![]() ![]() The late-NES thing didn’t survive very long past the Kickstarter (5-6 years ago). It’s my understanding that a lot of the original Steel Assault art was reused for the recent Yacht-Club-published game Cyber Shadow. I'd say it looks like a GBA title more than anything. The Kickstarter campaign for Steel Assault said you'd be aiming for a late-NES-inspired visual style, but the recently-released demo looks rather different. As for the game’s setting, it wasn’t inspired by any specific games as much as post-apocalyptic movies such as “I Am Legend” or “Children of Men”, although we referenced concept art from “The Last of Us” at certain points (a game which I still need to play!) Meanwhile, some of the bosses and set pieces take cues from Treasure and Konami’s Genesis/Megadrive output. Taro’s 8-way electric whip is of course inspired by Castlevania, and his slide move by Contra: Hard Corps, but his double jump is our own addition as is his zipline, which was an idea from our original artist Daniel Garcia. ![]() Steel Assault is a kind of amalgamation of many different 16-bit titles, and it seems like every person who plays it sees a different inspiration. In terms of movement, I'd say there's also a touch of classic Sunsoft games, like Batman on NES. Steel assault igg full#This is a fantastic effort that was well and truly worth the wait, and deserves the full attention of action platform fans young and old.What games inspired Steel Assault? I think a lot people will immediately jump to Bionic Commando due to the zipline/grappling hook, but there's a lot of Castlevania and Mega Man in there too, particularly Mega Man Zero. This is the first game that Zenovia have released commercially – what a way to enter the stage. There is a very real reason why the myriad titles I have spouted off about in this review are regarded as classics – and that is because of their taut design, unforgettable atmosphere and perfectly measured gameplay. I have played a tonne of modern, retro-inspired fare that find this kind of delicate balance very difficult. It looks and sounds incredible, with a panache that could probably not actually be squeezed out of 16-bit hardware, but completely retains the feel of that era. There are bosses, mini bosses, into-the-screen perspective bosses, and standard enemies that feel like they could be bosses in other games. One minute you will be traversing the beautifully hand-drawn post-apocalyptic city on foot, the next you are riding a tooled-up speedboat, or hanging off the fuselage of a crazed flying contraption. And it does get hectic, right from the off, as you are swarmed by enemies and forced into a death defying climb upwards with an instant death chasm beneath. That it does so whilst being entirely fair and beatable with practice, regardless of difficulty level, is an admirable feat. Steel assault igg series#Much like the legendarily brilliant genre pieces constructed by Treasure, or the almost cinematic way Contra III bombards the senses, Steel Assault plays out like a series of increasingly more staggering set pieces and situations and doesn’t let up from the throttle. It’s modern but keeps the feel of the era If I had popped a cartridge containing this into my first SNES I probably would have spent the next week locked in my bedroom in front of my CRT. It feels like you are playing something special. Movement is equally fluid – you can jump, double jump and slide. It works as smooth as silk and becomes second nature within seconds. Added to this rather handy tool is a Bionic Commando-esque grapple which can be aimed at platforms, vehicles and allows you to zipline your way around or dangle precariously in battle. Your hero is equipped with a whip-like melee weapon that can be employed multi-directionally, and comes off like a cross between Simon Belmont’s whip and Strider’s Cypher, and can be upgraded with power ups that add projectiles and all kinds of mayhem to it’s mechanical flail. If you are of a certain vintage age-wise, it takes just a few minutes play to see that Assault draws upon just about any decent title from your youth. ![]() This is a resolutely old-school experience that has beautifully designed linear levels, just like days of yore blasting through a Rockman X or Contra game. Raised as I was on the games that clearly inspired it, this long-in-gestation Kickstarter labour of love grabbed me the instant I fired it up, and didn’t let me out of its grip for the next several hours of hardcore run and gun action.ĭeveloper Zenovia have proudly boasted that this is not a Metroidvania, or a roguelike, or anything remotely bowing to modern trends. I won’t beat around the bush – as far as future-retro modern titles go, Steel Assault is an absolute banger. ![]()
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