The latest project from Spiders, the development team behind thesomewhat underrated Western RPGGreedfall,Steelrisinglooks to be a weird combination ofNier: Automata,Dark Souls, and high school history lesson that’s gone more than a little off the rails. Marrying steampunk mech combat with surprisingly detailed renderings of real Parisian locations,Steelrisinglooks to provide an interesting new perspective on the very popular soulslike genre, and a new trailer showcases just how historically accurate some of the game’s environments are going to be.
One of the many trailers that premiered during Gamescom 2022, the minute-long sneak peek juxtaposes some very authentic replications of famous places such as the Louvre and the Bastille with some incredibly fantastical dueling robots. The dissonance between these two elements may seem jarring at first, but there’s a certain genius in grounding such an outlandish premise in reality, and it arguably grantsSteelrisinga leg up in a gaming niche that’s rapidly becoming overpopulated.
RELATED:Soulslike Lies of P Shows 12 Minutes Of Gameplay At Gamescom
Though franchises such asBioShockandFalloutare famed for their alternate histories, soulslike games tend to lean into their fantasy elements and establish worlds and lore far removed from reality. FromSoftware’sSekiro: Shadows Die Twicemay have dabbled in the art of melding real history with high fantasy, but, aside from some very vague connections, the Japanese province of Ashina may as well have been Lordan or Lothric. Coming up against the genuine historical figure King Louis XVI inSteelrisingmay come as a genuine shock after fighting through hordes of totally unreal mechanical menaces, and battling bosses in the Luxembourg Garden may well come across as completely surreal.
That said,Steelrisingis far from the only soulslike to take on a grimdark gothic style. FromSoft’s 2015 epicBloodbornemay as well have taken place in Victorian-era London, and the recently-releasedThymesiaseems to have drawn from very similar influences. Neowiz’s upcomingsoulslikeLies of Pwas almost certainly inspiredby gothic antiquity and further serves to prove that the soulslike formula needn’t rely on the heavy fantasy trappings of its namesake.
Fortunately, interested parties won’t have to wait very long forSteelrising.First teased in 2020, the game is now primed for a September 8 release. Also, as touted in the new trailer, those who pre-order the title will earn access to thebeta which releases on August 25.Soulsveterans and genre newcomers alike will want to keep an eye out for this one; it may just become one of 2022’s sleeper hits.
Steelrisingwill be available on September 8 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
