Panzer Paladin
Panzer Paladin
Game
Game2021
Steel Assault
Developer Zenovia Interactive
Steel Assault is a 2021 side-scrolling action-platforming video game developed by Zenovia Interactive and published by Tribute Games. It was released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on September 28, 2021 and for Amazon Luna on April 7, 2022. In this 16-bit style game, the player controls the character Taro Takahashi, a resistance soldier on a revenge mission against the dictator who lords over the ashes. The game… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
226 reactions from 3 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Sep 27, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
72
Fresh
138 positive · 54 negative
95% range 65–78%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 138 | 54 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 14 | 3 | 13 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 4 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
227 of 298 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
72% recommend · 138 yes, 54 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 192 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (341 of 446 positive).
Players praise the game's retro aesthetic, music, and tight gameplay, but many find it very challenging. [1][2][3] Some reviewers note the short length and high difficulty can be frustrating. [4][5][6] A few players criticize the controls and trial-and-error nature of the game. [5][7][8]
Liked
Representative posts
- [5]
I really wanted to like this game, the devs have absolutely nailed the aesthetic with the visuals and soundtrack, on that front they've knocked it out of the park. Unfortunately, the game play is dreadful. Your character is limited to a very minor double jump which gives you just enough mobility to avoid all sources of damage, but only if you know where they're coming from. This leads to everything from level …
- [1]
Steel Assault is a short, aggressive action-packed platformer that feels like straight out of 80s. It's pretty much like an arcade game that you'd play on a cabinet and the reason for that is, it takes about 45 minutes to beat (could take up to 2 hours if it's your first time) and each level is only a few minutes long. It also has that NES and SNES vibe going on thanks to CRT & bilinear filters, forced 4:3 aspect …
- [3]
Steel Assault is a fantastic throwback to stylish 90's action-platformers. If you enjoy oldschool style games, there's a lot to love. The Good. + Fast-paced action. + Beautiful pixel art. + Awesome soundtrack. + Very challenging. The Bad. + Relatively short. + Not many levels. + Very challenging.
- [2]
Heavily inspired by games like Megaman and Contra, Steel Assault provides 16-bit retro action gameplay that looks and sounds incredible – but may prove to be too frustrating unless you’re part of its very specific audience Originally announced through a [url=https://www.siliconera.com/steel-assault-takes-nes-style-2d-sci-fi-action-to-kickstarter/]2015 Kickstarter as an 8-bit side-scrolling action game citing …
- [4]
fun game but some of the damage is so cheap that youre better off tanking than trying to avoid
Summarised from 34 of the 228 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 Steel Assault talk about beautiful pixel art and retro presentation; those who didn't talk about very short, can be beaten in under an hour. Which matters more to you?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Steel Assault has received "generally favorable reviews", according to Metacritic.
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 226 · most liked firstPeeps! I've been working on this game under Zenovia Interactive (Steel Assault) for a while, and they have now a Steam page with a trailer! If Run 'n Gun games are your jam, keep an eye out for this one! Link in the replies! #pixelart #indiedev #gamedev
positive · AI labelView post →Lt. Karligma Schmidt and Sigma Falcon Source: Lt. Karla Schmidt and Black Falcon Steel Assault (PC and various platforms) by Zenovia Interactive #SigmaPosting #SteelAssault #ZenoviaInteractive Cockpit head sprite from a custom by @hansungkee.bsky.social and Aburtos
neutral · AI labelView post →Steel Assault is a short, aggressive action-packed platformer that feels like straight out of 80s. It's pretty much like an arcade game that you'd play on a cabinet and the reason for that is, it takes about 45 minutes to beat (could take up to 2 hours if it's your first time) and each level is only a few minutes long. It also has that NES and SNES vibe going on thanks to CRT & bilinear filters, forced 4:3 aspect ratio, kick-ass 80s rock soundtrack, and classic brief story intro that you'd only…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really wanted to like this game, the devs have absolutely nailed the aesthetic with the visuals and soundtrack, on that front they've knocked it out of the park. Unfortunately, the game play is dreadful. Your character is limited to a very minor double jump which gives you just enough mobility to avoid all sources of damage, but only if you know where they're coming from. This leads to everything from level progress to boss fights being extreme trial and error. Steel Assault tries a little…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steel Assault is @zenoviainteractive.bsky.social ‘s very first big project and one of the prettiest games you will ever gaze your eyes at. The game is a linear arcade platformer with a unique latch mechanic that’s hard, doesn’t waste your time, and one of the best soundtracks in the last 5 years…
positive · AI labelView post →The resistance is coming to your shelves 💥 We've joined forces with Zenovia Interactive and @limitedrungames.com to bring you a PS4 physical edition of Steel Assault 🦾 📅 Pre-orders start TODAY and end June 15th so don't miss out! limitedrungames.com/collections/...
neutral · AI labelView post →SURE, we announced AVGN 8-bit two weeks ago, BUT here's ANOTHER new game from us at Retroware 🔥 We're teaming up with Zenovia Interactive (Steel Assault) to publish NEON INFERNO 🎮 Homies, DM me for an early access code (Demo launches Monday)
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ tired of getting baited into buying games of this type. The pixel art always looks great and the reviews are always glowing and somehow no one manages to mention the glaring flaws that are present from the very first moment of gameplay that would have been ironed out in five seconds with any kind of real Q&A. The default difficulty on this game sucks. This is never a case of 'bad cuz mad git gud'--there are difficulty options, I can make things easier on myself if I want. But I…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is a "not quite not recommended" review, especially considered that the game is a debut. But unfortunately, even though it has its qualities, it also has a number of issues. So, Steam Summer Sale, perfect time to grab some smaller games in between ARPGs and other sh1t I'm playing. I love 2D retro action games, so I finally decided to check out Steel Assault, the first game by Zenovia Interactive, after enjoying the demo for their upcoming sophomore effort, Neon Inferno. And it seems like…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game take less than 1 hour to complete, the solution to that? Make the last boss so bad and his attacks comes out so quickly that you can't dodge it in time on a controller and you can only beat it with RNG.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As much as I hate to say it, given how flashy and cool this game is, the protagonist echoes my exact same thoughts during the ending: "It doesn't feel like I got much of anything." In short, it is the fun-size Twix bar of action platformers. Beaten in just less than an hour on normal difficulty, and it doesn't look like there is any extra content like branching paths, endings, or significant changes to level structure and boss patterns for higher difficulties. For example, all 'arcade mode'…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absolutely unfun and I regret spending money on it. Main character controls like a sack of potatoes, enemy projectiles blend into the background, it's very difficult to dodge something on reaction in this game mainly due to clunky movement and pattern memorization seems to be the only way to progress. Checkpoints are aplenty but dying again and again still feels very annoying. Great visualss and music, I'll give the game that, but you can find these in Blazing Chrome, Huntdown or Cuphead and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steel Assault is a fun game with an absolutely killer look - like the world’s most gorgeous GBA game.
positive · AI labelView post →Looks great! Sounds great! Frustrating to play... Playing Steel Assault, you'd think the developer realized they made a game that was too easy and then had to mangle some of the core mechanics in a desperate & lazy bid to "balance the difficulty" and to artificially inflate the game duration (which would otherwise be very brief)! The double-jump and dodge-roll in-particular are always 'just-too-short' - as if purposefully designed to be less effective than they should be. The…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its pixel art looks really cool, and is reminiscent of stuff like Gunstar Heroes. However I found the stage and boss design really tight and cheap at some times. I just can't, I'm actually disappointed lmao
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Haven't had a chance to play Scott Pilgrim yet, but Neon Inferno is pretty dope. It's like a more involved/hard-core Sunset Riders (there's another 16 bit game similar that im blanking on?). It's the dev that made Steel Assault, which I think is great. Definitely looking forward to playing #blutoid
positive · AI labelView post →I am a sucker for beautiful pixels and found this game thanks to Mark MSX from the Electric Underground. I normally beat normal mode for these types of games and never think about the hardest modes or 1CCing stuff. For some reason it grabbed me and wouldn't let go, the awesome visuals, the banging OST and the tight and agressive gameplay kept me hooked. It took me a long ass time to get the arcade clear as I'm not super proficient at arcade style games and it is hard as hell, but practice makes…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Attacks are barely telegraphed, a lot of the checkpoints are frustrating and you have a "you can destroy projectiles" mechanic but it doesn't apply to half of the regular projectiles. Music slaps, though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As it stands, this game feels a more like a proof-of-concept with its brief levels and sparse mechanics. The difficulty that others have mentioned is mostly due to the games simple design logic where you'll occasionally run into an area with infinitely spawning enemies that sometimes take cheap shots. The answer to most scenarios is to just rush to the exit - exploring gets you killed and really isn't worth it since there are no secrets. Boss fights are only tricky until you've figured out…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hard to recommend when the game is less than ONE HOUR! That's including the optional tutorial. It's 'Okay'. The art style kind of gets in it's own way as the colors all kind of blend together and it can be hard to tell what's going on. Most enemies it's better off just trying to pass without taking damage rather than fighting. Only one weapon in the game, your whip. 2 if you count the stationary gun. The grapple tool is cool. I was laughing hysterically at myself because I've been wanting to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game looks great, and should be fun. But the level design is horrendous. It's maximised for the cheapest difficulty imaginable. It's not remotely fun at all thanks to the way levels are designed. Here are some examples: The first level has a bunch of pitfalls, which give you an instant 'game over' if you fall down one. And you WILL fall down them. This slows the pace horribly. The second level is even worse because you're climbing up an elevator shaft, and if you mess up at all, you will fall…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →fun game but some of the damage is so cheap that youre better off tanking than trying to avoid
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Max resolution is 960x720 which looks exactly same as 320x240 .... We are in 2020's ...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Heavily inspired by games like Megaman and Contra, Steel Assault provides 16-bit retro action gameplay that looks and sounds incredible – but may prove to be too frustrating unless you’re part of its very specific audience Originally announced through a [url=https://www.siliconera.com/steel-assault-takes-nes-style-2d-sci-fi-action-to-kickstarter/]2015 Kickstarter as an 8-bit side-scrolling action game citing inspirations from the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Steel Assault ended up as a…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →amazing pixel art, but sadly the game is not fun to play
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yea, no. The game 16 bit style pixel art is amazing, and it looks really promising on paper. But wth? This game is insanely hard, even on easy, and the action is WAY too fast, you need lightning quick reflexes to not get hit. What you see in the videos is NOT AT ALL what is present in game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Like many others have said, the presentation is top notch here. The music kicks ass and fits the frantic energy on screen and the art style is visually striking with the flair of a metal slug or contra game. Unfortunately the game play is weaker than the sum of its other parts, its simply not fun to play like the other games I mentioned. The window for error with your jump and how enemies attack you is so incredibly small that it ends up being tedious when you get to chapter 2 and enemies…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Turrican crossed with Castlevania with a soundtrack like Streets of Rage, It's really awesome. :)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I don't often write reviews for games I play on Steam, but this is one of the rare games that has me continuously coming back for more. Every portion of this game is lovingly crafted, and it pays a fantastic homage to the retro games that taught you how to get your butt kicked and learn from it. If you think this is a bygone era, you're wrong, and the quality of games like this proves it in spades. I'm a pretty seasoned vet when it comes to games of this genre, but this game started off…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →We're back to gremlin streaming hours!! Going to finish Steel Assault and then start up a new game~ www.twitch.tv/tenshio_luma #streamer #furry #vtuber #live2d #twitch
neutral · AI labelView post →Incredibly tight design, insisting every screen needs your full attention. Some segments absolutely feel like pure BS when you first play them though. I can see this game scaring away a lot of players. believe me, I'm one of them having played the game for an hour, put it down, and didn't pick it back up for a whole year. came back to it and beat it over a few days. Lots of stuff feels like it's going to be impossible. It's possible to no hit this game, it's a consistent game too. If you pick…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →NON! I would like to love this game but just the first stage showed how this game was poorly designed. Think of everything that was broken in the NES era and it’s in this game. Insta game overs requiring a restart of the whole stage. Enemies that spawn constantly if standing at a certain part of the screen like Ninja Gaiden. Cut scenes that can’t be skipped on subsequent attempts. This is sadly a no. The amazing art and music cannot redeem this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steel Assault is a fantastic throwback to stylish 90's action-platformers. If you enjoy oldschool style games, there's a lot to love. The Good. + Fast-paced action. + Beautiful pixel art. + Awesome soundtrack. + Very challenging. The Bad. + Relatively short. + Not many levels. + Very challenging.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm gonna be entirely honest, I want to like this game, I do. The aesthetics are top notch; art's amazing, music is killer, hell, the ideas put into it are all quite cool. Unfortunately the gameplay itself is complete and utter ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. Stages and bosses want you to make split-second responses to attacks when your movement is manageable at best? Invuln frames on a slide that won't get you through most things unless timed exactly or near-exactly perfect, a double jump that's only just worth…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The pros is the kickass music, offered in both hi-fi modern and synth style (at player's choice, to boot), beautiful pixel art and lovingly animated. It has a very Gunstar Heroes-esque gameplay and presentation. It's chaotic and high energy, and very reminiscent of the arcade machine experience. However, game design has some strange decisions and makes it feel a kind of unfinished, like describing a system around having "sub-weapons" but only ever having the one. Level design is pretty…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Absurd difficulty. Game feels untested. Very beautiful, though.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was going to write a lengthier review but I won't waste my typing efforts here. Steel Assault is an insultingly bad game to anyone who grew up in the 16/8-bit era. It features some of the clunkiest controls I've ever seen in a platforming game. The pixel art is only good at a superficial level, and there is so much sprite scaling that it makes you dizzy (not to mention the awful rain effect early in the game that makes it hard to see pretty much anything). There are baffling game design…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steel Assault is a very mixed bag of a side scrolling action game that's based on classic side scrollers like Contra and Strider, alright then the story. In the not so distant post-apocalyptic future of America a young boy loses his parents to a would be despot, now having grown up he vows to get his revenge against the evil despot and his underlings. So then the likes, well the graphics are really good very beautiful with an incredible use of color, detail, character designs and backgrounds…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →To get to the point where you can beat the game in "barely 20 minutes" on Expert (no checkpoints, 1.7% of players do this), leave alone Arcade (no saves), you probably are going to have to play 20x or 30x of that amount of time. Game is very well made and a great deal of care evidently went into it. Solid pick for just about everybody who isn't a pedantic prick.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Very good 2D platformer. Plays a little bit like a mix of Bionic Commando and Contra with a hint of Castlevania. I love running through levels breaking enemies and bosses with your whip! It's a game you can beat rather quickly but that's the nature of these types of games. Runs smoothly in general and on the deck. Definitely recommend.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The music - 10/10 Presentation - 10/10 Gameplay - 7/10 Controles - 8/10 One of those games that does nothing to teach you how it works and how to play it but once you get it, it becomes really fun and challenging. Im finding myself trying a no hit run. It has Very Easy, Easy, Normal and Hard difficulty, so it has something for everyone Ultimately for me, the game is very fun, even more if if you like arcade - very artificial difficulty.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game that you don't need me to tell you it's dead drop gorgeous. Wish they made they game way harder on normal, still very fun.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game has a lot of promise. It definitely presents a bit of a challenge at various points, the grappling hook is a clever mechanic, the art and music are on point, and the controls feel AND play quite nicely. Why then do I not recommend it? It's too damned short especially so for its price point. What's too short in this case? One can beat the whole thing in about 2 or 3 hours. I also came across a couple of soft lock glitches. What would change my opinion? Any of the following: If…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This review takes place after 100% completion of the game's achievements, which would include the 1CC run on Arcade. Steel Assault is a SNES-like old school action-platformer where you play as Taro Takahashi, a dude who carries an electric whip, has an infinitely regenerating two-way grappling hook, and closes his eyes dramatically after destroying robots. Your objective is to stop General Magnus Pierce because nobody likes him. Or something. It doesn't matter. Well, it didn't for me anyway.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Lots of great releases this week. Check on Neon Inferno from Zenovia Interactive. They made Steel Assault, my favorite game of 2021. store.steampowered.com/app/2957720/...
positive · AI labelView post →Really good. High-quality throwback to 16-bit action platformers. The gameplay is most similar to the traditional Castlevania titles with shades of Contra, Metal Slug and Mega Man X. Appropriately short, with multiple higher difficulty modes. I wish the soundtrack tended more towards the SNES-style X games instead of the PS1 but that's a minor gripe. The graphics speak for themselves and the animation looks great.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game could actually be pretty fun but the imbalance placement of health pick ups in expert and the nonexistent of it in later stages of arcade makes it a terrible game design.. The bosses' placement are also unevenly placed in term of difficulty.. I would say the 2nd boss is way harder than the 3rd or 4th, especially with its required mechanic to dangle underneath the hovercraft whereas falink would means instant death.. The 4th ones are just embarassment.. Even a friend of mine who…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Perfect. Pays tribute to 16 bit action platformers you know and love while also feeling very distinct from its inspirations. Just a super lean, hour long action game experience. A normal playthrough had just enough friction to keep me engaged, going "god this part is *ridiculous*" with a smile on my face. Looking forward to what higher difficulties and arcade mode have in store. Really looking forward to Neon Inferno.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like Contra 4 with a little bit of Bionic Commando and Castlevania mixed in. A fast, fun, challenging and short experience (could had been a little bit longer, branching paths, etc). Music is pretty solid too. Try the Arcade 1 CC mode if you want to have an aneurysm!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ohh Steel Assault dev's next game is really looking sharp 👀 Definitely check it out the trailer if ya like Wild Guns, Metal Slug!
positive · AI labelView post →This game is the end result of if Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel as Mega Man fanart
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Steel Assault is a unique take on the side-scrolling, action-platformer genre. Zenovia Interactive set out to make a fun, fast-paced, arcade-style game inspired by similar games like Castlevania, Contra, Bionic Commando, Mega Man X and Metal Slug and overall succeeded in their first attempt at the genre. The game isn’t perfect and can be quite challenging to new players even on an easier difficulty. It is also lacking in terms of length and story, but fast-paced gameplay, amazing soundtrack and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Super awesome metal/rock soundtrack, easy to learn controls, very challenging bosses, VERY AWESOME 80's retro look. Everything about this game is a must buy, pick it up when you can!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really good short game, but good lord I had to play it on easy because this small gem is unforgiving.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is definetely a video game and I love video games
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've seen others lament how everything visually and aesthetically is spot on, yet the gameplay is far too unforgiving. And I agree with them. But the gameplay is far too unforgiving in a lot of sections, especially when it comes to covering the distance with your double-jump or hooking onto something just in the nick of time. The room for error when it comes to dodging projectiles is SO small too, even if you've died over and over and can (mostly) tell what's coming. (Also one mini-boss lets…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ RIDE Entire soundtrack is available on Spotify btw
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Nice trip to the 90s with a little modern touch. Worth every Cent for shure !
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A game made with soul
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Back with another Hidden Gem for SuperJump. This time it's Steel Assault on Steam. Pure 90s arcade craziness. You fight through a pixel-art, post-apocalyptic America armed with nothing but an electric whip and a zip-line. It’s short, it's tough, and it's pretty damn fun. #SteelAssault
positive · AI labelView post →
Posts are quoted from public profiles with links to the original. Want yours removed? Contact us.