Steel Assaultis the first game made by Zenovia Interactive. That name may not sound familiar but Tribute Games should as they publishedSteel Assault. Most might know Tribute Games from eitherMercenary KingsorScott Pilgrim vs the World: The Gamewhich was finally re-released in 2021after being delistedfrom the digital market ages ago.
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Steel Assaultfollows Taro in a quest for revenge against General Magnus Pierce. The General is planning on conquering the world through political conquest and of course, a lot of robots. It’s a throwback to retro plots found in the best ofNintendo’sclassic library such asBionic CommandoandMega Man. It’s a fairly simple game to pick up but there are a few things gamers may wish to know before buying it or starting to play.
6Accessibility And Difficulty
Steel Assaulthas a good rangeof accessibility optionsin the game even if they are just difficulty settings. There are four difficulties in the game: Very Easy, Easy, Normal, and Expert. The difficulty mostly affects health. The easier the setting is set for than the more health players get. Very Easy, for example, doubles the normal limit with a full extra health bar.
The settings also affect how much damage enemies dish out. Not only will health be lower on Expert, but players will die quicker due to the fact that normal enemies are stronger. This mode can be as punishing as some of thehardest classic games.
5Configure The Controls
In order to make the game a better experience, it is recommended to adjust a few settings before jumping in. The game looks great with the CRT filter overlay and the tube TV emulated rounded edges. Underneath all of that is another great-looking indie pixel game.
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As good as the retro vibe looks it does make the game look blurry. Asa will be easier if the picture is clearer so turn off all of the filters. Also in the menu, change the attack buttonon the controllerfrom A to Y. This will be a more comfortable fit for most players while attacking and using the grappling hook in the game.
4Look For Solid Surfaces To Grapple
The grappling hook can be a bit tricky to master. There is no tutorial in the game so players pretty much have to figure it out on the fly. The basic principle is that Taro will launch two anchors out of his gun in the direction players are pointing. Jumping up with no tilt will cause the ropes to swing in a perfect horizontal pattern.
Tilting up and down will make a perfect vertical slice. Tilting in a diagonal directional will create an obvious diagonal cut. Always be on the lookout for solid objects. Some walls or buildings are hard to tell if they are viable or not but that’s why it’s important to constantly test the grapples out.
3Look For Gaps
to survive a lot of oncoming attacks in the game, it is important for players to learn attack patterns. If enemies spray bullets then chances are there will be gaps in these shots. This is mostly true for bosses as normal enemies fire a bit more sporadically. As tough as they are the bosses are a joy to blast through and rank up there with the greats.
Some energy blasts can even be disrupted if players hit these balls of energy with the whip. It seems to mostly work on small projectiles and even then it only works half of the time. Like the grappling hooks, it’s important to test out the waters. Every bit of advice should help the situation because this game can be quite brutal onthe harder difficulties.
2Pay Attention To Enemy Targeting
There is something else players should pay attention to when enemies start firing. Some enemies, again mostly bosses, have lock-on attacks. A target will appear on Taro and start blinking with an accompanying sound effect. Once that beep locks on the enemy will attack for usually a lot of damage. Players can easily dodge these attacks if they wait until just before the sound locks in.
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Players should force enemies to either side of the screen and then dart in the other direction once the effect is about to click into place. This should give players a lot of room to dodge these attacks. It’s also important to keep the sound ok. Don’t muteSteel Assaultin other words because hearing the effects are a key to survival plus thesoundtrack is catchy. It’s a great nod to the retro past this game is trying to emulate.
1It’s Very Short
Right now this game is $15 at full price. That’s not too bad foran indie game, but there is something big players should know. There are only five levels in asa and there are no bonus features. It can be completed in about half an hour depending on the difficulty setting and the player’s skill level. Expert mode may take even the most hardcore gamers a couple of hours to complete but that is being generous.
There’s not a lot to do inSteel Assault. Trying every difficulty level out does provide a reason to replay the game, but that’s about it. There isn’t a high score leaderboard to share online so replaying it on every mode would just be for personal bragging rights. What is here is fun, but for that price, some gamers may not want to invest the money on what is essentially a thirty-minute game.
Steel Assaultwas released on June 02, 2025, and is available onPCandSwitch.
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