Steelborn

A lot of games wear their influences on their sleeves. Steelborn is the rare game to just list the games they like in their Steam description. Name-checking Ranger-X, Contra, Metal Slug and even Blaster Master, developer Vega Horizon Studio wants you to know that they grew up loving the same games as you and funneled that nostalgia into their newest retro-themed action game. The result is a fun throwback shooter with beautiful pixel graphics and a kickin’ soundtrack, but is this new run ‘n gun action game better than the classics? Find out now when I review Steelborn.

It's the distant future and Earth Headquarters has recently lost contact with one of its remote colonies on the otherwise unremarkable planet VL-744. Assuming it’s no big deal, the Major and his trusty mech sure have been sent to the planet on what was supposed to be an ordinary reconnaissance mission to see what happened. Of course, knowing that this is a science-fiction action game, we already know that there will be nothing ordinary about this mission. It won’t take long before aliens show up, turning what was supposed to be an easy job into something a whole lot harder ... and deadlier.

From the moment the Major and his Steelborn mech land on VL-744, you can immediately see the classic gameplay elements that inspired the developer. This is a side-scrolling run ‘n gun shoot ‘em up similar to Contra, only this time around the Major can exit his giant mech in order to investigate caves, buildings and other confined spaces, a mechanic that comes straight out of Blaster Master.

We can draw straight-lines to classic games all day, but the truth is, all of the borrowed elements add up to an action game that feels surprisingly fresh and fun. It helps that it largely steers clear of the Metroidvania formula we’ve seen from a lot of indie games, instead focusing on giving us one exciting moment after another, no matter if we’re on foot or in the metallic confines of the Streelborn suit.

The fact that the game seamlessly switches between the two modes is the real stand-out here. We get those epic battles between the mech and some massive alien, but not at the sacrifice of exploring this overrun planet. The best parts of Steelborn happen when the Major is exploring the planet and picking up new weapons and items. This is where the claustrophobia kicks in, with speedy aliens barreling at you from all sides. The 360 degree aiming and nice assortment of powerful guns give us a fighting chance against the beautifully designed (and genuinely challenging) bad guys. And just wait until you see some of the incredible boss fights in the back half of the game. Steelborn does a great job of constantly ratcheting up both the action and the tension.

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It helps that the game doesn’t get bogged down in any one location for too long. We end up seeing a lot of VL-744, and the developer has done an excellent job of world building through the pixel backgrounds. There’s also a story full of twists and turns happening around you, including a lot of dialog between the Major and the supporting cast. Similar to the setup, I feel like a lot of the story beats aren’t quite as original as they could have been, but they do a good job of keeping you invested in this alien world and the fate of Earth.

As a throwback game, Steelborn is fun. If you’re a fan of the types of games the developer name-dropped, then you’ll almost certainly have a good time playing this side-scrolling shooter. That said, this game is far from perfect. For one thing, I’m not a big fan of the way the mech controls. It’s understandably slow and unwieldy, which is fine when you’re fighting a swarm of aliens, but a real pain when trying to navigate your way through the platforming sections. The jumping and dashing moves aren’t as reliable or precise as you would like, leading to a lot of frustrating and unnecessary deaths. It’s also extremely easy to get caught in the environment, which made me dread using the Streelborn suit.

I also found it disappointing that you can’t upgrade the mech in any way. The Major is constantly finding new weapons when he’s on foot, but there’s nothing like that for the Steelborn. You’re stuck with the standard gun and a punch move from beginning to end, which made some of the boss fights feel a bit samey. I had a lot more fun controlling the Major, even if he has a boring selection of guns. Not only does he control significantly better, but he has a better melee move and the speed to avoid cheap hits. Both sides of the game could use some tightening up.

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And that goes for the stability, too. Steelborn has this bad habit of randomly crashing. Don’t get me wrong, the game is good about giving you spots to save, so you’ll never lose too much progress, but the crashes are really annoying and constantly interrupt the incredible action. I can live with a few cheap deaths here and there, but these crashes need to be resolved.

If you’re able to overlook a few of those flaws, you’re going to find a fun and challenging throwback shoot ‘em up with great pixel graphics and some truly memorable bosses. Jumping between the mech and on-foot missions helps to set this game apart from the typical run ‘n gun fare, and the visual world building is on point from beginning to end. It may not be as good as the games it’s borrowing from, but Steelborn still deserves to be part of the conversation.