By Adele Chapline Smith | OSV News
NEW YORK (OSV News) — Take a step back in time with “Steelrising” (Nacon), a role-playing game developed by French studio Spiders and set during an alternate history of that nation’s Revolution, which first broke out in 1789. While most of its combat involves robotic enemies, this is not a title suitable for little kids, though it is acceptable for teens.
“Steelrising” belongs to the Soulslike subgenre, named for the “Dark Souls” series published by FromSoftware. Games in this category are characterized by a high level of difficulty and an emphasis on environmental storytelling. With regard to the first of those criteria, however, “Steelrising” does include settings that make it less challenging and therefore more widely accessible.
Players take on the role of Aegis (voice of Cassie Layton), an intelligent, feminine-style automaton battling the mechanical armies of King Louis XVI (voice of David Annen), who is here portrayed as a mad despot. The narrative’s premise draws on the fact that the real-life Louis had a deep interest in clockmaking. Within “Steelrising,” though, his elaborate creations are directed to kill for their tyrannical sovereign.
Originally designed to be a dancer, Aegis was repurposed to be a bodyguard for Queen Marie-Antoinette (voice of Emma Fielding). But, with the royal husband and wife at odds with each other (another departure from reality), the queen orders Aegis to take on the cold, ruthless machines propping up her spouse’s regime.
In the adventures that follow, Aegis — whose fluid movement is beautiful to watch — encounters a variety of historical figures. They include the Marquis de Lafayette (voice of Ben Cura), Robespierre (voice of Carl Prekopp), and Henri de la Fare (voice of Orlando Seale), the counter-revolutionary bishop of Nancy — as well as many more.
She also discovers the secrets behind the robots and learns why she is the only one among them endowed with sentience and limited free will.
Players can choose one of four distinct classes for Aegis — Dancer, Soldier, Bodyguard or Alchemist — and this decision will define her fighting style. Each of these categories provides minor statistical bonuses at the start of the game, such as increased movement speed or enhanced armor.
Although Aegis only battles other automatons, there are potentially disturbing sights such as corpses and pools of blood. Additionally, a cut scene shows a human prisoner being guillotined.
Some of the terminology of the game’s mythos, moreover, could confuse youngsters. “Steelrising” is, however, free of sexual content, nudity or objectionable dialogue.
History buffs will enjoy meeting celebrities from the past, exploring the world of 18th-century Paris and visiting well-known locales like the Bastille and Versailles. Additionally, philosophy and politics are stressed with topics such as the soul, slavery, free will and the consequences of bloody insurrections all being raised and debated in a way that recalls the intellectual controversies of the Enlightenment era.
In the end, “Steelrising” may not reach the heights of the best Soulslike titles on the market. But its beautiful settings, great writing and fascinating character design all combine to make its roughly 15 hours of gameplay more than worthwhile.
Playable on Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The game contains stylized violence, some gory images and storytelling elements requiring mature discernment. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Entertainment Software Rating Board rating is M — mature.
Adele Chapline Smith reviews video games for OSV News.