STEAMRUSH

About

"Steamrush" is a fast-paced action game with intense melee combat, featuring strategic parrying and diverse boss fights. Explore the city of Haze to uncover its secrets and collect hidden collectibles that add depth to the story. Master expertly timed moves, adapt to challenging foes, and defeat formidable bosses in this thrilling blend of action, strategy, and storytelling.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews

gameplay12 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The boss fights are engaging and well-designed, offering varied mechanics that keep the gameplay interesting.
The game has a unique art style and atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.
Despite being a short game, it provides a satisfying challenge without overstaying its welcome.

The game suffers from poor optimization and controls, making it feel unpolished and clunky.
In-game feedback is vague, and some mechanics, like parrying, can be frustratingly inconsistent.
The overall length is short, and the lack of non-boss encounters can make the gameplay feel repetitive.

gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
64%
7%
The gameplay features a strong parry mechanic and an innovative overheat system that encourages aggressive play, making boss fights engaging and fun. However, players noted that the overall gameplay lacks polish and can feel sluggish at times, with limited healing options contributing to some frustrating encounters. Despite its student project status, the mechanics show potential for a more refined and fully developed game.
- “The parrying to overheat mechanic is cool, and the student honestly did a really good job building this game.”
- “It's clearly a student project, so don't expect the new Dark Souls, but it has some good potential. The heat mechanic of the sword is innovative, satisfying to use, and rewarding as it grants more damage, staggers, and lifesteal at max capacity, so you are incentivized to play aggressively and parry at the right moment.”
- “The storyline is intriguing, the setting atmospheric, and the gameplay intuitive and well-done.”
- “Gameplay is not polished.”
- “The gameplay is sluggish.”
- “Also, there were no usable items such as heals, buffs, or any other way of increasing your damage output apart from the overheat mechanic, which again led to the final boss being kind of a pain.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The game's graphics feature a unique art style and well-crafted environments, particularly praised for its steampunk theme. However, optimization issues lead some players to experience performance problems, requiring them to lower graphic settings for smoother gameplay. While the visuals are generally considered decent for a free-to-play title, certain areas are criticized for being too dark, obscuring details and making navigation challenging.
- “The game runs nice and smooth and has solid graphics.”
- “When it comes to the graphics and setting, I really like the steampunk theme. The locations are well-made, and I like that all the arenas seamlessly connect.”
- “In general, this game could be sold for 50-100 rubles because it looks very, very good.”
- “Very rough, only a few graphic settings.”
- “Some of the areas are way too dark for my taste, which makes them unpleasant to navigate and covers all the details on the assets that were clearly bought.”
- “I do not advise setting the highest graphics, it's going hard.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
64%
21%
The game's optimization has been widely criticized, with many users describing it as unpolished and akin to a student project. Players report needing to set graphics to low to achieve playable performance, indicating significant optimization issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite acknowledging its developmental background, reviewers emphasize the importance of prioritizing performance improvements.
- “However, I believe focusing more on volumetric/fake volumetric optimizations would enhance the overall experience.”
- “Unreal Engine isn't without its performance considerations.”
- “Unpolished, unoptimized, crude school project (or a college project, I don't know, that's what rumors were saying).”
- “Very bad optimization.”
- “Performance: I acknowledge this is a student project, but as someone familiar with the technical aspects, prioritizing performance is crucial.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
36%
21%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews; while many players appreciate the ambiance and overall quality of the original soundtrack, some feel that the combat music is underwhelming and that the volume can detract from gameplay. Overall, the music is seen as a strong point for a student project, but there are suggestions for improvement, particularly regarding sound effects and the balance between music and gameplay.
- “I am quite happy with this student project, and they did a better job than I would have expected with both music and game design.”
- “Very nice game for being a homework problem (and free too), the music is kinda cool, difficulty is challenging but not frustrating, overall pretty satisfied!”
- “Loved the ambiance and the music!”
- “Could use some better music when you enter combat; currently, it is rather lackluster.”
- “Too much music; I think I was more listening to songs than playing a game.”
- “Too much music; I think I was more listening to songs than playing a game.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's story, conveyed through transmissions and collectible lore, captivates players and enhances curiosity about its world, despite its brevity. Many reviewers appreciate the nostalgic storytelling style reminiscent of old PS1 games, though they express a desire for a longer narrative with additional puzzles and enemy encounters. Overall, the intriguing plot and atmospheric setting contribute to an enjoyable, albeit short, gaming experience.
- “The plot found in the transmissions and the lore from the collectibles help increase curiosity about the world and the game.”
- “The storyline is intriguing, the setting atmospheric, and the gameplay intuitive and well-done.”
- “I don't mind the story as it reminds me of old PS1 games, the way it's narrated with slides and voice in the background; I think it has a charm to it.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers consistently highlight the game's intriguing storyline and atmospheric setting, which contribute to an immersive experience. The combination of these elements, along with intuitive gameplay, enhances the overall atmosphere of the game.
- “The storyline is intriguing, the setting is atmospheric, and the gameplay is intuitive and well-done.”