King's orders. Powerful and cruel, this army spares no one and violently punishes the rebels. Paris is on fire: men, women and children are systematically massacred.
Aegis, masterpiece automaton of the engineer Vaucanson and bodyguard of the Queen, must save the French Revolution in this demanding action-RPG that focuses on combat.

***
The “Cagliostro's Secrets" DLC will be available on November 10th on PC, PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S as well as on GeForce Now.

 

[Infinitron]

Steelrising: Cagliostro’s Secrets is an extension of Steelrising main game.

It will be available on November 10th, 2022.

Pierre Brissot has disappeared and was supposedly taken to the Saint-Louis Hospital. But since the King closed the place two years ago, nobody knows what is really happening in there.
Could the secrets harbored in its abandonned walls hold the answers you are looking for? To find out, you will need to explore the depths of this eery area and face the dark forces at work.
Beware though, the best kept secrets are often the deadliest...

 

[mediocrepoet]

I just did a completionist run of this and the DLC. I didn't have any significant performance hitches, though the loading time on my HDD were irritating and I transferred it to the SSD more or less immediately which resolved that.

I really enjoyed the exploration and world building of the game, it was janky as you'd expect from Spiders, but not as bad as many of their other games. I'd say it reminded me a lot of the Surge wrt jank to expect.

One of the early bosses made me laugh, while the DLC boss was creative and I enjoyed its mechanic. The game is easy for a Souls like, but I'd say the main draw is the creativity of the setting and the exploration rather than the combat.

 

[Tyranicon]

Seems like Greedfall got a lot more marketing. I barely heard about this, and when I checked up on it, it's already been released for months.

Also, I really like Revolutionary France as a setting, but it's got to be one of the most niche ones out there. Not too many people are interested in it compared to other periods such as Imperial Rome, the Middle Ages, World Wars, etc.

It's a losing proposition, even when Assassin's Creed did it.

I really, really want a RPG set in the 30 Years' War, but I'm not gonna hold my breath either.