Steel Assault
Steel Assault
Game
Game2020
Panzer Paladin
Developer Tribute Games Inc.
Panzer Paladin is a side-scrolling platformer developed and published by Tribute Games and released for Microsoft Windows through Steam and Nintendo Switch in July 2020. It was later released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in June 2024. The player assumes the role of a rescue service android named Flame who pilots a sentient power armor mecha named Grit as the two work together to stop extraterrestrial demonic… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
256 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Oct 9, 2026 · last updated Oct 9, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
130 positive · 54 negative
95% range 64–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 130 | 54 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 17 | 3 | 49 |
| Mastodon * | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
307 of 417 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
71% recommend · 131 yes, 54 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 185 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (502 of 675 positive).
Players praise the pixel art and soundtrack. [1][2][3] Some find the level design repetitive and boring. [4][5][6] The weapon system is interesting but underutilized. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [4]
It almost pains me to say but Panzer Paladin is the epitome of a 'meh' experience. The game is fun during the first 2 levels or so - but once you realize that the game is not going to introduce any new mechanics or challenges throughout the campaign, the gameplay loop quickly wears out its welcome. There are a whopping 17 levels in Panzer Paladin. Normally, this might be a good thing but each level in this game …
- [1]
Updating review after finishing the classic campaign on Hard mode, and I think I can change my original review to a conditional thumb up. You'll probably enjoy this if you have a lot of NES nostalgia, but this game can still be very frustrating otherwise. Pros - gorgeous pixel art, and the reason I bought the game in the first place - amazing soundtrack - while the game is difficult and can feel unfair at times, you …
- [12]
The best game never released on the NES. Where this game shines is in Challenge mode, where you can compete to rank in leaderboards with other players around the world. The best part is, you can replay other people's speedruns with the click of a button meaning competitors can learn from one another rather than be left to wonder at what arcane techniques their fellow speedrunners used to achieve such a high ranking. …
- [2]
I bought it on sale. This game is awesome. I've been a fan of Tribute Games since forever. They make their games with such love of games in general. Great pixel art paired with boppin' music and overall fun Megaman/Castlevania gameplay that honors the games it pays homage to. The combat is simple. You can do like 3 things: Hit, throw, and spell. From swords, to spears, to hammers; you've got a lot of variety to do …
- [3]
What a great game, it's fun, it has beautiful pixel art, it has nice 8 bit music, it has cool animated cutscenes, and better of all:This is not a pretentious game, it's just a game to have a good time. If you like old school Megaman and Castlevania this game will be like a warm hug for you.
Summarised from 34 of the 258 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 13, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Players who liked Panzer Paladin talk about gorgeous pixel art and great soundtrack; those who didn't talk about level design is repetitive and boring. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
The game received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 79% of critics. The visual design and presentation of Panzer Paladin received significant praise. Stuart Gipp from Nintendo Life was impressed by the game's visuals, stating "Panzer Paladin's vivid, beautifully-drawn graphics are somewhere between the familiar 8-bit aesthetic and the smooth fidelity of contemporary coin-ops ... From the backgrounds to the enemy sprites to the perfectly-done animation, the game's look flawlessly complements its feel." IGN's Seth Macy agreed, noting "[The…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 256 · most liked firstSlowly bringing over some stuff from twitter. This is a rotation of Grit I made for Panzer Paladin. It's not really used in-game (besides for the loading screen), but it served as a model to keep his proportions consistent when animated.
neutral · AI labelView post →Who doesn't love a "WIP vs. Final Product"?📺 Here's a cutscene from our game Panzer Paladin featuring the original sketches by David Liu✏️
neutral · AI labelView post →Time is running out, Squires! You have until January 12th to secure your physical copy of Panzer Paladin for Xbox and PlayStation ⚔️🔥 @limitedrungames.com 🔗 limitedrungames.com/products/pan...
neutral · AI labelView post →Time to dust off that power-mech, Squires! ⚔️🔥 We've teamed up with @limitedrungames.com to bring Panzer Paladin to your collection with a physical release for Xbox and PlayStation 🕹️ 📅Pre-orders start Dec 13th and end Jan 12th limitedrungames.com/products/pan...
neutral · AI labelView post →It almost pains me to say but Panzer Paladin is the epitome of a 'meh' experience. The game is fun during the first 2 levels or so - but once you realize that the game is not going to introduce any new mechanics or challenges throughout the campaign, the gameplay loop quickly wears out its welcome. There are a whopping 17 levels in Panzer Paladin. Normally, this might be a good thing but each level in this game plays exactly the same way - the player will navigate through a somewhat boring and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Here are my 9 favorite games I played in 2024 (in no particular order). Mo: Astray Yakuza 8 Super Mario Wonder Brok the Investigator Dave the Diver Nobody saved the World The Legend of Tianding Panzer Paladin Decarnation You should all give these games a try :D #game #indie #top
positive · AI labelView post →W A R N I N G Yeah... How apt of a message when you're about to fight a boss... well it also applies for anyone wanting to buy this p.o.s. as well. Don't get me wrong, really nice looking game, music is tight, difficulty is for masochists (so if you're in to that sorta thing, it's right up your alley) ... biggest issue with this game is, bugged achievements. This game requires a lot of effort, time and focus and it's just not worth the trouble when you're not being rewarded properly for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'd love to leave a positive review about this game, but the cons are so strong that they made me drop it completely. This game starts as a solid 9 or 10/10 — great soundtrack, beautiful pixel art, awesome animated intro and cutscenes, and a basic plot that serves as a simple backdrop. It's a platformer in the style of the old Mega Man games, with some innovative mechanics. The weapon system is interesting; however, I'm not a fan of having to break items to get a buff, heal, or deal damage —…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Did you know Tom duBois, the legendary artist behind some of the most iconic retro video game box art, brought his signature style to our game Panzer Paladin with these epic wallpapers? 🖼️ Prettttty sick, right? 😎
neutral · AI labelView post →Tribute Games is soaring into the clouds of Buesky! ☁️ We're a video game developer/publisher from Montreal, bringing you retro-style titles that pack a punch! 👊 💥 You might know us from TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge 🐢 , Panzer Paladin ⚔️, or Flinthook⚓ — to name a few! Learn more ➡️ tributegames.com
neutral · AI labelView post →Interesting premise and likable main character with good mech design. Ruined by overabundance of cheap deaths, limited lives and excessively long treks before you can get to a checkpoint. I wanted to like this because it looked awesome, but the bad level design is incredibly frustrating.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Updating review after finishing the classic campaign on Hard mode, and I think I can change my original review to a conditional thumb up. You'll probably enjoy this if you have a lot of NES nostalgia, but this game can still be very frustrating otherwise. Pros - gorgeous pixel art, and the reason I bought the game in the first place - amazing soundtrack - while the game is difficult and can feel unfair at times, you have unlimited continues and items in your inventory carries over, so…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Repetitive, boring and predictable level design. Uninteresting game mechanics. Poor choice of color palette, when I think of this game game I can only remember the color orange for some reason, even though the screenshots above seem more balanced. I forced myself to finish this one, got the bad ending by mistake 😂, and then just didn't care anymore. Bad ending seemed better than the good one anyway (I YouTubed the good ending). 5/10. Not recommended.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Imagine Zelda II movement and combat but twice as slow and your weapon breaks after 10 hits. It genuinely feels sluggish. Bosses have omni-directional movement but the player only has 4 directions to attack; That and the fact that attacking UP sends you flying UP directly INTO the enemy and almost guarantee you will take contact damage. Enemies need to be a perfect distance away to UP attack successfully (and NOT take damage yourself) and ends up feeling too punishing for using your ONLY means…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really want to love this game, but I can't. Mostly, it's because of the infuriatingly punishing chain-whip swinging sections of EVERY level... Much like other Tribute games, it's obvious the devs have a deep love for games (both new and old) and making them. The look and sound of everything experienced is perfect! Much like other Tribute games, the devs continue to use old, broken and punishing NES era design decisions/gimmicks that make people quit early.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Precision matters a lot in this game. One bad jump and it's over. The save system, which costs you a weapon, is a strange choice. Still, Panzer Paladin is tough but fun. Fans of early Mega Man will feel right at home #indiegame #indiedev
neutral · AI labelView post →Couple days late on this, but Happy 4th Anniversary to Panzer Paladin (also for now being on all consoles). Still such a fun game #panzerpaladin #fanart
positive · AI labelView post →Among countless NES spiritual successors on Steam, Panzer Paladin is easily in the top five. And I should know! I spent my entire childhood burning my eyes out on games that only wished they were so good! We start off in medias res, with our svelte android pilot and her beefy rescue mech foiling a demonic assault on an Earth Defence Force base in Canada. Here, we learn the ropes of wielding the giant destructible weapons scattered everywhere, some of which are player-made: each has a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to give this game a chance for the mega man vibes despite seeing all the bad reviews, but it's a nope. the game sounds and looks good, and it has some nice upgrade mechanics (in theory) but that's about it. mobs are repetitive, gameplay and level design is meh, but it still wasn't an unpleasant game to play. so I played for several levels and didn't want to give up on it and give it a bad review, BUT the game occasionally crashes, especially upon ground smashes, absolutely…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very unforgiving checkpoint system. Fall in some water and replay the last 5 minutes is not fun.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the art style but the levels are just to disardered with a lot of competing colors and stuff that it's hard to make out what is what. The controls are a bit rough but I could have gotten used to it if it weren't for the small hitboxes. Not for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game 190: Panzer Paladin Who doesn't love giant robots? This is a NES-inspired action platformer with great sprite art, engaging combat and a huge variety of weapons to use. For most of the game, you control the robot called Paladin, but can also eject and play as the pilot, Flame.
neutral · AI labelView post →You will lose your progress on the second half of the game if you accidentally return to map. The checkpoint before the bosses seem useless because you will not restart with your weapons. Usually you will only die to something in a frustrating way because of how the levels are designed. The boss fight mechanics are very simple, but there is a lot of unavoidable damage on some fights. It turns into a spam-fest where you try to get as many hits in before you die. At this point, it's not really…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Finished Panzer Paladin tonight, what a game! Damn near perfect platforming with a real cool combat system. Scratched that NES itch perfectly.
positive · AI labelView post →Here's my #NintendoSwitch #indiegame highlight for today! 🎮👍🏼 Game - Panzer Paladin Developer - @tributegames.com Publisher - Tribute Games Release date - July 21, 2020
neutral · AI labelView post →My main criticisms are about the jumping arc and spikes in the game. The platforming over spikes is so insanely tight that i fell into the spikes 95% of the time. This wouldn't be an issue, but the health penalty for spikes is INSANELY disproportional compared to enemies in the game. I can respect what this game is trying to be, a sort of Mega Man mech suit game, but it doesn't really hit those same highs that the Mega Man games do (personally I've only played Mega Man 1, and with save states,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What could be an enjoyable game is ruinned by the checkpoint/cheap deaths by falling through a hole. Listen, I accept the checkpoint system as it is but why punish the player with an instant kill when you accidentally fall through a hole. Why not just take a chunk of health and spawn the player close to it? Even if the levels aren't really that big, no, I'm not in the mood to repeat the whole level again for a small mistake. "Herp durp, it's like the old times, games were hard! Git gud!" you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Been playing @tributegames.com's Panzer Paladin, a game which – and I swear I didn't know this when I picked it at random from my Steam library – dares to ask the question "What if the cute girl with a fire-themed name inside the mech is herself an android." (The answer is yes.)
neutral · AI labelView post →A nice retro challenge, Panzer Paladin offers some modern elements like the weapon system with some old-school platforming and bashing. It is a fun ride despite some tough sections in some levels. At the end of the day what brings the game down a couple of points is the level design. Most levels feel similar and the platforming sections are not usually very ingenious. In the end it is a fine addition for any retro collection but it has its issues...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's almost great, but its plagued with lots of questionable design choices that don't blend well together which really drag down the experience. For example, excess weapons you find can be converted to energy to use in a shop. This creates a risk/reward balance of breaking weapons during levels to access their temporary buffs, or sending them back home to convert to points. However, literally the only thing to buy in the shop is more Max HP, which is entirely useless as 95% of your deaths…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent game, super oldschool. You can counter guys by blocking with your shield and they drop more weapons. You can also store weapons for later. I didn't realize this till after mostly beating the game and it makes the game way easier. Edit: Just to add more specific details: This game is a lot like megaman in stage design but with the shielding techniques from zelda 2, with the jumping out of your vehicle mechanics of blaster master. In case you didn't get the references: Zelda 2 had…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good to look at, disappointing to play. It nails the aesthetic and overall visual design but just dopes not feel good to play. The loop of having to find weapons constantly and push on forward is ruined mostly by the weapon system. Weapons having some amount of durability and a unique skill for when you shatter them makes regular combat feel lifeless and more of a chore outside of bosses. I never want to use a weapon or skill outside of a boss room because of the impermanence of them. I'd…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Panzer Paladin is a megaman-esque game that hits many of the same notes; choose a level (and associated boss), then fight your way through the end. Kill the boss, and you get a special weapon. The game has a few interesting aspects to it. You fight in a mech with many different weapons that drop from enemies. All those weapons have a durability meter and they can break after too many uses; but you can break them manually before that happens and get a bonus for doing so, like a higher attack or…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A second highlight from the same stream. Panzer Paladin sure is a video game of all time (I liked it!)
positive · AI labelView post →Playing a game i had trouble with (Panzer Paladin) so i made a weapon from a game that was too hard for me (Silksong)
neutral · AI labelView post →I was so looking forward to this and had such a blast during the intro stage. This game oozes 90s charme, the graphics are amazing, the soundtrack is killer, but... The game design is not great. Every level I tried had at least one unfair section. You play to this part, which usually is right before a checkpoint and get a hit that you cannot recover from. I like challenging games, but only when they are designed in a fair way.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good retro game. Reminds me of the SNES classic Metal Warriors, and mixed with Blaster Master.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Needs the tag 'Difficult' and that plus the 8-bit is the signal you need to know 'oh, it's one of THOSE!'. So the negative reviews are right, this is a grind with some cheap decisions... but that's how these were. Either they wanted your coin at the arcade or, like this, it was to keep you chipping away at the same thing to get more out of it. I don't see that as a negative, in any sense other than it should be clear to people what they're getting. Younger players will think it's simply…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →While faithful to 8bit platformers of the past this can be a plus or minus. Movement system is clunky, the weapon system is part of the games gimmick. Jump then Up + Attack is a double jump which makes you jump into some enemies above you. Using the shield to block is fun and one of the highlights of the game. For me the game would overall be more fun if there controls weren't going for an old 8bit style. Some modernisation around movement and jumping would make this better.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →40. Panzer Paladin Awesome one-sitting game: the art style hugely appealed to me, and the pixel animation lives up to it! Levels can get repetitive, but swinging big weapons in a mech is great (especially ones you can draw yourself!) and hoarding tons to sacrifice them constantly is shockingly fun
neutral · AI labelView post →Be the jetsetter you've always wanted to be and fight demons all over the world in Panzer Paladin ⚔️ panzerpaladin.com
neutral · AI labelView post →OK - Genuinely a very fun throwback to an NES era of platformers. Reminds me a better time <3 Tribute Games puts out so many awesome games.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is one of those moments where it's not you it's me, well in this case mostly me. I don't know why, but I can't get used to the controls, mechanically speaking as I found it difficult to platform and attack enemies, mechanically speaking, plus it doesn't help the checkpoints aren't generous, so if you are a brawling type of player (like me) don't play this game. This is definitely a niche game for those who grow up with an old-school 8-bit, not to say Panzer Paladin is a game, oh no, as far…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If y'all want weapon degradation that is ACTUALLY good and makes the game more interesting, Panzer Paladin is right there: store.steampowered.com/app/975510/P...
positive · AI labelView post →The pixel art is fantastic but the levels are so, so boring. Your mech doesn't move quite fast enough, the weapon variety might seem big but it boils down to short range or long range. The enemies are always the same, just reskinned and with one or two special mobs per level. The bosses are more annoying than challenging. Even in the levels, if you do ever get hit it's just because you never saw that part of the level before and got surprised by some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. I hope the team keeps making…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Will the bear actually finish a game? Panzer Paladin is Live! www.twitch.tv/docdresden
neutral · AI labelView post →The art and music is great. Panzer Paladin is a badass name for a game. The controls aren't terrible but they feel boring and uninspired. You can double jump while attacking up while in the air, but since you're pressing 'up' to do that that you can't move horizontally which would be really helpful for the boss fights. Right before I quit this game for good I was going through a level and jumping over a bottomless pit when my heavy giant mech was struck with a spear while in midair and halted…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well made, but extremely repetitive. Wasn't enough in the main gameplay loop to keep me invested in finishing the game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Pros: - nice snappy gameplay. feels like devs were going for a fast-paced castlevania with splashes of megaman, ducktales, and blaster master. - music is fine, but nothing you'll be humming after the game is finished. - decent amount of content. I haven't tried remix mode yet, but I'm guessing it's the main mode with re-done enemy placements and such? Cons: - for me, games like this should be short. 60-90 minutes. while I commend the devs for making as many levels as they could, this…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game has some interesting ideas, but overall, it is bad Boss fights are feeling horroble, even if you are winning. It is like being an elephant and fighting a tiger. You are slow, your hitbox is huge, and attack range without special weapon is very short. So, You mostly outtanking some bosses which give zero satisfaction. Levels are also very long and boring, and checkpoints are not not available if you lost your armor. So, when you actually NEED checkpoint, cause you gonna die, you can't…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game is repetitive, and it becomes worse with uninteresting game mechanics. The text in this game is crazy hard to read. One can simply put it in the way of considering this UI as an art, but it perfectly ruins UX. The game is simple; you don't need to master your skills, you just need to know the patterns of all monsters (simply by watching it repeatedly). The maps in this game are way more challenging than the monsters. I died a lot because of the map until I uninstalled this game (yeah,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had fun with this mockup, the buildings in the bg were inspired by the ones in Panzer Paladin, that game is gorgeous. The postbox and road markings are Irish. There's an enemy from Streets of Rage in there and then the UI is super loosely based on the Amiga 500
neutral · AI labelView post →Have you played Panzer Paladin? It’s a retro-inspired action-platformer packed with mechs, sword combat, and so much more⬇️ panzerpaladin.com
neutral · AI labelView post →The best game never released on the NES. Where this game shines is in Challenge mode, where you can compete to rank in leaderboards with other players around the world. The best part is, you can replay other people's speedruns with the click of a button meaning competitors can learn from one another rather than be left to wonder at what arcane techniques their fellow speedrunners used to achieve such a high ranking. You can also race against your own ghost, making for some wildly exhilarating…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a great game, it's fun, it has beautiful pixel art, it has nice 8 bit music, it has cool animated cutscenes, and better of all:This is not a pretentious game, it's just a game to have a good time. If you like old school Megaman and Castlevania this game will be like a warm hug for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Panzer Paladin is a cute game but it's main draw is it's main flaw. this is a mech side scroller where you can hop out and run around with your pilot. she has a long ranged whip and can graple/swing on hooks and when you find tanks around you'll need to get to them with her to refill a bit of energy. the mech can block shots with its shield, has a back dodge, a jump (slashing up give you a extra hop and hitting back and dodge can let you get across sketchy holes), a counter, and can use weapons…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I bought it on sale. This game is awesome. I've been a fan of Tribute Games since forever. They make their games with such love of games in general. Great pixel art paired with boppin' music and overall fun Megaman/Castlevania gameplay that honors the games it pays homage to. The combat is simple. You can do like 3 things: Hit, throw, and spell. From swords, to spears, to hammers; you've got a lot of variety to do some damage. Hitting an enemy is the easiest. You can smack them once,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Panzer Paladin. Revisiting a game I didn't like on release and... naw, it's good! Jank at times, with mechanics that don't fully mesh well or feel a touch tacked on, but at the end of the day it's pretty dang fun. Wish it did more with the 70s mecha anime aesthetic.
neutral · AI labelView post →Today's stream will be revisiting a (relatively) short game that I disliked on release, but wanted to give a second chance. That's right, it's time for Panzer Paladin! 12:30 Mountain time: www.twitch.tv/lazodiac
negative · AI labelView post →Thank you all for tuning in as I have played through all of Panzer Paladin in one sitting! Fantastic game that gave me a lot of nostalgic vibes with a new twist! thanks to @somnia82.bsky.social for the resub and to @neoivangaming.bsky.social and @phyreserpent.bsky.social for the raids!
positive · AI labelView post →
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