Operation STEEL

I highly recommend Operation STEEL to anyone who likes side scrolling shooters. Not only does this game have an awesome hand drawn art style, it has tight controls, varied power ups, unique themed stages / bosses and a great soundtrack.

Procedurally generated levels and a lot of fun!

After putting in more time that I wish to remember, this game is something to behold for me, but you want to know is it for YOU??? Well, here's the down and dirty!! [h1]The Opening Run[/h1] You won't go into the game blind as a bat and the game will assist you in understanding how the basic controls work and two weapon classes overall. As you get the feel of your very first run, don't be surprised if you get beat. it's ok. Unlike some Shmups, there is a Novice Mode right from the rip that will ease you into Normal Mode and other modes as you unlock them. [h1]The Same And Yet, Different[/h1] Since this is procedurally generated, every time you start a new run, it will be different by seed. Now of course you could memorize that seed and get great results, but the likely hood of you improving is cut when doing such a thing. I would let the generator do it's job and go with the flow. With currently 20+ levels divided into 5 (and eventually 6) Sectors, pathing is endless overall and you'll get your money's worth right there. if you're afraid of change, fear not as you can input a seed and again, memorize that seed and the direct route. [h1]The Growing Armory[/h1] As you progress in this game and failing runs (or succeeding), you'll unlock new main weapons, add-ons, game modes and usables for future runs. These tools of the trade once you have them in a run can be upgraded to a shop every sector cleared, but with limited funds (based off of your playstyle), you'll have to pick wisely on what you wish to further upgrade. Speaking of the shop, find a weapon, but you don't like it, the shop will have you covered as it will more often than not have a weapon and an add-on included with any ship upgrades such as speed and armor improvements as well as the occasion refill on [b]BOMBS[/b]... [h1]The Climb[/h1] On top of a standard local leaderboard, there's an online leaderboard that shows the route another player did and whether or not they won that run. If you're into trying to beat your friends or even best the best, this might be right up your alley. [h1]Punishing The Simple Casual[/h1] I'm not going to sugar coat this fact: this game can be outright punishing for players looking for a clean and relaxing casual experience. if you do get into this game, better bring your [b]A[/b] game quick, fast and in a hurry because after the tutorial and a few runs, the game will start in very simple words, trying to screw you over as early as Sector 1 (Either Arcturus or Berber) and it doesn't get any easier. Nasty bullet patterns, cheap-ass bosses, the final two levels filling them with [b]BULLETS[/b] and even the sectors themselves will have some nasty surprises for those unprepared or those not doing due diligence. [h1]Controlling and Mastering the Ship[/h1] I use a controller and to be fair, it's the go to, but if you're on Key+Mouse, you're not hard pressed for control as you can map and configure your controls however you like. In addition, the ship themselves have different hitboxes and by enabling the hitbox visibility in the options before you even go to the tutorial, you'll see where you're ship will take damage. I would definitely recommend the latter as it will help runs in the future. [h1]The Lasting Experience[/h1] This is my personal experience. I normally play this game using my Youtube file and to be fair, i like to challenge myself after I beaten the game for the first time. 4 episodes later, I beat it for the first time and now, it's like a drug that you get when you need your next hit. It can be addicting, but moderation is the best way here. Everyone is different and if you pick it up, give it the good ole college try before dropping it. i promise you, you'll feel like you've done a thing. [h1]The Pretty Colors and Awesome Music[/h1] Something this good being hand-drawn give this game agency and a personally as it really shows the work of the indie scene. The dev did a fantastic job on the visuals and [b]PENGUIN!!!!!!![/b] This musical mastermind came up with the OST and I love it!!!! So much so, that I dropped another 6 dollars to get the OST to put into my MP3 player (those still exist, what of it!). [h1]TL:DR Pros-Cons[/h1] + Like Shmups, Roguelites, Procedurally generate Stages, Seeds and anything else provided here- GET + Wanna get into Side-Scrolling Shmups, but don't want to feel overwhelmed- TRY IT + Like A mix of Metal/Futuristic EDM- GET + Want a game different from much of the genre- GET - If any of the above scares you- DEMO FIRST, THEN DECIDE - If the Above don't interest you - PASS - Afraid of challenge or don't have the competitive itch- PASS - Not to your liking, despite being a fan of any of the above- PASS [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] I feel that this game may go under the radar for some time, but once it gets the proper visibility, many will flock to this. I say this, don't be afraid of challenge and if you do decide this is for you, you won't be disappointed. Give it a shot if you're curious (though the demo will give you want you need to know). I will say that it will get harder as you progress so if it's not your cup of tea, you can pass on this. Other than that, see you in the stars, friends! Sinister-Sama

If you plan on using keyboard to play, buy this game! However, i am using an xbox controller and it does not work correctly. It can't navigate menus. It can't switch weapon or item during gameplay. It can't pause the game. It CAN move the ship around, shoot, use bombs and use items. I've looked through the community threads and found several posts with the same issues. They were even replied to by the creator, saying they would try to fix it but that was 2 years ago and i have the same issues now that they had then. If there is a fix for this I will obviously change my review, i've tried all the suggestions from the community threads but no luck.

繰り返し何度も遊びたくなる横スクロールシューティングです。 以前Steamのニュージーランドイベントにて、セール価格480円で購入しました。 ゲームプレイ自体は昔ながらの横スクロールシューティングですが、本作『Operation STEEL』はローグライク要素が盛り込まれているのが大きな特徴です。 ローグライクなので、ゲーム中に出現するアイテムとボス構成はランダムです。 このさじ加減が絶妙で、ゲーム全体を通して良い塩梅のバランス調整が施されています。 おかげで、あまりシューティングが得意ではない自分でもついつい長時間リプレイを繰り返してしまいました。 「あちゃあ、やられた！ [b]でも次はきっと良い引きが来ると思うから、ラストもう一回だけやろう[/b]。こ、これが本当にラストね…！」といった感じで、プレイ中はほぼギャンブル依存症と同じような精神状態に陥っていました。 何度ミスしても再挑戦したくなる中毒性がこのゲームにはあります。 これはローグライク全般に言えることかもしれませんが、本作『Operation STEEL』は常にアイテムの取捨選択に頭を使うゲームです。 ゲーム中は資金やアイテム入手のチャンスが限られているため、状況に応じて最適なものを選択しなくてはなりません。 考えなしでアイテムを選んでしまうと、段々と難しくなっていくステージについていけなくなると思います。 自分はアイテム入手のチャンスが訪れるたびに、 [b]「新しい武装で戦術の幅を広げるか？」[/b] [b]「それよりも既存の兵装をアップグレードするか？」[/b] [b]「待てよ、自機の耐久値やスピードを上げたほうが良いのでは？」[/b] [b]「いやいや、ボムやライフなどの消耗品を補給すべきじゃないか？」[/b] といったことに頭を悩ませていました。 そしてこの悩みタイムこそが、本作で一番面白い瞬間ではないかと思います。 取捨選択の末に自機が強力に成長できた時の「俺ツエー感」は格別です。 独特なグラフィックも本作の魅力です。 チープとか言ったらダメです。 これは味なんです。 「超リアルなポリゴン表現」や「職人的な美麗ピクセルアート」などとは趣の異なる、オリジナリティあふれる手描き絵グラフィック。 UI周りや敵弾エフェクトなんかは洗練されている一方で、自機や敵キャラはかなり素朴で親しみやすいタッチですね。 ボスは十二星座がモチーフですが、基本的に敵キャラのデザインは無節操で自由。 メカやら動物やら妖精やら、この統一感の無いバラエティの豊かさも本作ならではの個性だと思います。 音楽に関しては繰り返し遊ぶローグライクに相応しく、どのステージも耳ざわりの心地良い曲ばかりです。 個人的な印象ですが、1990～2000年ぐらいのシューティングやレーシングゲームなどを彷彿とさせる楽曲ではないでしょうか。 疾走感と情緒が同居した懐かしい感じの曲が多いので、中年ゲーマーであればノスタルジーから色々と込み上げてくるものがあるかもしれません。 自分はなぜかセガサターンで遊んでいた中学生時代を思い出しました（なんで？） ローグライクによる適度な運要素とバランスの良いレベルデザインが秀逸な、噛めば噛むほど味が出るリプレイ性の高いスルメシューティングです。 毎回新鮮な気持ちでサクっと遊べるので、気分転換や朝の運試しなんかにピッタリです。 昔ながらのシューターはもちろん、引きに自信のあるローグライク好きやギャンブラーにもオススメです。

Finally got around to putting some time into this and it's fantastic, everything feels great, the difficulty curve was just right for me, led me in to hard mode nicely where it feels like the game comes into it's own with really fun bullet patterns.

8-bit side scroller bullet hell, pretty good and hard too!

Massa!