Steel Rain

About

Steel Rain is a single player and multiplayer casual role playing game. It was developed by PolarityFlow, Adrian Zingg and was released on December 3, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

It's the ultimate, strategic SHMUP ReMix! Control TWO combat wings, flick between THREE different formations, and BLAST your way through vast enemy fleets and against overwhelming odds! Liberate planets, build colonies, research lethal tech and skills, craft unique items, or even play 2p co-op with a friend in this unique new indie game.

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85%

Audience ScoreBased on 73 reviews

story4 positive mentions

grinding11 negative mentions

Engaging blend of classic side-scrolling shoot'em up gameplay with RPG and base-building elements, offering depth and strategic variety.
Highly customizable gameplay with multiple firing modes, weapon colors, skill trees, and extensive ship upgrades improving replayability.
Adaptive difficulty system with numerous levels and settings accommodates both casual players and hardcore shmup fans.

Steep learning curve and complicated progression system may overwhelm new players, with some systems feeling underdeveloped or unfocused.
Visual clarity issues such as poorly distinguished enemy bullets and backgrounds can lead to frustrating gameplay moments.
Grinding required to unlock best upgrades and progress can be excessive, potentially reducing long-term engagement for some players.

story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
83%
7%
The story in this game is fairly minimal and straightforward, focusing on humanity's fight against an overpowering alien race. It features brief mission briefings without voice acting, and the narrative mainly serves as a backdrop to gameplay and RPG elements like ship upgrades, colony building, and research. While the plot is simple and linear, it provides a sufficient context that complements the game's addictive combination of missions, strategy, and progression systems.
- “Short story: Earth is lost and the human race goes against an overpowering extraterrestrial race.”
- “First of all, Steel Rain mixes RPG elements with a linear but still story-driven gameplay.”
- “The colony management segments in-between missions to unlock further upgrades is also a pretty cool feature since it actually helps give the player an extra sense of accomplishment after having liberated a particular planet.”
- “Even if the overall game seems alright, the missions annoyed me a ton because you pretty much start over at no power ups then do a mission that's five minutes long where you basically max out your power ups by the end but lose it after.”
- “You can do missions in the meantime, but why are they there in the first place if they don't serve any practical purpose, if you can unlock them just by staring at the screen?”
- “Grinding is a sad reality if you wish to reach the highest echelons of power in Steel Rain, but at least you don’t have to replay the campaign missions in order to gain more credits.”
gameplay
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
49%
9%
The gameplay offers a rewarding blend of shoot-em-up action, RPG progression, and RTS-style colonization mechanics, creating an engaging and challenging experience with smooth controls and varied upgrades. While some find the pacing slow initially and base-building limited, the integration of stealth, skill trees, and tactical elements enriches the classic shmup formula. Overall, it's a fluid, addictive, and well-balanced gameplay that appeals to fans seeking depth beyond traditional shooters.
- “If you like to experience an interesting and addicting but exceeding genre mix in the shooter genre, with amazing gameplay and fast flowing graphic style, then this is for you.”
- “Leveling up grants skill points used to raise skills that open up new dimensions of gameplay.”
- “When you add base building, research, and multiple grade paths to the basic shoot-'em-up formula, it turns out to be a rewarding mix of gameplay.”
- “Tech tree is somewhat dumb, base building limited and boring, many upgrades are insignificant and the game is already over before you even start to make something with production mechanics.”
- “At first the game seems very sluggish and slow paced, controls and gameplay still do not seem as tight as classics like Raiden, Raptor, Twin Cobra, or UN Squadron.”
- “The colonization thing turns out to be really important, which may turn some people off pure shmup gameplay.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
37%
19%
The graphics are generally described as simple and functional, with some praising their style and effects while others find them basic or occasionally unclear during gameplay. Although the visuals are not overly impressive and sometimes have high system requirements for a 2D game, they complement the fast-paced, addicting gameplay well. Overall, the graphics are above average but not a standout feature.
- “That all in fast flowing graphics and guided by a great soundtrack.”
- “So dear reader, if you like to experience an interesting and addicting but exceeding genre mix in the shooter genre, with an amazing gameplay and fast flowing graphic style and a fair price then this is for you.”
- “Very nice game, more tactical than most side scrolling shooters, would definitely recommend this game to any fan of the genre, intense and fluid gameplay, graphics are above average, altogether a very neat game worth every penny.”
- “Cheap graphics.”
- “The music, sound effects, and some of the visuals are forgettable and underwhelming.”
- “Graphics can make it difficult to know whether you're able to dodge a hit or not.”
music
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
23%
15%
The music in the game is generally praised for its energetic dubstep and electronic tracks, with many players finding it a standout feature that enhances the gameplay experience. However, some users find the music and sound effects underwhelming or unfitting at times. Overall, the soundtrack is well-received and considered a strong complement to the game's fast-paced action.
- “Also thanks for the amazing soundtrack, I bought it instantly; it has a steady place in my player.”
- “A booming soundtrack, with bass booming worthy to listen to outside of the game.”
- “The pacing of the gameplay is perfectly matched by the soundtrack, containing mostly dubstep and other electronic music subgenres.”
- “Music is unfitting and could have been better.”
- “The music, sound effects, and some of the visuals are forgettable and underwhelming.”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding is a significant part of the game, especially to reach top upgrades and full completion, which can require extensive replaying of rewarding missions. However, varied difficulty settings and mission rewards help make the grind more manageable and less repetitive compared to traditional campaign replay. Fans of grind-heavy RPGs will likely enjoy the depth, while others may find the required effort tedious.
- “The best upgrades require too much grinding.”
- “Getting the game 100% completed took a total of 23 hours, even when grinding as fast as possible and replaying the most rewarding missions about 2000 times.”
- “Lots of grinding to level up and buy upgrades!”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
The game generally offers strong replayability thanks to its depth, difficulty settings, customization options, and level editor, allowing varied playstyles and extended engagement. However, some users feel certain modes or missions may lack replay value. Overall, it provides good replay potential, especially considering its price.
- “Great game with lots of depth and replayability and a really nice difficulty system.”
- “+ level editor ensures replay value.”
- “The customization also adds a lot to rerun and replay value as the playstyle can be altered quite dramatically from one bout to the next.”
- “The only issue I can pick out with this game is that it's going to have zero replay value.”
- “- Replayable missions, including orbit patrols, and having to constantly defend your owned planets.”
- “Leaderboards, along with varied difficulty settings, will add a lot of replay value to the existing long single player campaign.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers very smooth and consistent performance, featuring customizable settings that enable it to run well even on lower-end machines, including options for retro or smoothed pixel effects.
- “Very smooth performance.”
- “Performance didn't skip a beat, offers a range of settings which should allow it to run on lower-end machines, including a toggle for either retro or smoothed pixels effect.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game experiences occasional bugs and confusion, which can affect stability, but it remains enjoyable despite these issues.