Steel Rain

[h1]Summary:[/h1] You may think that Steel Rain is just another shoot'em up game on Steam. It is, but it does everything necessary well and adds a little strategy and management. Overall it's enjoyable. [h1]Pros:[/h1] - [b]Weapon type variety[/b]. There are six weapon types each with three modes, you'll usually switch those many times through every single level. - [b]Difficulty options[/b]. You can change between 10 difficulty options anytime in the main menu. - [b]Upgrades (and skill) system[/b]. - [b]Colonizing[/b]. After you beat all levels on a planet (level set), you can start colonize the planet - you can spend your resources on buildings to make them generate income or research new technologies. Also, you have to defend your colonies from attackers (more levels for you - orbit patrols). - [b]You can play with mouse, keyboard or gamepad[/b]. - [b]Level editor and Steam Workshop integration[/b]. - Low system requirements. - SteamOS/Linux support. [h1]Cons:[/h1] - Menu animations are slow. - Enemy bullets and missiles are harder to see with many enemies around, you have to be observant. - There are barriers between some level sets made to stop your progress in campaign to focus on colonizing instead.

Steel Rain takes inspiration from games like [i]r-type[/i] and [i]gradius[/i]. Nothing wrong with that, absolute blast for both veterans and newcomers imo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSdQCoR_Aw What surprised me was the RTS elements, once planets were completed you were then able to colonize and build structures. These reward extra defenses and wealth generation that can be spent on ship upgrades. Performance didn't skip a beat, offers a range of settings which should allow it to run on lower end machines, including a toggle for either retro or smoothed pixels effect. One great feature is the level editor, which in time looks like it should tie-in to the steam workshop. Global leaderboards were also available along with a silly amount of difficulty settings. Controls were not able to be remapped but I had no problems with the default setup. Well worth taking a look at for any shmup/sidescroller fan. Cheers. [b]Copy was provided by dev, doesn't change my thoughts.[/b]

[h1]Introduction[/h1] Several months have passed since I played and reviewed a representative of the Shoot ‘Em Up genre (“SHMUP”, if you like abbreviations). I always “fall back” to casual or less so, genres and games after too much strategy or abstract concepts. It’s even better if the new titles I review, are also entertaining and bring something new to the table. Sector Six was fun. The game I’m writing about today, has surpassed it though. You may regard Steel Rain as a spiritual successor to Sky Mercenaries yet truth be told, developer PolarityFlow focused on the SHMUP genre during their debut years without a common plot to link those titles to one another. It’s not bad thing at all, it just shows that they strived to improve their projects as much as I always seek to improve myself and my writing methods. [h1]Story [/h1] A Sci-Fi premise that is becoming increasingly ominous: Humanity has taken Terra’s “development” to the point of no return. Faced with starvation, unbearable pollution and endless war for the few remaining natural resources, a well-funded expedition into the uncertainty of Outer Space seems like the only logical conclusion for the human race’s odds of survival. Three colony ships left Earth in search of a new home. Only one escaped a deadly encounter with the Xenox, a race of sentient machines which may or may not be related to the Borg or Reapers. They’re bad news, that’s about the only thing that counts. As the numerically superior antagonists, your task is to defeat them by not being outgunned as well. Humanity’s last hope, rests on your shoulder and the skill with which you shall maneuver a modular ship against the Xenox menace. By modular I mean less like in Sector Six’s case in which players had a direct influence in designing the vessel and more like an advanced catamaran held together by a laser beam, almost like the Podracers from Star Wars. The seemingly weird choice of an aircraft with two distinct hulls is closely tied to the three modes in which the ship may fire at its foes. I’ll be detailing that in the gameplay section but for now, let’s focus more on the storyline. It’s surprisingly elaborated, given the genre which more often than not simply points you towards the bad guys and cuts you loose. Space invaders or not, humans will fight against the Xenox over control of habitable planets which may be colonized upon removing the robotic threat. Colonisation opens up a world of possibilities related to your own task. New resources which may be invested in upgrading both the ship and its auxiliaries such as support drones and better equipment. [h1]Graphics[/h1] Couldn’t find any conclusive evidence that Steel Rain might be powered by Unity, so I went with my second guess that it might be a proprietary graphics engine. PolarityFlow are perfectly capable of handling that, given their previous experience. The developer acknowledged the use of GameMaker Studios assets and it's refreshing to see other engines being used by indie games. Unity doesn't need the entire stage when there are other actors just as deserving, after all. For most of the players, it will truly matter if the game runs stable and has the eye candy to make it stand out from the competition. Yes, on both accounts. No SHMUP should not be enjoyed at less than 60 frames per second and Steel Rain never had a single fps drop or glitch. Booting the game on Windows 10 seems a bit tricky at first, with a black screen "greeting" players. Alt+Enter and setting the game to Windowed Mode, is a temporary fix but one which didn't deter me from enjoying the overall experience. I was assured by the developer that a permanent solution to this OS issue, is on the way. The designated Steam Overlay screenshot button doesn't work, yet pressing F12 seems to be a good alternative to it, if you're as interested in screenshots as I am. [h1]Audio[/h1] The pacing of the gameplay is perfectly matched by the soundtrack containing mostly dubstep and other electronic music subgenres. No voice acting is present, but the narrator’s few lines of dialogue, mostly serve as tutorials and mission briefings. Considering Steel Rain’s genre, I’d say that the sound assets were adequate both in quantity and sheer quality. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] So what is really separating this title from the legion of Steam counterparts? We can all agree that the digital platform has no shortage of Shoot ‘Em Ups. First of all, Steel Rain mixes RPG elements with a linear but still story-driven gameplay. The upgrading system is certainly the main incentive to become better at playing the game. It won’t be easy, but the sense of achievement is well represented. Far from having the reflexes of someone who plays SHMUPs very often, I did found a difficulty that wouldn’t punish me too much in the end. With all that’s happening on screen once you start the mission, you must have both patience and distributed attention. Both in-game credits and the power-ups which may save you from failing the level float around amidst swarms of enemy ships, homing missiles, mines and laser blasts. It can get quite chaotic and the key to success is switching between the shooting modes which also provide varying defense bonuses. The mouse scroll allows for rapid switching between “ship formations” as I’ll refer to them. Another interesting concept which is sort of a novelty, are the color coded weaponry and bonus types. Your obvious, first choice for upgrading should be the green skill chain which shall provide the ship with repair drones. You’ll be dying/failing the missions quite often on the first two planets, so it helps to have some form of auto-healing and just focus on avoiding traps while shooting down foes. Apart from the tutorial planet, there are 8 more to unlock and eventually colonise, thus ensuring humanity’s survival. Grinding is a sad reality if you wish to reach the highest echelons of power in Steel Rain, but at least you don’t have to replay the campaign missions in order to gain more credits. Orbit Patrol and Quests are a nice distraction which also feature visual diversity. Still grinding, but It’s less of a chore than playing on the same backgrounds over and over again. [h1]Verdict[/h1] For a 2015 release no less, Steel Rain is still having very little direct competition on Steam. Only full 3D rendering would improve the existing formula and perhaps PolarityFlow will release a sequel for this game in the future. By featuring both Cards and Achievements, even Steam collectors have a reason to pick this title up. [h1]Strong Points[/h1] + Complex upgrading system. + Level editor ensures replay value. + Steam Trading Cards & Achievements. + Smooth gameplay and excellent soundtrack. [h1]Weak Points[/h1] - Challenging even on the lowest difficulty setting. - The best upgrades require too much grinding. [b]Rating 80/100 [/b] [quote]This review was submitted for [url=http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ImperialReviews]Imperial Reviews[/url] and [url=https://www.ticgn.com] The Inner Circle Games Network[/url] through the generous contribution of the game’s developer.[/quote]

The best shoot'em up game I've played. I like the style, the diverse difficulties, the research and colonization menu strategy and everything else is just perfect. The devs are also nice and they keep updating the game. Which is rare nowadays since so many developers just abandon their half-made games after bundling and cashing it in.

„Mondera III is under attack. All Productions stopped. „ „What about Gaea Prime?“ „The Laser Batteries are working perfekt.“ „Okay, get me the RAZOR Wing. BLUE Weapon Mode and i want the TRAPID Drone! Fast. We need the Factorys! Our Enemy is not sleeping.“ „Yes, Sir. When are you planning to take on the Boss of GLACUS PRIME?“ „Not so soon. Our Wings must be upgraded to stand a Chance. Until then i do some Side Missions after i did the Orbit Patrol. We need more Ressources, or we will lost the War.“ „RAZOR Wing ready. Good Luck!“ „Thanks. Time to test the new Missiles.“ Oh yes, a typical Gamesituation, dear Reader. Welcome to STEEL RAIN. From the first View it looks like a simple Shooter, but it surely isn`t. It is an amazing Genre Mix. We have Shooting, Economy, Strategy and even RPG Elements. So what awaits you? Short Story, Earth is lost and the Human Race goes against an overpowering Extraterrestrial Race. The Plan is to defeat them by conquering Planet after Planet. You have the control of special Fighting Wings. These Wings can be upgraded with special Types of Missiles and also Drones. It feels a little bit like the Satellite from the R-TYPE Ship has ist own Game now, because the Wings looks more like Drones then a Spaceship. Each Wing has 3 Battle Modes, from Range to Melee Attack. They also have different Weapon Types, shown in different Colours. Each Type has its own Strengh and Weakness. Find them out. Going into Battle, your Wing goes old school KATAKIS like Sidescrolling. If it moves, shoot it! There are many different Enemy Types waiting for you and after destroying they, left Coins and Power Ups behind. Main Target is to conquer the Enemys Planets. Each Planet has 3 Zones. The third Zone is always an Endboss. Defeat them and you can colonize the Planet. That brings you to the Economics Part of the Game. Build Factorys to get upgrades and more. You need them all to rise your Wing and also get new Wings. Have an eye on your Planets, because if they go under attack, all factorys will stop working. Repell the Attack and do also Orbit Patrols. You are also able to get Normal and Elite Skills for each Weapon Type. Believe me, they really make the differenz when you are in Battle. Another Skill Tree is waiting for you, that brings you Benefits for every Section. The more Research Labors you build, the faster they are unlocked. That goes also for the Trading Part. While you are going for better Wings to conquer the Planets you can do some different Sidemissions. You see, there is much to do. Oh, i forgot. The Difficulty Setting is really good done. You can go from Easy to Hardcore Level and each Level has also 10 more Difficultys. Perfectly to test the might of your growing Wings. That all in fast flowing Graphics and guided by a great Soundtrack. STEEL RAIN was a Suprise for me. The first Time i saw it, i liked the Cover and i bought it, because i like shooter, yes it looks like a shooter. I really fastly changed my mind. The exceeding thing is, the Principle of the Battles are all the same. Flying sidescrolling left to right, mostly with the same Graphics. But they never ever get boring. They got me from the Legendary „Heroes of Might and Magic“ Addicting part. Just one more Battle. Only one more. And that with the Missions and the Economics part and not to forget the Skill and Research Part is a really addicting combination. There is also a EXPEDITIONS DLC that brings you more Content. Also wonderfull done. If that is not enough, you can design your own Levels, STEEL RAIN has a very nice Level Editor. Have fun. I´m playing with Mouse and the Wing reacts absolutly perfect, no matter how fast or how slow i move. Well done. The Developer was able to find a perfect Balance to this Game. For me that is amazing. Thank you very much for over 20 Hours fun and there are more to come. Because just one more Battle, just one. Also thanks for the Amazing Soundtrack, i bought instant, it has a steady Place in my Player. So dear Reader, if you like to experience an interesting and addicting but exceeding Genre Mix in the Shooter Genre, with an amazing Gameplay and fast flowing Graphicstyle and a fair price then this is for you. Enjoy! Thank you for Reading.

[h1] Another shmup that is not bad but rather mediocre at best. Switch between 3 fire modes and obliterate enemies. Collect cash for upgrades so you can repeat same mission over and over again or just farm chimichangas using some clever strategy. Backgrounds are bland and boring. Controls are ok, so no complain here. Music is unfitting and could've been better. Overall gameplay lack some kind of interesting enemies and ship formations to make it much more interesting. Not recommended but still you can check it out. [/h1]

No controller remapping The controls are designed for x360pad, but I play on arcade stick. game seems cool but they should add remapping support. Bummer dude

A wonderful shmup that is just a blast to play. The colonization and research minigame is a nice idea, that adds a bit of flavor and doesnt take too much time. Can be played equally well with Controller and Mouse (tried both).

A good game when it was launched, but with the implementation of a paid dlc after 2 years of it at allmost full game price it makes you feel the developer should start with a new game and let this one die... It's a good game, but stop squeezing our money with useless paid dlc! I will pay 2£ max for a dlc of a 7£ FULL game, otherwise thanks for the dlc Skydrow Team ;)

Пока летишь и стреляешь все, вроде как, не плохо. Даже круто, если вас графика не смущает. Но когда дело доходит до борьбы с интерфейсом и всяких там менюшек... Это ад и содомия. Какая то рожа пытается тебе что-то объяснить... Тебе не интересно и ты ищешь кнопку, как это пропустить... а рожа - вещает, а ты тычешь во все подряд. Все так тормозно и непонятно нахрена нужно вообще. У игры проблемы с дизайном. Какая-то неуемная тяга к куче кнопок и усложненному интерфейсу. Это были первые впечатления от пробного запуска этой игры.