Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 78 | 22 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 77% | 72 | 223 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 100% | 97 | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 1 reviews sampled · 1 total reviews in window · weighted 0.1 up / 0 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (27)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 70
“Steel Assault nails its presentation, and I'm impressed more than enough that I'll keep an eye out for Zenovia Interactive's next release. It does need to look closer at the retro arcade classics of yesteryear that it aims to honor, though. Trading in the 1-life setup for co-op would be a wise start, as would be the addition of scoring. This gorgeous game might be better on sale, but it's an accomplished title that does many things with skill.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Steel Assault may only take an hour to clear, but that hour is packed full of neat levels, plenty of unique enemies, and challenging bosses, the true arcade experience.”
read full review ↗ - 60
- 80
“Steel Assault is like a bite of an extremely delicious, well-seasoned steak. Just one bite. It lingers in your mind and makes you wish for more, yet in some respects, that's much better than if you were given the whole thing and took it for granted. If you liked the snappy action and ridiculous difficulty of may old arcade classics, then Steel Assault is absolutely something you should look into. It's absurd, it's fun, it's hard. And it's short. It doesn't offer up much more once you've reached the end, but what's here is intensely well-executed, and we'd definitely recommend you give it a go.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Run-and-gun shooters were absolutely a consistent staple in the arcades and on consoles back in the day, and that puts a certain amount of pressure on developers in the current day to do anything that feels new and exciting...”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Steel Assault is a great, action-packed experience that is very easy to recommend to fans of old-school retro arcade games. However, offering only one hour of playtime at that price point may put off newcomers to the genre.”
read full review ↗ - 74
“Steel Assault is one of the cases that I would compare to a good cup of coffee. Enjoyable while it lasts, but something you'll probably forget after a few days. The wide gap between difficulties and the lack of variety in its action set pieces diminish its replayability and lasting appeal.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“An excellent arcade action game. The soundtrack is a delight to listen to and fits the fast paced nature of the action to a T. If it has one major flaw, it's that's too short and lacks replayability.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“I feel like I say this with a lot of games, but I really enjoyed Steel Assault until I didn't anymore. Up to that point, it was really fun, and I have to commend Zenovia Interactive on their effective graphical filters, which are a big part of the appeal.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Zenovia Interactive shows its love for these classic arcade games and that brings out the best in Steel Assault!”
read full review ↗ - 85
“Steel Assault is a difficult, but extremely rewarding game. Despite its short campaing, the challenge of beating it with only 1 live will keep you playing for hours and hours.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Steel Assault is a hell of a lot of fun while it lasts, but unfortunately that’s not likely to be long. After that, there’s not much else to do but play through it again on a harder difficulty or try to tackle arcade mode, but that doesn’t really offer anything new. At least it looks and sounds great while it has you in its grasp. And its price is fairly reasonable.”
read full review ↗
Pure Nintendo
cublikefoot
Fintendo
Nintendo Life
Nindie Spotlight
PC Invasion
Capsule Computers
NintendoWorldReport
CFG Games
Jogazera
GameSpew…and 15 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- Explosive Content Update for Steel Assault! +[20% discount for a limited time]Nov 24, 2021significant · resets scoring window
- Patch 1.0.0.379Oct 4, 2021significant · resets scoring window