So, Severed Steel.

As part of the Steam Demo festival, which was a cracking venture by Valve, BTW, Severed Steel was a game that really intrigued me, having access to the demo thanks to a Reddit demo link, I was glad to get a hold of it once it left beta. On the surface it’s just a standard FPS, but where Severed Steel differs is its focus on acrobatics, and a frankly killer soundtrack.

The plot of the game is quite simple, changing the long-winded stories associated with typical shooters for some simple cutscenes that further the plot. You play as Steel, a girl who wakes up in a massive trash compactor, which you have to escape pretty much ASAP. Picture Luke, Han and Leia with the monster in Star Wars, and you’re on the same sort of line. You are immediately disadvantaged because you only have one arm. No guns akimbo for you, at least until you pass through the first 6 or so chapters of the game.

The story progresses through black and white cutscenes, explaining what’s happened and setting you up for the next arc. One thing is clear as you start the game, however. It’s a fast paced non-stop ride like none other. Things start out tame, with some pistols and the like to get you through the standard grunts, but as you continue through the game, the idea of taking a fallen goons weapon to shoot his chum becomes second nature. Each weapon you pick up brings new opportunities for wanton destruction, and none of them disappoint.

One thing that I picked up on during my playthrough was how the levels seemed to curve, like there was a constant progression of this insanity. Some of the first levels seem tame looking back, but when you first set foot in each new level, it feels like you’re genuinely fighting for survival. The tension throughout makes the stress even greater, because while you may be getting better working through each level, you never know what lies in wait for you around the next corner, which makes it a truly exciting game to play and livestream.

A note on the movement, much like the Matrix and its originality with Bullet Time, Severed Steel takes it that one step beyond, like its distant relative, FEAR. You can be running up walls, jump, start running up a different wall, spot a goon, jump off the wall, slow down time, get a perfect kill, and find another wall to run up as you go. The whole bullet time system works on a gauge which you build up with stunts and kills, which means the game places heavy incentives on being acrobatic, and making every shot count. This doesn’t mean that the game is too easy, either. It’s nicely balanced, meaning that when you’re in standard time you have the potential to encounter a hail of bullets at any moment because you’re an open target.

So, in all honesty the campaign isn’t terribly long, taking me just over 2 hours to complete. That doesn’t mean by any stretch of the imagination that the game is boring. Please keep in mind that I’d played the demo prior to the games initial release. For some, the issue with the campaign is how long you get to enjoy it. You also need to be aware of amazing Workshop support for creation of additional levels, as well as things like horde mode with challenges to complete.

If you’re not the type to 100% every game, and just call it quits once the story mode is complete, this game may not satisfy once the credits roll. With that said however, I was very impressed by the levels offered over the games runtime. The beta was a good laugh, but the full game gives so much more in terms of experimentation, particularly at the end. Out of all six chapters, five and six seem to broaden horizons in terms of the level design, and with the arm cannon from the first chapter allowing you to take shortened paths figuratively tells the game that you’re the boss, after flipping the bird. One thing I am fairly confident of is that speedrunners are going to find this amongst their favourite games to play, thanks to its massive potential, and with replayability higher than most would expect, setting those record breaking times is going to be epic.

In short, a fun game, that takes the genre in new and exciting directions. I once described it to a friend as Assassins Creed, meets Mirrors Edge meets Battlefield. There’s a significant emphasis on using the difficulty presented, as well as using acrobatics and the bullet time mechanic to complete levels, which quite frankly is a breath of fresh air in the stale shooter world. The campaign could be longer, as I enjoyed the game so much, I wanted there to be more meat on those bones.The weapons are well tuned, and your potential arsenal is massive. The game maintains a high intensity throughout, with well thought out level designs, and an outstanding soundtrack. One point I didn’t touch on as it’s a bit nitpicky. The graphics optimisation could be better, and the visuals can be a little hard on the eyes in a few places. However the artistry throughout is beautiful to behold, and the Steam Workshop support will be sure to add new levels allowing you to extend your play time.

In short, it’s a fast-paced, frenetic game, and it may be one worth adding to your collection