It's a Spiders game, so I'm in. While their games are typical examples of "almost there, but not quite", I absolutely ADORE the concepts and worlds they tackle in their games. They always try their hardest, and their games are always *interesting*, warts and all.
@@henlo1910 yeah Greedfall was interesting, then it was super addictive to play - even if enemy AI literally had no idea you were behind them😂. Then I tried Technomancer & loved it as well, similar but different setting/story. I'm super excited for Greedfall 2 if it comes around
Right there with you. I've been dealing with their lovable jank since Mars:War Logs and can't help in seeing what they've cobbled together here in their next outing.
Greedfall was so much more than the sum of its parts. So much of it was clumsy but I still enjoyed it enough that I'll probably end up grabbing this just because I like Spiders.
@@__G___ yknow you say that but AAA developers get away with launching games that just flat out do not work at all with launch but we (foolishly and wrongfully) give them a pass, so I'm willing to have some forbearance for a small developer.
Spiders seems like the little dev that could. I hope they hit their stride soon. It seems like their wheelhouse is world building and aesthetic, they just need a little bump to the actual gameplay and final polish to get over the hill. Fingers crossed, I think they have it in them.
They don't have a wheelhouse, they've been aping Bioware unsuccessfully for 10 years and now they're trying the Souls route, but it's always a pale immitation that falls flat and doesn't excel in anything.
@Lee Housemarque were very successful in making arcade-likes before Returnal, though. Nex Machina, for example, is perhaps the greatest isometric twinstick shooter ever made.
@@omarcomming722 greedfall for example was a nice game, but the flaws are pretty obvious in some aspects, for me. The repetition of assets and interiors and the sidequest structures that just killed themselves by doesn't having a decent flow, some times I was making a sidequest and wandering If anyone in the Studio actually played those quests in order to "feel It"
I extensively playtested this game and my name is actually in the credits! I’m a huge fan of Souls-like games and have enjoyed Spiders’ past works. Can’t wait to play the complete game!
I'm just happy for Spiders. They keep on improving and making better games. I was a fan of Greedfall despite its flaws but there's no doubt in my mind I will support Steel Rising as well.
Why are you being demonitized? You're one of the best reviewers anywhere. Easily top 3. You put in alot of work and you're fuckning honest about the games always.
www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming also spread the word! I liked the game also how it handles difficulty is interesting. leave settings along and your bog standard, jump into them and you can go down in gradiants of difficulty but they are the same ones other games hidh behind the word "easy or medium." Nice to have the variation
ACG I’m really really sorry about the monetization issues. That really sucks. Especially when there’s nothing controversial about your videos. It almost feels like a glitch in their system that they dgaf to fix. Sorry man. Messing with a person’s living is not cool. Edit; also I wish I could rejoin your Patreon. You were LITERALLY the first Patreon I ever signed up for. When I had just discovered ur channel. Unfortunately times are tough right now - so tough that I’m not even buying Cult of the Lamb rn even though I’m dying to play it and it’s quite cheap.
The early build of this was so rough, I thought Spiders have taken a few steps back, but seeing how it's shaped up now I'm actually keen on jumping in on launch. Not sure if it's just TH-cam but the cutscenes look like they were chugging a little in this video. As always thanks for the great reviews, sorry about the demonetization drama that really sucks. P. S. For those reading, the chain weapons are massive fun and if you pair the fan blades or other claw style weapon with the attribute that increases poise damage you are in for a fun time (unless it's been balanced lol)
I've been excited for this one since it's announcement. I've been rooting for Spiders to become successful since Mars Warlogs. Thanks for covering it ACG
I pulled the trigger today and tried this game out on a completely blind to besides the vids provided on PSN. Was looking for a new game and I have to say I'm absolutely loving this! Some enemies can be annoying but it all comes down to recognizing attack patterns. It took me a while to realize that jumps also act as dodging😂 this is so much fun overall without using assist/easy mode. The weapon variety is also very nice with their own strengths and weaknesses forcing me to use different varieties on different enemies. I'm barely 4 hours in but I cannot wait to get deeper in. Such a nice surprise of a game!
Odd, Spiders was known for saying that they never do sequels, its always been one and done. I know since I remember craving a sequel fort one of their older games "Bound by Flame" But never got it.
Been looking forward to this because of the artstyle. Thanks karak your reviews have always gave me a second look into games I want to play without any too obvious spoilers
There really is never a good reason to not wait for a sale for single player games anyway. Hell, even some multiplayer games. I am on the fence about buying anything day one any more since everything is broken and shite on release anymore.
Looks like my ability to wager whether a game is good or bad still haven't betrayed me. I knew this gam would lack that AAA polish and it would no doubt share that wonderful Spiders jank, but where it fails in that light it seems to more than make up in originality and charm. Much like Greedfall.
The combat in this really reminds me of heavily modded "dark souls inspired combat" that has been trending in skyrim lately but obviously a bit smoother because it was built from the ground up to be like this.
This gameplay as almost nothing to do with dark soul expect lock on and dodge... People dont realise how shallow the dark soul gameplay is really :p Wide as an ocean, deep as pond
@@yvesgingras1475 Yeah, and we didn't call Zelda Ocarina of time a Soul-like for that reason, considering that is the game that basically bounded that lock-on dodge mechanic. It's weird that people say having those two feature alone makes a game souls-like. I wouldn't be surprise that's the reason early clones didn't nail it because of that misconception.
I mean the IGN review is almost exactly the same? They both say the game has a nice setting but doesn't get the gameplay right because there's a bunch of jank. Which is absolutely true. That's not a big deal in a game like Greedfall but when you make a souls like game you really need to get the combat right. It's not good here. It's not terrible but it's not good. It's significantly behind the second tier of souls games. If you're expecting combat on par with Nioh or The Surge you're going to be disappointed. It's probably a 6/10. Above average in it's totality but quite poor in it's game feel, performance and combat. Also it fails to use a setting that has produced some of the best art in history for anything more than flavor text. If you're interested in the French revolution and hoped it would have something to say you'll also be disappointed. Its a neat setting that isn't actually used. You'll meet Lafayette but he's just an NPC named Lafayette.
All Spiders games are janky but they are all awesome games, I love that they are not afraid to mix it up every release instead of just making an IP and just releasing sequels, they have great diversity in the worlds they create.
It hope Fromsoft keeps doing things their own way, there is no reason for them to do something just because someone else is doing it specially when their games are already better than most of the games in the market.
FromSoft game are over evaluated. They are not that great honestly, I think its just the asthetic that vibe with people because the rest is just ok level design, beyond basic gameplay and story telling is abysal. I love exploration action rpg game, but each time I try a soft game I feel they relly on cheap punishing mechanic for difficulty. I find most of the "soul-like game" to have better gameplay, better level, and better progression. Ive down almost all of the "soul-like game" and love them, cant never drag myself threw the frustration and boredom that the soft game make me feel. Armored Core dont count because they are way more fun gameplay wise, they are as basic as all the dark soul, including dark soul 4 aka elden ring.
@@Highs009 Lol better, what excatly are they better for? Level design, nope not at all, gameplay lol the loop is basic as heck, story telling... their is almost none, visual? yes thats their best part.
Some engine lube on my gun-halberd and LET'S GOOOOOO!!! Spiders are a rare studio where ACG will give a review that sounds like a "wait for sale" but is actually a "buy". Always more than the sum of its parts.
Been playing this game a ton. It is excellent. I love these developers and I'm more than happy to support them. They did a fantastic job with this game with a limited budget.
Spiders reminds me of one of my favorite developers, Piranha bytes (Gothic, Risen, Elex) Their games are Janky but by God do they have heart and I love them for it. Theres something about Eurojank that I love, and I enjoyed Technomancer and Greedfall so I will definitely be playing this game.
I played the gothic remake and holy hell it was so janky but I could also see the crazy potential they have. Elex 2 on the other hand felt like a slap on the face. They didn’t try to fix anything from the first one.
This looks amazing. I've tried multiple times to get into Soulslikes games and I just can't, I don't have the reflexes and I don't have the patience to git gud. Being able to actually tweak the difficulty options will make this a lot more accessible, and the setting is a lot more interesting to me (kinda reminds me of that old Doctor Who episode with the clockwork droids).
I've been waiting for this game ever since Spiders announced it as I really enjoyed their previous game. Soulslike ontop of steampunk world makes that a great combination. I cannot wait to dive into this tomorrow, thank you for the review Karak!
Greedfall had similar shortcomings, but ended up being a pretty enjoyable game after they ran a few patches out for it. I’ll pick this one up down the road
Did it improve a lot? I got it maybe a few months post release and enjoyed it but it felt like it just wasn't quite there, idk how else to describe it. Enjoyed it but never finished it
@@dadity9142 depends on what you value most. Gameplay was a lot smoother. The problems with progression and the fairly simplistic combat options were still there. I never finished it either, it just became too easy, and the loot progression was not fleshed out enough. I think I paid 20 bucks for it though? Not mad at all.
like I said about greedfall it was a great game at launch and this probably will be to. buying it when it comes out is the best way to support this small company that's improved a shit ton. they put more love in greedfall and I'm sure this Game then some triple aaa studios it's crazy
Well, I've tried twice to "sell" my channel as you said in the beginning of the video, but my last two attempts have been removed. Not sure what's going on with that, but keep up the good work Karak!
Bound By Flame was my first Spiders game. It was a hidden gem and had a gripping story, which made the jank not as noticeable. Greedfall was much better and I loved it. After this review I am looking forward to playing this game, though I might still wait for a sale
If you absolutely must purchase it, wait for a sale. I preordered and played the beta. The game is awful. Janky AF. Spiders didn't learn any lessons from their previous titles. All the same issues. Invisible walls, janky controls, you name it. Everything I hated about Greedfall is here.
I like Spiders. they're not afraid to try different things, and sometimes they do such a good job :) (looking at you Technomancer - the best Classic Bioware RPG that isnt from bioware)
I bought this on your recommendation and I absolute love it. I really am enjoying the environment and the story is actually really interesting from a fantasy angle.
this game looks phenomenal at first glance. i hope playing it isn't much of a let down because i'm definitely getting it. also find it cool that this and Lies of P aren't too far apart from each other in both themes style and release so i'm curious if the two studios knew about each other's projects during early development
I have a complicated relationship with Spiders... their games are always just at the cusp of greatness only for it to flounder because of one or two deeply seeded flaws. They're like an AA and a half studio it feels like, lol. A lot of their games also just weirdly feel janky, which doesn't help at all. However, they have a lot of good ideas mixed in and have a clear passion for making their games, and have survived so far via their cult fanbase alone. With every release, I keep hoping they would finally mature and kind of find their own unique style instead of always come off as off brand, janky copiers of X game series. This one looked really good and the concept is delightful, so we'll see I guess...
I really hope they don't make Marine Antoinette to be some kind of saint. She wasn't evil, she was a party girl who gambled a lot (even money raised for charity), spend lots of money on jewellery and sent France's war plans to Austria (her native country). She was not a bad person, but from the view of the french she was a lavish party woman who betrayed them.
Slightly flawed is what I expected. As long as it does not really get in the way too much and does not lead to frustration during fights, I'm very happy to play it. I am also seeing some amazing designs, which Spiders usually get right anyway. They have a certain unique style and I really want to like their games, but sometimes mechnical decisions get in the way too much for them.
If you like fantasy you should start out with dark souls 3. I think dark souls 3 is the friendliest souls game to newcomers. (It’s also the best one next to ds1)
Since the main character is an automaton, the HP & stamina gauge could have been a tube of fluid on your body, that empties as health and stamina drops. This would have centered your eyes, instead of shifting back and forth.
Diegetic design, yes! Though, if I understand and saw correctly, the stamina gauge does work this way: As it depletes/heat builds up, the exposed parts of Aegis' back heat up, shown by a red heat glow.
That would have been a nice touch though Dead Space worked because it was an over the shoulder shooter. The camera has to be far here for the combat it has... Unless they tried to make it more like Senua's Sacrifice.
Why would this possibly be demonetized ? Your reviews are awesome man, I come here not only for the sponsor free content but for the humor. Seriously what is wrong with TH-cam 🤦
At this point I'm just watching reviews from you and not playing any games. There is just something about modern gaming that stops me from even launching games, let alone spending time in them. Games got stale, copy/past of each other, grind, broken, soaking money, without new ideas or anything interesting. Not all games though, some are good like Cult of the Lamb, some games with a good story: RDR, DiscoElisium etc. But most of the time after all of the cashgrabs and "remakes", gaming has truly degraded if you look closely. Maybe 1-3 good games a year, but that's it. Edit: thanks for the replies, no, I'm not depressed, I'm 28 with work, family, kids. Just trying to play quality games, that are worth time and money
Great timing I was just looking around for footage of the PS5 version because the beta gameplay left a lot to be desired in terms of performance and graphics so I hope it was an older build
It look like they still haven't nerfed the grenades, it needs done as you can defeat bosses without doing anything else other than spamming grenades. My main issue with the beta was the enemies weren't aggressive enough and with the Dancer build you could wreck them before they had even had time to react. The bosses were also a let down. Il give it a go tomorrow. Thymesia combat was much better imo.
@@yo-qe2cb The game has an easy mode with items that make it even easier again. The grenades are in the game because they causes status ailments which are helpful but what's not helpful is having items in abundance that can wreck bosses and take away from the experience and if you choose not to use them one of the main mechanics is now unavailable unless you make an alchemy build. The need nerfed.
I love soulslikes and this seems right up my alley, but in some way the fact that you can make it easier and even remove completely any drawback of dying just makes me lose interest, i like to conquer a game and i don't have that feeling if i can just decide to make it easier or harder. It's probably just me being weird like that, but i think i'll wait for this to come to game pass.
If you like the challenge, why would you even consider making it easier? I get what u mean, I'll play it the way it's intended, maybe even a bit harder but just because u could do that passing on smth that's otherwise "right up your alley"?
The very existence of an option to make it easier tugs at your psyche, like a nagging sensation. It’s hard to explain, but it personally breaks my feeling of accomplishment knowing that other players could get just as far without much effort.
I understand what you mean, it makes complete sense but for me I welcome the ability to make the game a bit easier. I finished DS2,3 and Bloodborne but not DS1 and Sekiro. Lol, Sekiro was my one and only rage quit in 36 years of gaming. I looked at Elden Ring and the thought of having to grind to improve my character turned me off so I won't play it. I admit I kind of suck at soulsborne games but this game is perfect for me. I had 2500 hours in ESO so grinding not a problem but Elden Ring, nah, I would have died too much to the point where it isn't fun anymore.
It exactly as @@Fome said, i was thinking at Monster Hunter for example, a game 10 times harder than any soulslike, if you added difficulty options in there the game would basically disappear because the whole point is to continually improve to conquer more difficult challenges... Souls like are like that for me. Im not one that makes things harder for himself on purpose so If i can just press the win button... that just takes away the satisfaction of conquering that game
Was looking really forward to this, until you said " a souls type game" Souls type games are now like survival games a couple years ago. Game devs and companies can't ever think for themselves.
The ironic thing is that "souls type" games are a derivate niche of their own and have very little to do with what makes those FromSoft games good. Nobody needs these things.
yknow, the enemies all being basic pre-programmed automatons is as good an excuse as any for them to have dumb AI. As for the game itself, sounds exactly like Greedfall - a decent if -semi unpolished AA game that, to everyone's surprise, competently (if not perfectly) mimics it's subject matter. It's the difference between "WE'VE GOT (X) AT HOME" and "I'M GOING TO MAKE MY OWN X, WITH BLACKJACK AND HOOKERS.", where (X) is whatever game series you remember being good but don't see much of for various reasons. Spiders seems to manage to hand it's games a deck of cards and a six pack if not any companions, and at least come close. Compare this to Lies of P which everyone is getting "excited" about, but i think is much more "We've got (X)" at home with nary a lady of oldest profession to be found. What i'm saying, in a garbled half deranged way, is Spiders is really hitting above their weightclass, and doing it competently enough I think fans of bigger studios like Bioware or FROM should give them a chance. God knows Bioware isn't producing anything good anytime soon and while FROM is excellent they just released Elden Ring this year and so will enter development hibernation for the next 2-3 years as they work on the completely unconnected DLC that barely ties into the main game and doesn't answer anything but still manages to be amazing and their best work yet.
Bought Greedfall and halfway it got mindnumbingly boring, this looks rough as well, not the biggest fan of Spiders but I love "soulslike" so I don't know, maybe
A little jank in a Soulslike is the difference between living and dying. This game is fucked. I preordered and played the beta, because I hoped Spiders had learned and improved. I can't recommend it to anyone in its current state.
Is the camera sway as bad as greedfall? and can it be turned off? That game was unplayable for me because of the motion sicknness i got from it which sucks because it looked like a lot of fun
I had to the play the beta on high settings with DLSS on quality @4k to maintain a solid 60FPS using an RTX 3090. I also found that foliage animation hit the GPU pretty hard in the opening areas.
Thanks for the Great review I was sitting on the fence with this one but as I always do wait for your review then decide so I will be grabbing this now ! Happy Gaming Everyone.
oh shit this is the new Spiders game? You and Matty got me into Greedfall and man that was a great time. Very excited for this and Circus - both reviews got my hyped.
ACG, do you think Steelrising demonstrates further improvement from Spiders? I was introduced to Spiders with Bound by Flame, and then Technomancer, and then Greedfall. Bound by Flame and Technomancer were rough, but Greedfall showed much improvement over those titles from Spiders. I'm hoping Steelrising continues that trend.
Update: Performance (i7-8700k, 32GB, RTX3080ti, M2 SSD) is piss poor in some areas, as you described without any clue why (awesome graphics it ain't..), even when disabling usual hard hitters like raytracing or indirect illumination. I hope they get it fixed...I would hate it to put it in a grave with Elden Ring. Hehe, @13:00 where you show the options, that's the spot (Les Invalides) where you gotta think "WTF is giving me these frame drops in this ugly muddy-textured environment that doesnt't even come close to the nice screenshots of the store page?!" --------------------------------- Thanks for another great review. The dual fen fighting style reminds me a lot of Voldo from Soul Calibur. While the voice actors (and probably the story) aren't stellar, I appreciate the fresh setting of the story. Revolutionary France instead of victorian England, clockworkpunk instead of steampunk. I bet Aegis has a lot of "Soul" ;) I'm glad it doesn't share its fixed difficulty. Gives me a bit of Brotherhood of the Wolf vibes, I like that.
This obviously won't have me breaking my streak of never playing souls-like games, but it's nice to see a game premise and world that's a little different than the norm.
I played the beta through my pre-order, really enjoyed what I played despite some real jank and some cheesing moves to kill what would be otherwise challenging enemies, and I was absolutely going to pull the trigger but I have so many other games to play right now that I just couldn't justify keeping my pre-order. I hope to pick it up down the road after a few QOL patches. Spiders is a great studio regardless and I hope they sell a ton of copies.
It's a Spiders game, so I'm in. While their games are typical examples of "almost there, but not quite", I absolutely ADORE the concepts and worlds they tackle in their games. They always try their hardest, and their games are always *interesting*, warts and all.
Greedfall got them there, for me. I'm excited for this for that reason.
@@henlo1910 yeah Greedfall was interesting, then it was super addictive to play - even if enemy AI literally had no idea you were behind them😂. Then I tried Technomancer & loved it as well, similar but different setting/story. I'm super excited for Greedfall 2 if it comes around
Right there with you. I've been dealing with their lovable jank since Mars:War Logs and can't help in seeing what they've cobbled together here in their next outing.
@@henlo1910 Greedfall was amazing
Greedfall was so much more than the sum of its parts. So much of it was clumsy but I still enjoyed it enough that I'll probably end up grabbing this just because I like Spiders.
It's been a ton of fun watching Spiders get better and better with each game. They may be a little jank, but they are filled with care.
“Jank with heart” games are always fascinating.
Oh they do try, they are small, and their games indeed have a few issues here and there. But you can't say they are soulless!
@@MasticinaAkicta badumm tss.
A little jank? That's putting it lightly. This game along with their others should launch in the bargain bin 🤣
@@__G___ yknow you say that but AAA developers get away with launching games that just flat out do not work at all with launch but we (foolishly and wrongfully) give them a pass, so I'm willing to have some forbearance for a small developer.
Spiders seems like the little dev that could. I hope they hit their stride soon. It seems like their wheelhouse is world building and aesthetic, they just need a little bump to the actual gameplay and final polish to get over the hill. Fingers crossed, I think they have it in them.
I think to do that they would probably have to sell out to some corporate overlords to get the proper funding
They don't have a wheelhouse, they've been aping Bioware unsuccessfully for 10 years and now they're trying the Souls route, but it's always a pale immitation that falls flat and doesn't excel in anything.
@Lee Housemarque were very successful in making arcade-likes before Returnal, though. Nex Machina, for example, is perhaps the greatest isometric twinstick shooter ever made.
@@omarcomming722 greedfall for example was a nice game, but the flaws are pretty obvious in some aspects, for me. The repetition of assets and interiors and the sidequest structures that just killed themselves by doesn't having a decent flow, some times I was making a sidequest and wandering If anyone in the Studio actually played those quests in order to "feel It"
Nope they need a new engine, the Silk engine is dated. Not sure why they don’t adopt Unreal 4/5 for their games.
Visually Steel Rising is very dated
I extensively playtested this game and my name is actually in the credits! I’m a huge fan of Souls-like games and have enjoyed Spiders’ past works. Can’t wait to play the complete game!
How did you break into game testing?
Playing their mars war logs has jak but liking it will play technomencher and greedfall before moving to steel
@@vans1271 apply? Its not a high paid job.
@@anaveragegamer359 Bound by Flame came out before Technomancer so you should give that one a shot as well.
Did you also test m&k, were they good?
I'm just happy for Spiders. They keep on improving and making better games. I was a fan of Greedfall despite its flaws but there's no doubt in my mind I will support Steel Rising as well.
Same!
Spider's just keeps getting better and better. Love their games. I will definitely be grabbing this one on Steam.
Why are you being demonitized? You're one of the best reviewers anywhere. Easily top 3. You put in alot of work and you're fuckning honest about the games always.
Yep I don’t understand why???
Is not making sense to me, for now I don’t believe is true …
Best reviews on the internet.
Yes I know I pre-order pick it up tomorrow from gamestop going play it on my ps5
www.patreon.com/AngryCentaurGaming also spread the word!
I liked the game also how it handles difficulty is interesting. leave settings along and your bog standard, jump into them and you can go down in gradiants of difficulty but they are the same ones other games hidh behind the word "easy or medium." Nice to have the variation
ACG I’m really really sorry about the monetization issues. That really sucks. Especially when there’s nothing controversial about your videos. It almost feels like a glitch in their system that they dgaf to fix. Sorry man. Messing with a person’s living is not cool.
Edit; also I wish I could rejoin your Patreon. You were LITERALLY the first Patreon I ever signed up for. When I had just discovered ur channel. Unfortunately times are tough right now - so tough that I’m not even buying Cult of the Lamb rn even though I’m dying to play it and it’s quite cheap.
Proof read
Can you edit this comment to make sense please?
The early build of this was so rough, I thought Spiders have taken a few steps back, but seeing how it's shaped up now I'm actually keen on jumping in on launch. Not sure if it's just TH-cam but the cutscenes look like they were chugging a little in this video.
As always thanks for the great reviews, sorry about the demonetization drama that really sucks.
P. S. For those reading, the chain weapons are massive fun and if you pair the fan blades or other claw style weapon with the attribute that increases poise damage you are in for a fun time (unless it's been balanced lol)
I've been excited for this one since it's announcement. I've been rooting for Spiders to become successful since Mars Warlogs. Thanks for covering it ACG
Hope you enjoy it!
I pulled the trigger today and tried this game out on a completely blind to besides the vids provided on PSN. Was looking for a new game and I have to say I'm absolutely loving this! Some enemies can be annoying but it all comes down to recognizing attack patterns. It took me a while to realize that jumps also act as dodging😂 this is so much fun overall without using assist/easy mode. The weapon variety is also very nice with their own strengths and weaknesses forcing me to use different varieties on different enemies. I'm barely 4 hours in but I cannot wait to get deeper in. Such a nice surprise of a game!
Forgive my typing mistakes I'm also drunk and was taking a little break before continuing the game😂
First greedfall and now steelrising, spiders is becoming one of my favorite developers. Spiders also announced greedfall 2🤗
Greedfall was pretty mediocre imo but this looks good as hell and a big Improvement. I will buy it tomorrow 😁
how does this make any sense. that is enough for you to make a dev your fav?....
@@lacesensor3358 No one asked you thankfully.
Odd, Spiders was known for saying that they never do sequels, its always been one and done. I know since I remember craving a sequel fort one of their older games "Bound by Flame" But never got it.
@@Exel3nce The thing is, it doesn't have to be make sense like at all
We stan a studio that gets better and better with every release.
Been looking forward to this because of the artstyle. Thanks karak your reviews have always gave me a second look into games I want to play without any too obvious spoilers
There really is never a good reason to not wait for a sale for single player games anyway. Hell, even some multiplayer games. I am on the fence about buying anything day one any more since everything is broken and shite on release anymore.
Looks like my ability to wager whether a game is good or bad still haven't betrayed me. I knew this gam would lack that AAA polish and it would no doubt share that wonderful Spiders jank, but where it fails in that light it seems to more than make up in originality and charm. Much like Greedfall.
I consider it a good game so far. Maybe not great like elden ring.
I really enjoyed greedfall
Spiders is not a AAA studio
Greedfall is a bad gsme
Taking a moment just to appreciate this gem of a review. The game itself has ups and downs and acg details them all so well.
The combat in this really reminds me of heavily modded "dark souls inspired combat" that has been trending in skyrim lately but obviously a bit smoother because it was built from the ground up to be like this.
This gameplay as almost nothing to do with dark soul expect lock on and dodge... People dont realise how shallow the dark soul gameplay is really :p Wide as an ocean, deep as pond
@@yvesgingras1475 Yeah, and we didn't call Zelda Ocarina of time a Soul-like for that reason, considering that is the game that basically bounded that lock-on dodge mechanic. It's weird that people say having those two feature alone makes a game souls-like. I wouldn't be surprise that's the reason early clones didn't nail it because of that misconception.
@@yvesgingras1475 imagine boiling dark souls down to just “lock on and dodge roll”. Are you mentally inept?
Steel Rising and Lies of P… how did these two games come to be at roughly the same time?! Reminds me of Antz VS A Bug’s Life!
Compare this professional & thorough review to the whiney & unhelpful IGN version 🙄
Thanks ACG for being the reliable source we need 🏆
I mean the IGN review is almost exactly the same? They both say the game has a nice setting but doesn't get the gameplay right because there's a bunch of jank. Which is absolutely true.
That's not a big deal in a game like Greedfall but when you make a souls like game you really need to get the combat right.
It's not good here. It's not terrible but it's not good. It's significantly behind the second tier of souls games. If you're expecting combat on par with Nioh or The Surge you're going to be disappointed.
It's probably a 6/10. Above average in it's totality but quite poor in it's game feel, performance and combat. Also it fails to use a setting that has produced some of the best art in history for anything more than flavor text. If you're interested in the French revolution and hoped it would have something to say you'll also be disappointed.
Its a neat setting that isn't actually used. You'll meet Lafayette but he's just an NPC named Lafayette.
All Spiders games are janky but they are all awesome games, I love that they are not afraid to mix it up every release instead of just making an IP and just releasing sequels, they have great diversity in the worlds they create.
Seeing actual cutscenes with dialogue and story being told to me directly just makes me pray that the next From Soft game will have that as well.
Never going to happen.
It hope Fromsoft keeps doing things their own way, there is no reason for them to do something just because someone else is doing it specially when their games are already better than most of the games in the market.
FromSoft game are over evaluated. They are not that great honestly, I think its just the asthetic that vibe with people because the rest is just ok level design, beyond basic gameplay and story telling is abysal. I love exploration action rpg game, but each time I try a soft game I feel they relly on cheap punishing mechanic for difficulty. I find most of the "soul-like game" to have better gameplay, better level, and better progression. Ive down almost all of the "soul-like game" and love them, cant never drag myself threw the frustration and boredom that the soft game make me feel. Armored Core dont count because they are way more fun gameplay wise, they are as basic as all the dark soul, including dark soul 4 aka elden ring.
@@Highs009 Lol better, what excatly are they better for? Level design, nope not at all, gameplay lol the loop is basic as heck, story telling... their is almost none, visual? yes thats their best part.
@@yvesgingras1475 When it comes to Soulsborne games no one does it better. That’s just a fact.
Some engine lube on my gun-halberd and LET'S GOOOOOO!!!
Spiders are a rare studio where ACG will give a review that sounds like a "wait for sale" but is actually a "buy". Always more than the sum of its parts.
Been playing this game a ton. It is excellent. I love these developers and I'm more than happy to support them. They did a fantastic job with this game with a limited budget.
Spiders reminds me of one of my favorite developers, Piranha bytes (Gothic, Risen, Elex) Their games are Janky but by God do they have heart and I love them for it. Theres something about Eurojank that I love, and I enjoyed Technomancer and Greedfall so I will definitely be playing this game.
Eurojank is one of the best genres ever.
I played the gothic remake and holy hell it was so janky but I could also see the crazy potential they have.
Elex 2 on the other hand felt like a slap on the face. They didn’t try to fix anything from the first one.
@@danieloconnell4005 Rhe story and characters are interesting enough though.
@@danieloconnell4005 Agree, I liked the original Elex better than Elex 2.
The aesthetics of robots looks so freaking rad.
This looks amazing. I've tried multiple times to get into Soulslikes games and I just can't, I don't have the reflexes and I don't have the patience to git gud. Being able to actually tweak the difficulty options will make this a lot more accessible, and the setting is a lot more interesting to me (kinda reminds me of that old Doctor Who episode with the clockwork droids).
Mad props to the accessibility options. No reason they can’t be in Elden Ring especially in offline play.
I've been waiting for this game ever since Spiders announced it as I really enjoyed their previous game. Soulslike ontop of steampunk world makes that a great combination.
I cannot wait to dive into this tomorrow, thank you for the review Karak!
Greedfall had similar shortcomings, but ended up being a pretty enjoyable game after they ran a few patches out for it. I’ll pick this one up down the road
Did it improve a lot? I got it maybe a few months post release and enjoyed it but it felt like it just wasn't quite there, idk how else to describe it. Enjoyed it but never finished it
@@dadity9142 depends on what you value most. Gameplay was a lot smoother. The problems with progression and the fairly simplistic combat options were still there. I never finished it either, it just became too easy, and the loot progression was not fleshed out enough. I think I paid 20 bucks for it though? Not mad at all.
like I said about greedfall it was a great game at launch and this probably will be to. buying it when it comes out is the best way to support this small company that's improved a shit ton. they put more love in greedfall and I'm sure this Game then some triple aaa studios it's crazy
@@dadity9142 it absolutely improved alot but I loved the game but I know what your saying for sure. but with all the updates it definitely got better
@@dadity9142 it didn't improve at all
This game looks great, my steel has been rising waiting for it
Well, I've tried twice to "sell" my channel as you said in the beginning of the video, but my last two attempts have been removed. Not sure what's going on with that, but keep up the good work Karak!
Bound By Flame was my first Spiders game. It was a hidden gem and had a gripping story, which made the jank not as noticeable. Greedfall was much better and I loved it. After this review I am looking forward to playing this game, though I might still wait for a sale
If you absolutely must purchase it, wait for a sale. I preordered and played the beta. The game is awful. Janky AF. Spiders didn't learn any lessons from their previous titles. All the same issues. Invisible walls, janky controls, you name it. Everything I hated about Greedfall is here.
@@Dandoskyballer There's people who really enjoyed Greedfall and aren't bothered much by the things you mentioned.
Oh my. I couldnt play more than 30 min of bound by flame. Greedfall was good but the combat was dull and mechanical.
i was waiting for reviews for this....Im glad yours was up first!!!
I like Spiders. they're not afraid to try different things, and sometimes they do such a good job :) (looking at you Technomancer - the best Classic Bioware RPG that isnt from bioware)
I bought this on your recommendation and I absolute love it. I really am enjoying the environment and the story is actually really interesting from a fantasy angle.
this game looks phenomenal at first glance. i hope playing it isn't much of a let down because i'm definitely getting it.
also find it cool that this and Lies of P aren't too far apart from each other in both themes style and release so i'm curious if the two studios knew about each other's projects during early development
can't sit by any longer, time to jump on that patreon. Thanks ACG!
The music in this game honestly seems like the best thing going for it, cheers for another consistent review Karak!
I wanted to buy this just for the theme. Glad to hear they put a solid product together. I’m all in.
Steelrising and ELEX 2 were both respectively my most anticipated games for 2022! So hyped. 🎉 Great review!
Elex 😆 🤣...seriously?
@@pla6ue yea clown. Solid RPG.
@@gri22lybear but not a solid game^^
Top 10 most sensual voices on TH-cam. No wonder he keeps getting age restricted.
I have a complicated relationship with Spiders... their games are always just at the cusp of greatness only for it to flounder because of one or two deeply seeded flaws. They're like an AA and a half studio it feels like, lol. A lot of their games also just weirdly feel janky, which doesn't help at all. However, they have a lot of good ideas mixed in and have a clear passion for making their games, and have survived so far via their cult fanbase alone.
With every release, I keep hoping they would finally mature and kind of find their own unique style instead of always come off as off brand, janky copiers of X game series. This one looked really good and the concept is delightful, so we'll see I guess...
Its good janky. Love their games.
Yes this! I could of not sad it better myself.
You really just wanted to hear yourself talk huh?
They're similar to Piranha-Bytes in a way. Great ideas but often middling execution.
Maybe a hot take, but I love Greedfall and that AA Spiders eurojank. Been hyped for this game since I heard about it, can't wait to play it tomorrow!
Looks like Bloodbourne and Greedfall had a mechanical bastard.
I'm keen.
Thanks for giving Spiders a platform. I only was hyped for Greedfall because of you and I ended up loving it
You sir are an absolute legend! I was waiting to see when the reviews were going to drop and your the one I wanted to watch. Thank You!
You're
I really hope they don't make Marine Antoinette to be some kind of saint. She wasn't evil, she was a party girl who gambled a lot (even money raised for charity), spend lots of money on jewellery and sent France's war plans to Austria (her native country). She was not a bad person, but from the view of the french she was a lavish party woman who betrayed them.
The combat in this and some of the scenery reminds me heavily of Greedfall.
It's literally the same game developer. 🤦♂️
The scroll mace is such a cool idea. Theres def a Warhammer 40k dev somewhere pissed he didn't think of that first
Love your reviews man!
ACG, you are the only reviewer I'll be up before 0400 for. great review.
The Steelrising beta was Amazing! 👍
Had no idea this was coming out and am now looking forward to playing. Thanks!
Been waiting for this one ACG, only reviewer I trust 💪
Slightly flawed is what I expected. As long as it does not really get in the way too much and does not lead to frustration during fights, I'm very happy to play it.
I am also seeing some amazing designs, which Spiders usually get right anyway. They have a certain unique style and I really want to like their games, but sometimes mechnical decisions get in the way too much for them.
Perfect timing as usual acg, thank you!
Almost clockwork, I would say.
Looks awesome, and i love the time period. The option variety is peaking my interest in this genre. This might be my first souls game
Do it bro. Game has easy modes and options if need be. Definitely the easier game
If you like fantasy you should start out with dark souls 3. I think dark souls 3 is the friendliest souls game to newcomers. (It’s also the best one next to ds1)
Since the main character is an automaton, the HP & stamina gauge could have been a tube of fluid on your body, that empties as health and stamina drops. This would have centered your eyes, instead of shifting back and forth.
So...Dead Space eh
Diegetic design, yes! Though, if I understand and saw correctly, the stamina gauge does work this way: As it depletes/heat builds up, the exposed parts of Aegis' back heat up, shown by a red heat glow.
That would have been a nice touch though Dead Space worked because it was an over the shoulder shooter. The camera has to be far here for the combat it has... Unless they tried to make it more like Senua's Sacrifice.
The sponsor bit at the beginning tricked me good
Game is like all my fav things in one lol. Souls like, revolutionary paris, robots, steampunk.
Why would this possibly be demonetized ? Your reviews are awesome man, I come here not only for the sponsor free content but for the humor. Seriously what is wrong with TH-cam 🤦
Its wierd for sure
At this point I'm just watching reviews from you and not playing any games. There is just something about modern gaming that stops me from even launching games, let alone spending time in them. Games got stale, copy/past of each other, grind, broken, soaking money, without new ideas or anything interesting. Not all games though, some are good like Cult of the Lamb, some games with a good story: RDR, DiscoElisium etc. But most of the time after all of the cashgrabs and "remakes", gaming has truly degraded if you look closely. Maybe 1-3 good games a year, but that's it.
Edit: thanks for the replies, no, I'm not depressed, I'm 28 with work, family, kids. Just trying to play quality games, that are worth time and money
As a very nearly 40 year old gamer...boy, you're not wrong.
Haven’t they just ! I’m still playing Syndicate 😉
Think you might be depressed
You should blog about it
I don't think it "degraded", it's just that there's a lot more "noise" among the good ones
Great timing I was just looking around for footage of the PS5 version because the beta gameplay left a lot to be desired in terms of performance and graphics so I hope it was an older build
It look like they still haven't nerfed the grenades, it needs done as you can defeat bosses without doing anything else other than spamming grenades. My main issue with the beta was the enemies weren't aggressive enough and with the Dancer build you could wreck them before they had even had time to react. The bosses were also a let down. Il give it a go tomorrow. Thymesia combat was much better imo.
I disagree. I'm tired of nerfs in single player games for people who complain about avoidable options in games.
@@yo-qe2cb The game has an easy mode with items that make it even easier again. The grenades are in the game because they causes status ailments which are helpful but what's not helpful is having items in abundance that can wreck bosses and take away from the experience and if you choose not to use them one of the main mechanics is now unavailable unless you make an alchemy build. The need nerfed.
Karak, you are doing such a good job detailing how it feels playing the game.
I will definitely put this on my wish list.
Hope you enjoy it!
I love soulslikes and this seems right up my alley, but in some way the fact that you can make it easier and even remove completely any drawback of dying just makes me lose interest, i like to conquer a game and i don't have that feeling if i can just decide to make it easier or harder. It's probably just me being weird like that, but i think i'll wait for this to come to game pass.
If you like the challenge, why would you even consider making it easier? I get what u mean, I'll play it the way it's intended, maybe even a bit harder but just because u could do that passing on smth that's otherwise "right up your alley"?
The very existence of an option to make it easier tugs at your psyche, like a nagging sensation. It’s hard to explain, but it personally breaks my feeling of accomplishment knowing that other players could get just as far without much effort.
I understand what you mean, it makes complete sense but for me I welcome the ability to make the game a bit easier. I finished DS2,3 and Bloodborne but not DS1 and Sekiro. Lol, Sekiro was my one and only rage quit in 36 years of gaming. I looked at Elden Ring and the thought of having to grind to improve my character turned me off so I won't play it. I admit I kind of suck at soulsborne games but this game is perfect for me. I had 2500 hours in ESO so grinding not a problem but Elden Ring, nah, I would have died too much to the point where it isn't fun anymore.
@@Fome I get the feeling, but look at fighting against the impulse to make it easier as another challenge.
It exactly as @@Fome said, i was thinking at Monster Hunter for example, a game 10 times harder than any soulslike, if you added difficulty options in there the game would basically disappear because the whole point is to continually improve to conquer more difficult challenges... Souls like are like that for me.
Im not one that makes things harder for himself on purpose so If i can just press the win button... that just takes away the satisfaction of conquering that game
I love Spiders. Picked this up today and I'm a few hours in. Loving it.
Was looking really forward to this, until you said " a souls type game"
Souls type games are now like survival games a couple years ago. Game devs and companies can't ever think for themselves.
The ironic thing is that "souls type" games are a derivate niche of their own and have very little to do with what makes those FromSoft games good. Nobody needs these things.
The most recent culprit is Lies of P. Can’t help but think the devs tried to copy 90% of Bloodborne. Just look at the UI lol.
Top marks to Spiders for including easy mode to a soulslike game
yknow, the enemies all being basic pre-programmed automatons is as good an excuse as any for them to have dumb AI.
As for the game itself, sounds exactly like Greedfall - a decent if -semi unpolished AA game that, to everyone's surprise, competently (if not perfectly) mimics it's subject matter. It's the difference between "WE'VE GOT (X) AT HOME" and "I'M GOING TO MAKE MY OWN X, WITH BLACKJACK AND HOOKERS.", where (X) is whatever game series you remember being good but don't see much of for various reasons. Spiders seems to manage to hand it's games a deck of cards and a six pack if not any companions, and at least come close. Compare this to Lies of P which everyone is getting "excited" about, but i think is much more "We've got (X)" at home with nary a lady of oldest profession to be found.
What i'm saying, in a garbled half deranged way, is Spiders is really hitting above their weightclass, and doing it competently enough I think fans of bigger studios like Bioware or FROM should give them a chance. God knows Bioware isn't producing anything good anytime soon and while FROM is excellent they just released Elden Ring this year and so will enter development hibernation for the next 2-3 years as they work on the completely unconnected DLC that barely ties into the main game and doesn't answer anything but still manages to be amazing and their best work yet.
Really looking forward to checking this out sometime! Also nice that it is on GOG day one so that is always a big plus for me!
Bought Greedfall and halfway it got mindnumbingly boring, this looks rough as well, not the biggest fan of Spiders but I love "soulslike" so I don't know, maybe
Man your jokes are always on point, especially that one you made where you insinuated the dark souls game have "polish" in any way, shape or form 😉
ACG You deserve more than TH-cam demonetizing your vids
Been following this one. I wish the areas looked more varied but I'm excited to play
so in other words - yet another wester souls-like that tries something cool but misses way too many marks to be on par with Japanese souls-likes.
Great review as always! Might grab this one, looks likes it’s doing some interesting things with the formula.
There's nothing wrong with a little jank. In fact, that can make a game more fun than it normally would be.
A little jank in a Soulslike is the difference between living and dying. This game is fucked. I preordered and played the beta, because I hoped Spiders had learned and improved. I can't recommend it to anyone in its current state.
@@Dandoskyballer Adapting is the difference between living and dying. The game will be fine.
This and Lies of P has me pumped! Excellent review as always Karak!
Only may buy Lies of P
Is the camera sway as bad as greedfall? and can it be turned off? That game was unplayable for me because of the motion sicknness i got from it which sucks because it looked like a lot of fun
This is made my Spiders? Man, they've come a long way since bound by flame and technomancer.
I love stuff like this, Code Vien and Scarlett Nexus were tons of fun for me
I had to the play the beta on high settings with DLSS on quality @4k to maintain a solid 60FPS using an RTX 3090. I also found that foliage animation hit the GPU pretty hard in the opening areas.
I smashed that Like button Karak! Cause more people need to do this for support
Between this & Lies of P the steampunk automaton aesthetic is starting to look sexy.
Thanks for the Great review I was sitting on the fence with this one but as I always do wait for your review then decide so I will be grabbing this now ! Happy Gaming Everyone.
Sweet! It looks interesting; Just got a code for this so I’ll be booting it up soon
So hyped for this! Spiders keeps getting better and better.
Such an amazing review! Sold!
oh shit this is the new Spiders game? You and Matty got me into Greedfall and man that was a great time. Very excited for this and Circus - both reviews got my hyped.
ACG, do you think Steelrising demonstrates further improvement from Spiders? I was introduced to Spiders with Bound by Flame, and then Technomancer, and then Greedfall. Bound by Flame and Technomancer were rough, but Greedfall showed much improvement over those titles from Spiders. I'm hoping Steelrising continues that trend.
I've had a blast with the closed beta and honestly looking forward to the full release.
maybe it's just me, but I fucking love the AA jank. it reminds me of a better time in gaming
between Technomancer amd Greedfall ive absolutely have a soft spot for Spiders can't wait to play this amd see what else theu release in the future
Update: Performance (i7-8700k, 32GB, RTX3080ti, M2 SSD) is piss poor in some areas, as you described without any clue why (awesome graphics it ain't..), even when disabling usual hard hitters like raytracing or indirect illumination. I hope they get it fixed...I would hate it to put it in a grave with Elden Ring. Hehe, @13:00 where you show the options, that's the spot (Les Invalides) where you gotta think "WTF is giving me these frame drops in this ugly muddy-textured environment that doesnt't even come close to the nice screenshots of the store page?!"
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Thanks for another great review. The dual fen fighting style reminds me a lot of Voldo from Soul Calibur. While the voice actors (and probably the story) aren't stellar, I appreciate the fresh setting of the story. Revolutionary France instead of victorian England, clockworkpunk instead of steampunk. I bet Aegis has a lot of "Soul" ;) I'm glad it doesn't share its fixed difficulty. Gives me a bit of Brotherhood of the Wolf vibes, I like that.
This obviously won't have me breaking my streak of never playing souls-like games, but it's nice to see a game premise and world that's a little different than the norm.
I played the beta through my pre-order, really enjoyed what I played despite some real jank and some cheesing moves to kill what would be otherwise challenging enemies, and I was absolutely going to pull the trigger but I have so many other games to play right now that I just couldn't justify keeping my pre-order. I hope to pick it up down the road after a few QOL patches. Spiders is a great studio regardless and I hope they sell a ton of copies.
How is the visual customization? I'm a big fan of visual progression. Cool looking sets of armor, outfits etc.