Steel Seed (Xbox Series) Review

Back in ye olde days of gaming, there existed a variant of games known as “Budget Titles”. Not to be confused with indies, this now rare breed of game was cobbled together from bits and pieces of more popular titles at the time. They provided smaller, entertaining, though often janky Frankenstein’s that kept you busy until the next big franchise fix. These games have all but disappeared, with rare examples rearing their head from the wilderness every so often. Right now, developer Storm in a Teacup’s Steel Seed feels very much like one of these.

Set after an apocalypse that saw the human race nearly destroy itself and the planet, Steel Seed drops you into the cybernetic shoes of Zoe, a young woman awoken from thousands of years of sleep to help bring the human race back online. In this post-human, machine-run world, there are those who feel that a revived humanity will only resort back to its destructive ways. They have made it their goal to stop Zoe from reviving the consciousness of her father who could aid her in bringing mankind back.

Part platformer, part action game, and full-on stealth experience, Steel Seed combines a multitude of mechanics to bring its techno-industrialised world to life, giving Zoe a wealth of moves to help her reunite with her father. While the games storytelling and visual scope are ambitious, the developers have wisely opted to pair the games mechanical complexity back to the days of early 3D platformers and stealth games. In comparison to the juggernauts lumbering around today, Steel Seed’s mechanics are pleasingly simple, creating a streamlined system that works and doesn’t eventually collapse under the weight of ambition.

Platforming is a combination of timed sections, ledge climbing, and a whole bunch of fun wall-running. It’s nothing new or spectacular – with coloured ledges indicating where you have to go – but it’s still fun, especially when used in tandem with the games stealth and combat. Many wall runs and ledges make for some wonderful “death from above” moments, while set-piece platforming sequences, such as hoofing it across the limb of a giant robot coming back online, add flair to the proceedings.

Melee combat is also a stripped back version of many modern systems, featuring lock-on attacks, dodges, dodge rolls, and light and heavy attacks. It’s not the focus but combat is still Steel Seed’s weakest mechanic, throwing combinations of melee and projectile enemies at you in tandem. Enemies do massive damage, so you’re usually only a couple of hits away from death. This, in of itself, isn’t terrible, but the combat is not very unexciting as you dodge attacks, get in a few swings, dodge again, and repeat.

Part of this, I think, is because Steel Seed prioritises stealth as the optimal way to play. Stealth is Steel Seed’s most outstanding achievement. The system, like the rest of the mechanics, is paired back to the early days of stealth games – with Metal Gear Solid feeling like a big inspiration. You can crouch and wall hug; slide into cover; execute unaware enemies from cover, on ledges, from the air, or from behind; and distract them with noises to lure them to specific areas. Stealth is, from the get-go, heavily OP; and that’s even before you take into account all the environmental assists, such as explosive barrels, conveniently placed metal beams to perch on, and pools of energy that render you invisible.

This simplicity is what makes it so addictive because it just works as intended. Sneaking up on enemies is pleasurably easy and dispatching them is enthralling. Sliding into pools of energy before enemies become aware of you, or sidling up to a wall, knocking on it, and then pulling them behind it to deliver a coup de grace, all reminded me why I love stealth in video games and these moments left me feeling like a bad-ass cyber-ninja. I never felt like I was fighting the controls or dealing with a complicated parkour move-set to get from cover to cover.

The stealth mechanics get even more powerful thanks to your skill tree, which was another high point for me. The skill tree opens up moves for combat as well, such as counter-attacks from perfect dodges, but it was the stealth branch and general character upgrades that felt like the meat.

You can unlock proximity mines, invisibility for yourself, or mines that create those energy fields that are so useful. While looting enemy bodies provides a currency to buy these upgrades with, you have to unlock them first through challenges, such as performing ten stealth kills or five perfect dodges. Some may feel this is unnecessary, especially since you still have to purchase them, but I felt a sense of accomplishment completing these challenges. It gave me something to look forward to working towards and forced me to try out moves I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Zoe’s journey isn’t a lonely one though, as she has Kobe: an A.I. drone floating around with her who is as instrumental to gameplay as it is to story exposition. Kobe deploys mines and energy zones; can shoot barrels, enemies, and switches you can’t reach; and is an overall wonderful little helper.

Befitting its “budget game” status, Steel Seed can feel like a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to the visuals. While the robots and Zoe felt a little on the generic side, the set dressing is stunning and presents an immense, mechanical, cyclopean world for you to play through. There are giant steel mills and mining complexes to navigate across, while the background features immense machinery moving around.

Certain areas evoke some of the best, titanic vistas from classic SF movies, with robotic traffic flying back and forth, a la Blade Runner‘s iconic cityscape. Material work is also great, featuring suitably shiny and rusted metallic surfaces. One issue I had is that many levels are far too dark, and even raising the gamma setting did little to offset this.

Another issue is that Steel Seed‘s story, while full of journals building up the backstory, could have done with better writing, specifically for the characters themselves. The premise is intriguing but let down by some really poor dialogue, especially on Zoe’s side. Sadly, the voice acting doesn’t fare much better.

Steel Seed’s matrix also suffers from glitches, most notably when it comes to platforming, which can see Zoe getting stuck on ledges that prevent her from climbing up or rounding corners, with the only way to sort it out by either reloading the last checkpoint or, at one point, restarting the game before continuing.

To conclude, Steel Seed‘s combat is hit or miss, and the writing could be better, but it shines thanks to some stunning vistas, fun platforming, and some of the best, uncomplicated stealth gameplay I’ve experienced in recent years. If that sounds good to you, this is a post-apocalypse worth visiting.

Steel Seed was reviewed on Xbox Series X using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC and PS5.