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Sometimes the hook felt finicky though, which were the only moments something felt out of my control.
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Most of the stages feel like that, but finishing one often felt like it depended on my execution, not struggling to figure out unpredictable enemy tactics. It felt great feeling my thumbs dance around my gamepad while adrenaline flowed through my body as I continuously tried, and failed, to pass that section.
Steel assault destructoid how to#
One level auto-scrolled upward with green acid rising from the bottom and I had to figure out how to continually grapple-jump through a pair of parallel conveyer belts while shooting and dodging enemies. But it doesn’t take too long before you’re balancing those basics while attacking or dodging enemies and avoiding obstacles.
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At first, its use is pretty mundane since most opportunities to deploy it are boiled down to attaching it between two walls or moving between lower and higher floors. You can effortlessly fire it in eight directions to reach different heights, avoid traps, or you use it to place yourself in advantageous situations. You obviously have a capable gun, you can slide, and there are various power-ups you should grab that alters your weapon’s abilities, but the most interesting is the grappling hook, which functions more like a zipline. There aren’t a lot of abilities and tools you use. As I learned from my mistakes and became more proficient using my tools, I took less damage and even some later stages felt easier. Of course, taking damage and dying becomes frustrating at times but you’re never caught so off guard that you’re wondering how you got hit. Your character responds instantly to your commands, making most deaths easier to stomach. You’ll see all the classic tricks used from the 90’s to keep you on your toes, but it’s your job to use whatever you have to avoid them and Steel Assault successfully places that responsibility in your hands. No matter what stage you’re on, enemies pour on screen, surprising you by hopping out of buildings or leaping at you just as you approach the right spot, and you have to deal with craftily placed obstacles to avoid. A few clunky mechanics and hard to distinguish graphics make Steel Assault tougher than it should be, but the high-wire difficulty, retro sounds, and short length more than make up for any downsides.Īrcade games typically increased in difficulty as you made it to later levels, but Zenovia Interactive chose to make jumping through levels and using tools in unique ways as the method to keep the challenge steady from beginning to end.
Steel assault destructoid trial#
Steel Assault is that tough-as-nails, trial by error kind of platformer, and its style is inspired by old-school, wallet-draining 90’s arcade games like Metal Slug, but also features influences from Contra. They’ve made quite the name for themselves this past decade or so, producing games and now publishing them.If any of the Soulsborne games were a 2D side-scrolling run and gun, I’d probably enjoy them a lot more. While Zenovia Interactive is handling development duties, this is really up Tribute Games’ alley: in terms of preserving the retro experience with brand new releases. I love that with multiple modes more people can get into it. One of the coolest features of Steel Assault is a “retro hard” mode, that ups the ante, in addition to more casual modes with a “variety of difficulty options.” I remember when platformers had only one speed, but given that I was playing a lot of those on my own because they weren’t accessible, the modern shift in this area has been great. The goal of the team is to have players replay stages and try and beat their best times, but for $14.99, an all-killer-no-filler game could be a decent prospect even for just a few playthroughs. It’ll also bring in a “unique take on grappling hooks,” as well as “optimal screen resolution for CRT gaming.” No matter what resolution these promos are using, Steel Assault looks fantastic. Like we saw previously Tribute Games reiterates that Steel Assault is a “16-bit style” retro platformer that is purposefully designed to be 60 minutes long, focusing on swift and smooth action. It’s 60 minutes long and built around replayabilityĪre you ready for another Tribute Games published joint? Well, after you watch the trailer for Steel Assault, you might be.
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