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Once upon a time, I was browsing through game reviews on YouTube and heard a quote around game development that stuck with me:
“It’s better to make something that’s amazing for some people, rather than something that is just alright for everybody”.
This review is not about deciding which category Greylock Studio’s FPS Severed Steel falls into, because this is certainly a case of the former. It’s about helping you decide if you fall into the “some people” group or if your time is better spent elsewhere.
REACH. THE. TOP.
You play as the titular Steel and upon game start will be greeted with a 3-second cutscene showing your arm has been severed, setting an appropriate tonal lack of subtlety before you are immediately thrown into the game. It works, because this is not a game about story or lore. No character development, no complex systems, no micromanaging. Just you, an endpoint in a cyberpunk-esque tower, and a whole bunch of bad guys with a veritable arsenal of small arms trying to stop you from getting there. The game clearly takes some inspiration from Superhot and when you are presented with a simple objective in capital letters and the music kicks in you know the firefight is about to start. It’s honestly rather refreshing to see a game just focus on one aspect and polish it to an absolute sheen.
KILL. THEM. ALL.
4 seconds… For this review I timed myself across a few levels in an effort to display quite how fast paced the combat is. For every 4 seconds spent in a level I left one perforated foe on the ground. Despite being a one armed protagonist Steel is remarkably proficient at handling whatever gun she can get her hands on and this game exists to be a stylish combat simulator. If you took the John Wick level of room clearance with the acrobatic finesse of a Matrix firefight then you probably have an idea of what to expect here. Firefights are frantic, damage levels are high and the only thing that can save you is quick feet and the ability to slow down time. This is what you will be doing for 95% of the game, weaving your way in and out of danger while bullet timing through rooms to put down silver armoured enemies and other miscellaneous targets the game tells you to in a ballet of slow motion hyperviolence.
Severed Steel does everything it can to avoid taking the player out of this alert combative state and it’s exhilarating. No aiming down sights, even with a sniper rifle, that would limit your vision. No reloading, reloading a weapon takes too long. When you run out of ammo your next click will immediately throw your gun ahead of you, hopefully stunning whatever poor enemy is unlucky enough to be in the way and allowing you to grab a fresh weapon from their hands. Alternatively weapons from nearby dead enemies will be picked up instantly if you are out of ammo and if all else fails Steel very quickly turns her second arm into a cannon which will punch through enemies (and walls) with its limited charges. I did say walls, all terrain is fully destructible. Walls might slow you down so the player has the ability to punch a hole through one with Steel’s cannon, slide in and continue their spree. No health pick ups either, if you are hurt there is only one way to recover your health. KILL. MORE. ENEMIES.
DO. NOT. STOP.
The motion goes hand in hand with the combat. If anything it might be a little too fluid. Sometimes the floor can feel like it’s covered in oil as Steel tumbles awkwardly into a wall and you frantically try to slide or jump yourself into a different position. Not only does the game not want to stop the combat, it doesn't want to stop you moving in stylish ways. You can dive, slide and jump kick off walls, often a combination of all three. Sliding into an enemy will automatically deliver a kick, in most cases knocking the weapon out of their hand, and your usually limited bullet time (which is also only refilled by taking out enemies) is unlimited while you are performing any kind of stunt. Constantly encouraging you to be leaping through windows and sliding under tables. Did I mention many of the levels also have portals? Run in at ground level, emerge on the 3rd floor and immediately throw yourself off the roof in slow motion raining fire on any enemies you can see.
There is certainly a slight learning curve to all this and for the first hour you may find yourself awkwardly hiding behind pillars or feeling frustrated by quick deaths but eventually you will find yourself intensely focused on the screen planning your next movements and shots. The dark synth infused soundtrack from Floating Door also deserves a shoutout for never overshadowing the action but always keeping you on a slight edge and blending perfectly with the cold metal aesthetic of the game. Through all this combined Severed Steel ends up feeling like the video game equivalent of an energy drink, delivering short bursts of intense action where high levels of skill expression are encouraged and rewarded.
STEEL. YOUR. SELF.
Hopefully I have painted quite a picture by now of what Severed Steel does right, so let’s talk about the drawbacks. Firstly this game is absolutely a one trick pony, don’t get me wrong, it’s a fantastic trick but if you don’t like a fast paced run and gun shooter, there is nothing for you here. Nothing is unlocked that substantially changes the gameplay and every level boils down to clearing a room full of targets. Those targets also don’t vary substantially either, some enemies might have a shield or amour but they don’t feel distinct. It’s not something that especially detracts from the game but it does feel like a missed opportunity to further encourage dynamic player combat.
The campaign is also woefully short and can be cleared in around 3-4 hours. A new game+ and 5 levels of difficulty do add a little longevity but I can certainly see some people feeling like the retail price is quite an ask for that length of story. There have been continual updates and the game now has a “Firefight 2.0” mode, allowing you to take on certain levels with additional challenges to chase high scores. As well as the rogue-like “Rogue Steel” mode where you go through a series of 8 levels with different modifiers picked after each round, with both of these modes contributing towards some additional character unlocks for future rounds. They go some way to adding freshness to the formula, however just like I couldn’t sit here all day downing energy drinks, Severed Steel is the kind of experience I go back to every now and then just to get a kick rather than getting lost in it for a whole weekend.
SHOULD. YOU. BUY?
Severed Steel is the weird lovechild of Hotline Miami and Mirror’s Edge, but it’s a damn good kid. That sentence alone may convince you one way or the other. Completely unapologetic about its inspirations in an effort to nail a fast paced parkour heavy shooter. Those who are in the mood for a super charged FPS that lives by the rule of cool and not much else will come away from this game with a smile on their face and feeling like an absolute badass. Those who want a more rounded game with a story or any sort of multiplayer should find themselves a different title.
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