Steel Vampire (PC) Review

By Gabriel Jones 18.01.2019

Review for Steel Vampire on PC

About five centuries ago, a devastating war nearly shattered the world. In its wake, an age of prosperity was ushered in. There was no more violence, nor did anyone have to worry about famine or illness. This time of peace… It just didn't last. Mysterious beings called 'Steel Vampires' arrived on Earth. Without provocation or mercy, the monsters feasted upon everyone, draining them of all their blood. The deaths quickly spiralled into the billions. Of the entire human race, only 188,000 survivors remain. Among them is Yoshino Sakurajima, the most dangerous man alive, and humanity's only hope.

From the Giger-influenced Galshell series, to the trouser-less Maidens of a Hollow Dream, STG developer Akiragoya certainly has a unique flair - granted, these aren't the sort of games you'd want your mother or boss to see, as their horror and confusion would eventually give way to an endless barrage of questions that nobody could hope to survive. Anyway, Steel Vampire is something of an anomaly, because it's actually safe for work. Yes, there are no abominations that defy description, or impossibly underdressed women here. Instead, expect to experience twenty or so minutes of hot ship on tank action.

The goal of this shmup is reaching a state of pure ruthlessness. Every aspect of that ideal is facilitated through a semi-complex arrangement of subsystems. First and foremost, the pilot's ship does more damage the closer it is to an enemy. Collisions with opposing ships don't do any damage, so feel free to bum-rush everything. To add to this, adversaries emit a bright light just before firing, a sign that the player should get out of the way, or finish them off immediately.

Screenshot for Steel Vampire on PC

Anopheles, aka the player's ship, has a very impressive arsenal. In order to get the most out of it, one must be able to take advantage of whatever situation befalls them. The primary shot is the most effective means for destroying enemies and profiting off of their misery. It does immense damage at close range, so stay aggressive, but be wary of any counterattack. The secondary shot is designed to favour those rare moments where one needs to be on the defensive. These weapons tend to have wider range, hitting practically everything that might be surrounding the ship. However, anything it destroys won't cough up any chips, and those are necessary for the third weapon.

Instead of traditional bullet-clearing bombs, this opts for a special weapon called 'Voburn.' By delivering a small yet highly concentrated blast, Voburn assists in the destruction of the opposition, while protecting the pilot from their firepower. The general strategy is to find the biggest and nastiest ship, park right in front of it, then pound on it with the combined force of both the primary shot and a Voburn. This technique results in a shower of chips, replenishing the special weapon, and thus allowing it to be used again.

Last but certainly not least is the rank system. Simply put, if you want a high score, you're going to have to throw caution to the wind. Reaching this level of insanity is accomplished by grabbing red icons, aka combat logs. Touching green icons or taking damage will lower the rank. A high rank causes enemies to fire faster and more plentiful bullets, but medals and all other rewards are worth more points. Achieving certain score thresholds will award extra shields as well. The importance of rank management can't be understated. Some might want to max out their rank as soon as they get the chance, but if they can't handle what's being thrown at them, then it's all for naught.

Screenshot for Steel Vampire on PC

Even with all of this knowledge in mind, the first couple of playthroughs are still liable to leave players feeling lost. Steel Vampire is a very hectic game and won't allow time for anyone to find their bearings. Given enough practice, things will slowly start to click into place. Eventually pilots will get to the point where they can make sense of what's happening, and develop strategies on how to profit from all of the chaos. Until that time comes around, they just have to scramble and try not to fly into too many bullets. Thankfully, the fluid rank system and generous shields make this a very accessible STG. If all else fails, then it's time to turn to rare drops and grinding in order to succeed.

The oddly titled 'Very Hard' mode allows for a rather impressive upgrade system. Whenever certain enemies are destroyed, they'll drop one of three weapons. All equipment is upgradeable, with higher levels offering higher attack power, along with potential bonuses to shield and Voburn regeneration. Unused weapons can be traded in for resources, which are then cashed in for various upgrades, such as extra shields and increased speed. This feature allows pilots to build a titan of a ship that destroys the mightiest bosses in seconds. Power comes at a price however. Each and every upgrade adds a penalty to the score. If you intend to shoot for a spot in the online leaderboards, concessions will have to be made.

'Genocide Hard' mode eschews the RPG elements for a more standardized approach. The player is given a choice between four ships, all with their own strengths and weaknesses - it's best to find one that suits a particular playstyle and stick with it. Those who manage to master this challenge should consider moving on to 'MHN' mode, which is even more difficult. There's also a score attack, handy for practicing individual stages.

Screenshot for Steel Vampire on PC

Finally there's the 'Extra Genocide.' The player must take on five loops of increasingly tougher adversaries. This is where it helps to have primo gear, especially weapons that are loaded with bonuses to Voburn regeneration. Since the enemies have really thick armour, a point-blank attack is the most viable strategy. The only way to survive these absurd circumstances is to keep dropping bombs. Completing this mode will require a significant time investment, but the ridiculously powerful gear is nice. Plus the constant bombing lends an exciting dynamic to the action.

As with Akiragoya's previous creation, all of these modes complement each other quite well. They grow in accordance with the player's level of skill, and suitably reward the effort that they put in. Usually RPG elements don't really work in STGs, but this developer seems to have a knack for them. The Genocide Hard mode is perfect for those who depend on raw skill over stats. The process in which pilots adjust to the hectic scenarios is especially impressive. At first, they're liable to be really confused, but as they're able to adapt, everything comes together harmoniously.

If there's one thing that'd be really beneficial to this game, it would be an option to disable screen-shaking - this critic has never seen the appeal. The screen really doesn't need to jitter all over the place whenever there's a large explosion. In the later loops of Extra Genocide mode, the frequent Voburn usage will make players feel like they're in the middle of an earthquake. Also, it may take a little while to get used to the player-ship. While it is sufficiently manoeuvrable and has a small hitbox, it's also rather large and bulky looking.

Screenshot for Steel Vampire on PC

Cubed3 Rating

8/10
Rated 8 out of 10

Great - Silver Award

Rated 8 out of 10

Refreshingly unique and lots of fun, Steel Vampire is well worth checking out. Its inspired take on rank control makes for a shmup that can be approached in a number of ways. The RPG elements are also quite interesting. Finding the right build can lend all sorts of advantages to the player's ship. There are even rare and legendary drops, which is an amusing novelty. Best of all, this game's usage of high speed bullet spreads and strong weaponry create an aura of ferocity not often seen in the genre. The impact of crushing legions of enemies before they can shoot is oh-so-satisfying.

Developer

Akiragoya

Publisher

Henteko Doujin

Genre

Shooter

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

Comments

Comments are currently disabled

Subscribe to this topic Subscribe to this topic

If you are a registered member and logged in, you can also subscribe to topics by email.
Sign up today for blogs, games collections, reader reviews and much more
Site Feed
Who's Online?
Insanoflex

There are 1 members online at the moment.