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Steel Defier is one of those indie games that is bound to be overlooked. However, I urge you to reconsider. With straightforward gameplay, a short playtime, and easy-to-understand mechanics, it’s a wonderfully casual experience. Yet, its cruelty and labyrinthine world make the action more challenging than you’d expect. Consequently, it’s a deceptive title that’ll have you hooked in no time at all.
Developed by Viridino Studios and published by Ratalaika Games, this is an action survival title. What’s more, it is reminiscent of Disc Room as each arena is full of traps, danger, and almost guaranteed death. Furthermore, the random nature of each obstacle and the use of special abilities keep you on your toes. As such, it is tough to plan your approach, as the action is constantly shifting.
Steel Defier is a harsh game.
Technology is supposed to advance mankind’s existence. Yet, if you’ve watched as much sci-fi as I have, you’ll know that it’s a bit of a myth. Unfortunately, artificial intelligence goes haywire, and it normally turns on its makers. When this happens, the aftermath isn’t a pretty sight. Moreover, blood, guts, and limbs are normally what remain.
Steel Defier paints a grim picture of this reality. You are a lone survivor on board a transport vessel. Dressed suspiciously in an orange jumpsuit, you must escape your prison cell and explore up to 40 small arenas. Regretfully, the defence system has malfunctioned and everyone else has been slaughtered. Accordingly, you must evade the AI traps as you carve your way to the exit.
Deadly robots but no weapons.
If I was being chased by deadly robots, I’d want a weapon to fight back. However, in Steel Defier, this isn’t an option. Instead, you must rely on your reactions and agility to succeed. Additionally, you’ll collect an array of special abilities such as dashing, slowing time, a magnetic field, and more. Impressively, each of these skills makes the action easier, and this helps you to overcome each robotic foe.
The aim of the game is simple. Each arena has a pressure plate that must be activated. Once this happens, the traps start to move. At first, the action is slow and the robots are easy to understand. However, things quickly heat up as more robots are added to the mix, and the gameplay becomes more hectic. To escape each arena, you must find and collect 15 key cards. Once one is picked up, another spawns in a random location. As such, you’ll have to dash, leap, and dodge your foes while collecting each key.
This idea was wonderfully stripped-back but perfectly executed. You’ll focus your attention on each key whilst using your peripheral vision to avoid each incoming robot. Consequently, it soon turns into a hectic nightmare as spinning blades, splitting boxes, and a sweeping beam bear down on you. Additionally, the slightest touch is enough to kill you and ruin your progress. Thankfully, though, if this happens, you merely lose that arena’s progress and nothing more.
Steel Defier is a low poly affair.
Indie developers love a dated aesthetic. As such, Steel Defier uses a low poly art style and repetitive assets to push its agenda. Now, this may seem like a complaint, but it isn’t. Accordingly, I adored the basic visuals, the contrasting colour palettes, and the easy-to-identify character models. Additionally, the claustrophobic nature of the labyrinthine world was uncomfortable and difficult to navigate. As such, this added to the challenge, and that was fine by me.
Originality and gaming don’t always go hand-in-hand. However, with an original Synthwave soundtrack, Steel Defier hopes to impress its audience. I loved the 80s-era futuristic approach and the upbeat flow of every song. Alongside this, the brutal sound effects and shrill sirens add to the drama! Subsequently, if being chased by deadly robots didn’t worry you, the relentless sounds and ominous noises will get your heart racing instead.
Excellent controls.
With so much going on, this game could have been a horrible mess. Thankfully, though, the responsive controls and simple layout make it a pleasure to play. On top of this, the fundamentals are well explained whenever you gain a new ability. Accordingly, it is easy to pick up, simple to master, and great fun to play.
Where Steel Defier falls short, however, is its longevity and replay value. Disappointingly, you’ll complete each level and unlock every achievement in under an hour. Consequently, this is over long before you want it to be. Luckily, though, there is a survival mode, but this lacks depth and a leaderboard. As such, it fails to grab you and this impacts the replay value further still.
These issues could have easily been resolved if more content was added. Alternatively, if an NG+ mode was incorporated, a hardcore mode was added, extra robots were included, or additional chapters to the game were created, this would vastly improve things.
Steel Defier could have been the next Vampire Survivors.
Steel Defier is so good that it could have been the next Vampire Survivors. However, it’s far too short, and it lacks the required depth to reach this level. Consequently, this was disappointing, as I desperately want to score it an 8/10 or above. Yet, this wouldn’t be right, as no matter how much I loved it, it left me wanting.
I adored the art style, the original soundtrack, and the excellent controls. Moreover, the simple concept was great and easy to understand. But I cannot ignore the fact that it isn’t long enough. Hopefully, the developers are still working on this project and more DLC will become available. If this happens, this will be a big hit for many gamers. Despite its painfully short playtime, I still recommend that you buy it here! Can you escape your prison cell? Avoid the robots, collect the keys, learn new skills, and make it to the landing bay in one piece.
