''Steel Storm'' is an

independent video game An indie game, short for independent video game, is a video game typically created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A) games. ...

series developed by Kot-in-Action Creative Artel using the

free software Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. Free software is a matter of liberty, no ...

DarkPlaces engine The ''Quake'' engine is the game engine developed by id Software to power their 1996 video game '' Quake''. It featured true 3D real-time rendering and is now licensed under the terms of GNU General Public License v2.0 or later. After releas ...

that were released for

Microsoft Windows Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...

Mac OS X macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac (computer), Mac computers. Within the market of ...

, and

Linux Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...

platforms. The game was added to the Humble Indie Bundle 3 on August 1, 2011. The games are divided into two episodes, with Episode One being available at no charge and Episode Two (titled as ''Steel Storm: Burning Retribution'') being a commercial product. They are

top down "Top Down" is a song by American hip hop record producer and recording artist Swizz Beatz, included as the eighth track from his debut studio album ''One Man Band Man'' (2007). "Top Down" contains Sampling (music), samples of swirls and riotous b ...

arcade shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of charac ...

s where players control a

hovercraft A hovercraft, also known as an air-cushion vehicle or ACV, is an amphibious Craft (vehicle), craft capable of travelling over land, water, mud, ice, and other surfaces. Hovercraft use blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull ...

while battling presumed extraterrestrial invaders using a variety of different weapons.

Gameplay

Both episodes of ''Steel Storm'' include complete single-player campaigns where the player must fight enemies, collect power-ups, and complete specified mission objectives. ''Steel Storm'' also allows for online and LAN multiplayer, supporting modes for both

deathmatch Deathmatch, also known as free-for-all, is a gameplay mode integrated into many shooter games, including first-person shooter (FPS), and real-time strategy (RTS) video games, where the goal is to kill (or "frag") the other players' characters a ...

and cooperative play (

capture the flag Capture the flag (CTF) is a traditional outdoor sport where two or more teams each have a flag (or other markers) and the objective is to capture the other team's flag, located at the team's "base", and bring it safely back to their own base. ...

is also available in episode two), with the game supporting up to sixteen players for each mode. The camera view for your ship is completely adjustable, and the second episodes also includes an unlockable first person camera mode. The game also supports an in-game map to help players navigate the levels.

Development

''Steel Storm'' has been under development since 2008, with the first episode being released as a beta in September 2010.Steel Storm Beta Released
AusGamers, September 13, 2010 ''Steel Storm: Burning Retribution'' was released on May 11, 2011 and is being sold through the

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

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, and

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services as well as the developers website.

Reception

''Steel Storm'' has had a mixed response. ''Rebel Zero'', who reviewed the first episode while it was still in beta, gave the game a positive review, stating that their "only disappointment comes from it being such a short game." ''DIYGamer'' described Episode One as a "highly polished, unique adventure shmup that really is worth your time." ''Make Tech Easier'' gave the game 5/5 stars, stating that the game "will not revolutionize shooters, and the strategy will not keep you up at night, but the gameplay is addictive enough to warrant the purchase." ''Games Fascination'' also praised Episode One, raving that it is "definitely an enjoyable game, especially for fans of the genre, and an impressive effort from an independent group."

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, in its review of ''Steel Storm: Burning Retribution'', praised the game, calling it "a lovely game with enough features and options to keep you occupied for a fair amount of time." John Walker of

Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...

, who was also reviewing ''Burning Retribution'', described the game as being "a really smart game, which is a real pleasure", as well as stating that the game is a "tremendous amount of fun." Walker summed up his review by stating that he would suggest that the game "is well worth it" for the low price that is being offered. There are over 295,000 downloaded copies of ''Steel Storm'', with 7% to 10% of those users being active players. Less glowingly, review aggregator Metacritic gives the game a 55% based on 4 professional critics, indicating "Generally unfavorable reviews". The community reviews on Steam give the game a "Mixed Response" of 68%.

Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...

gave the game a negative review and criticized the game for its "numbing monotony" and that the "repetition grinds you down".

Spin-off

In 2011, work was started on a spin-off that will be a

first-person shooter First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...

in the spirit of ''

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'' and '' Quake''.

References

{{Reflist

External links

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