Poland-based studio Reikon Video games has solely been round since 2014, however in its decade of improvement, it has made a reputation for itself creating fashionable, action-forward cyberpunk video games. Its debut, 2017’s Ruiner, was itself a fantastic isometric shooter, however in hindsight, it was a glance towards the studio’s future and its second recreation: Steel Eden. Like Ruiner, Steel Eden is a futuristic neon-lit shooter set in a cyberpunk dystopia, however this time, from a first-person perspective. It blends wonderful first-person gunplay with motion tech that turns town of Moebius right into a parkour playground, and the ensuing gameplay is hyper-fast, frantic, and enjoyable. Although its narrative and degree design generally get in the best way of that, all the bundle continues to be a setpiece-filled motion romp and one of many yr’s greatest shooters.
On the earth of Steel Eden, Hyper Items are disposable androids able to inhuman feats due to a cyberpowered armor that enables them to sprint, grapple, jetpack, and wall-run by means of nearly any surroundings, and every unit is skilled for cybernetic warfare, with a seven-gun arsenal in tow. You play as Aska, a particular Hyper Unit tasked with saving the residents of Moebius from imminent destruction. That leads her by means of derelict factories, deserts, mining services, and into the realms of Engineers, who possess Cores she desperately wants for her mission. It’s a stable basis for the 7-hour journey, and a voice-in-your-comms doesn’t allow you to overlook about it, generally to the detriment of the sport.
Whereas the voice appearing is nice, once you’re not engaged in multi-wave area battles, there’s virtually at all times a voice in your ear discussing their motives, their historical past, and their wishes, all by means of sci-fi jargon that finally bounced proper off of me. Reikon is making an attempt to inform an enriched narrative, and I take pleasure in how a lot the studio focuses on strolling gamers by means of Aska’s journey to save lots of Moebius, which has been threatened with what is actually a ticking time bomb; its finale leaves quite a bit to be desired, however I nonetheless discovered the general story to be a commendable effort from Reikon. Its greatest flaw, although, is how usually it will get in the best way of the true star of Steel Eden: the motion.
That stated, the motion was greater than sufficient to tug me by means of every mission, as I continuously regarded ahead to the following setpiece, the following weapon, and even the following improve station to make my shotgun or grenade launcher extra highly effective. Steel Eden isn’t stingy with Mud, the foreign money used to improve weapons, present in canisters positioned all through ranges or given upon defeating enemies. By the point I completed the sport, solely one in every of my seven weapons wasn’t totally upgraded, and I recognize Reikon permitting me to unlock most of Aska’s potential within the first playthrough. Every weapon, whether or not it was the standard-issue submachine gun with limitless ammo however a temperature-related cooldown, the power weapon that melts enemy armor, or my private favourite, an assault rifle with a secondary fireplace possibility that turns it into a strong sniper, proved helpful in fight. Firefights get so hectic that there have been numerous encounters the place I used each single weapon at my disposal, whether or not it was a strategic want or as a result of I ran out of ammo for one more gun.
Although I at all times loved the fight, I want it had been extra diegetic slightly than arena-based. My favourite moments had been when Steel Eden channeled one other Poland-based studio’s recreation, Ghostrunner, to show linear sections into parkour runthroughs the place I wanted to kill enemies with fast precision to advance and keep momentum. However a lot of the fight occurred once I entered a big area, and a random sci-fi voice instructed me once I completed a wave and when one other wave was starting. These arenas are well-designed, with armor, well being, and ammo pickups strategically positioned about, and wonderful wall-running and grapple alternatives, too, however they nonetheless grew boring. It doesn’t assist that the runs between these arenas had been usually the kind of fight encounters I truly wished extra of.
Regardless, Aska solely grew to become an increasing number of enjoyable to make use of all through Steel Eden as I unlocked extra of my weapons’ potential and have become extra comfy firing them whereas operating on partitions or grappling by means of the air, utilizing my jetpack to increase my airtime. After I totally understood Aska’s set of weaponry and motion tech, and extra importantly, find out how to reap the benefits of each in fight, every subsequent encounter felt like an excessive dose of adrenaline.
Just like the narrative’s intrusion into the superb first-person gameplay, there have been a handful of occasions in Steel Eden the place ranges went large, permitting Aska to morph right into a ball – sure, it’s very harking back to Metroid Prime – the place you zap enemies and goal them with lock-on missiles. Whereas cool in principle, these sections are simply the worst, and rolling round as a metallic ball under no circumstances compares to the joy of first-person taking pictures, wall-running, and jetpacking by means of this dystopia.
All through my time in Steel Eden, I couldn’t assist however think about simply how good a sequel I hope Reikon makes might be. It is a nice begin within the FPS style for the staff; its concepts are robust, and with refinement, Aska’s subsequent mission might be as wonderful because the Ghostrunner and Doom Everlasting adventures it’s clearly impressed by. Although the star of the present – its first-person taking pictures and motion – is typically weighed down by an overreaching narrative and boring morph ball sections, when Steel Eden shines, it’s as shiny because the solar that sheds mild on Moebius’ darkish underbelly.
