Steel Empire

Genre: Shmup

Players: 1

.

Review:

Steel Empire, released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2014 and ported to PC in 2018, is a Shmup set in a steampunk world full of zeppelins, megatrains, and ornithopters, where players take the role of a pilot fighting against an evil empire using either a plane or an attack zeppelin.

Now, if your eyes widened at the phrase “attack zeppelin”, boy is this the game for you. One of this game’s best qualities is its presentation, which revels in its steampunk setting, with detailed 2D environments and enemies. And while the fast-paced energetic synthesized music may not mirror the Victorian aesthetic of steampunk, it nevertheless seems fitting to this sort of intense Action game.

As for the action itself? This is a pretty solid but by-the-book Shmup, with a forward fire, backward fire, a screen-clearing bomb, and power-ups you grab out of mid-air. There’s nothing wrong with the gameplay, certainly, but very little that sets it apart structurally. At the very least, this game delivers when it comes to enemies, particularly bosses, with vehicles that have multiple stages as you blow them apart piece by piece in a satisfying manner.

There is one other place where I have to criticize this game – no multiplayer. In this genre, you really need to have some sort of strong campaign element if you’re not going to offer co-op, and I don’t really feel like this game has one.

However, while it may not offer anything structurally extraordinary, Steel Empire still as great gameplay and is sure to win people over with its excellent theming and wonderful presentation. If “Steampunk Shmup” sounds like something you would enjoy, you should definitely check this game out.

tl;dr – Steel Empire is a Shmup in a steampunk setting, with some wonderfully detailed environments and enemies reflecting that theme. The gameplay here is good but nothing special, and the lack of multiplayer is disappointing, but if you want a steampunk Shmup, I do not think this game will disappoint.

Grade: B-

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Ben, Andy Miller, Exlene, Homer Simpin, Johannes, Talissa, Eli Goodman, Gabriel Coronado-Medina, Ilya Zverev, Kristoffer Wulff, and Seth Christenfeld. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}