Italian developer Storm in a Teacup’s fifth effort,Steel Seed, had a lot to live up to. It boasts a BAFTA-winning writer on its staff, faces comparisons to giants likeAssassin’s Creedas a stealth-action game, and the studio’s first game,N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure, won two recognitions at the Italian Video Game Awards. WhileSteel Seedis certainly a fun entry into the genre and a gem to look at, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that it could’ve been so much more.
Storm in a Teacup is not afraid to wear its influences on its sleeve. Its last game,Close to the Sun,bore heavy resemblances toBioshock, andSteel Seedis a similar story. The gameplay feels reminiscent of other stealth titles likeDishonored,with a heavy dose ofUncharted-like climbing and cinematic running sequences.Steel Seednever feels like it’s copying these titles, so it comes across as more of an homage than a clone, which is nice to see, considering how hard that balance can be to strike. At the same time, though, the gameplay never seems to break out of what came before it, so it’s hard to say how well it will stand out from the crowd.
Steel Seed’s narrative seems to fall into a similar boat at first, but opens up and feels fresher as you progress. Humanity is on the brink of an extinction of its own design, and the AI people created now seem to be some of its biggest threats. It’s a setup that plenty of sci-fi games, movies, and books have tackled before, but thankfully,Steel Seedbreaks out of the clichés. There’s an unmistakable heart to it, so it feels like a story that the people at Storm in a Teacup genuinely care about and want to tell, not just another reiteration of “robot bad, people good.”
Steel Seed’s Gameplay Is Fun but Just Shy of Great
The bulk ofSteel Seed’s gameplay centers around areas of enemy robots that the protagonist, Zoe, must either kill or sneak past to get to her next objective. Stealth is the name of the game here: it’s entirely possible to take enemies head-on in combat, but Zoe can only take a few hits before she’s out of commission.
This difficulty pushes players toward doing things quietly, which requires careful planning and precise timing to avoid getting caught. These sections are also where the game is strongest. There are enough tools at your disposal and environments are open enough that you have a good amount of freedom when strategizing, which makes getting through successfully all the more rewarding, especially as the game progresses and these segments become larger and more varied.
Combat, when necessary, is notDark Souls-level difficult but is challenging. Enemies can seem impossibly strong at first, but Zoe can avoid their attacks and land damaging blows once you learn their patterns and get a feel for the timing. Because doing the right thing at the right time is so crucial, nailing a perfect dodge or taking down a stronger foe without suffering a hit feels great. There are plenty of upgrades to unlock through three skill trees, too, which offer new attacks, stealth options, or tools to help keep both stealth and combat fresh.
KOBY Gives the Gameplay Some Needed Uniqueness
WhileSteel Seed’s stealth and combat are well-executed and engaging, much of it fails to stand out as particularly innovative. The fights don’t feel all that different from other action RPGs, and many of the stealth elements, while fun, don’t offer much that players likely haven’t already experienced fromAssassin’s Creed, theArkhamseries, and their ilk. One notable exception is Zoe’s robot companion, KOBY.
ESDigital Games brand manager Ilia Svanidzedescribed KOBY as an “emotional anchor” for Zoe, and many players will develop a connection with the lovable robot as they dive intoSteel Seed. That relationship is stronger because of how crucial KOBY is in terms of gameplay. On top of playing a big role in the game’s story, he’s one ofSteel Seed’s more original twists on its familiar formula. He can scan upcoming areas to mark enemies, lay down traps, distract foes away from Zoe, and even provide some extra firepower in a fight. How much you’ll rely on him is largely up to you, but the more you use him, the more varied and unique the gameplay becomes.
Without KOBY, stealth and combat may feel mundane after a while. However, it’s hard to get far into the game without experimenting with different ways to take advantage of his abilities, which givesSteel Seeda needed dose of originality and variety in its gameplay.
Steel Seed’s Parkour Leaves Something to Be Desired
Storm in a Teacup hascalledSteel Seeda blend of stealth, action, and parkour, but this third category is one of the game’s weakest points. Much of the “parkour” consists of jumping between highlighted points that tell players where they can hold onto. Unfortunately, that also means that any surface that isn’t highlighted is not a climbable object. While some areas offer more freedom than others, most of the objects around Zoe are merely visual, which makes it feel like the game never takes full advantage of its parkour mechanics.
Climbing, jumping between objects, and grabbing hold of ziplines are all fairly slow and clunky, too. At times,Steel Seedis unforgiving when it comes to how precise you need to be when latching onto something or reaching a ledge at the end of a parkour sequence. It feels much smoother with a controller than with a keyboard and mouse, but even still, the slow actions and camera motions during these moments make them more frustrating than exciting.
These limitations are most evident during the game’s cinematic escape sequences. At several points throughout the story, Zoe will need to run and jump her way out of a sticky situation, and it’s clear these are meant to feel like playable movie scenes. The camera often locks into a more dramatic angle and players must time parkour motions well to stay ahead of enemies. While these moments look great, the slowness and unresponsiveness of the parkour controls hold them back from feeling as fast-paced as they should.
Steel Seed’s World Is Its Strongest Feature
WhileSteel Seeddoesn’t always feel as fluid and original as one would hope, the visuals are absolutely stunning. It may not be the most realistically rendered or detailed world of any game, but it’s a treat for the eyes. The robotic world around Zoe is vast and imposing, which is beautiful to look at but makes Zoe feel small and weak by comparison. Those mixed emotions provide the perfect context as the story dives into the nuances of AI and the extremes, both good and bad, of technological innovation.
Stunning views of the sci-fi world are most prominent in story-focused moments. WhileSteel Seedhas some conventional cutscenes, more often than not, it advances the narrative by slowing Zoe’s movements as she talks through her emotions with KOBY and players move between locations. From a story perspective, these moments often feel overly expository and forced. KOBY only communicates in R2D2-esque beeps, so it largely feels like Zoe is just talking to herself about what she thinks of a situation. It undercuts some of the impact the narrative could’ve had, but the gorgeous surroundings make up for it a little. If nothing else, these moments are a visual feast, so the interruption to gameplay is not as irritating as it could be.
Steel Seed’s environments do a far better job at worldbuilding than any of the conversations between characters, but their relative strength is a weakness for the game as a whole. The unnatural dialogue feels all the weaker in light of how well the visuals match the story’s tone and themes. It’s also disappointing to see such a massive, beautiful world and not be able to climb more of it and explore it in depth. Therein lies the biggest issue withSteel Seed: it shows moments of greatness but largely holds itself back.
Steel Seed Has Great Ideas But Doesn’t Deliver on Their Full Potential
Overall, the core ideas behindSteel Seed’s story and gameplay are solid and could’ve been something truly special, but it holds itself back in the execution. There are plenty ofstealth games with strong narratives, andSteel Seedhas the heart to be counted among them, but the way it tells that story weakens the impact. Similarly, it leans too heavily on the more tired and familiar elements of its plot for the subtle nuances to set it apart from what came before it in the sci-fi genre.
The same goes for the game’s stealth, combat, and parkour. KOBY adds an interesting side to sneaking around, and the game doesn’t tell you how to tackle situations, letting you decide how to navigate each section, but the lack of interactive elements limits those choices. The inclusion of parkour mechanics like climbing and wall running could’ve made for a much wider variety of gameplay, but restricting these movements to specific surfaces removes that freedom. Those limits likewise narrow the scope of available options in combat, which otherwise could’ve forced players to think creatively about how to defeat stronger enemies instead of making it mostly a matter of timing.
WhenSteel Seedis at its best, it’s a blast. Unfortunately, its best moments mostly end up emphasizing what could’ve been, making the weaker points that much more disappointing. It’s not a bad game by any stretch; it’s easy to get sucked into and, for the most part, is enjoyable to play. However, it doesn’t do enough to stand out from the similar titles that came before it. As much fun as it can be at times, it falls short of being something truly memorable.
WHERE TO PLAY
Steel Seedis available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
