Review by David Medina
We have yet another remastered retro shmup on Switch right now and that game is “The Legend of Steel Empire”. A port of the digital-only 3DS remake of the 1992 Sega Genesis shmup “Steel Empire”. Now in 1080p and no 3D gimmick. How does it fare on Switch? Let’s find out.
Here is a brief history of the game. The original release of Steel Empire for the Sega Genesis back in 1992 was produced by Hot-B and published in the West by Flying Edge a division of the now defunct Acclaim. Then 12 years later in 2004 Starfish gained the rights to the Steel Empire IP and released a Game Boy Advance port which was only released in Europe and Japan but no North American release. 10 years later Starfish remade the game yet again on Nintendo 3DS exclusively on the Nintendo eShop. That version took advantage of the top screen’s 3D gimmick. Another decade has passed and Starfish this time remastered the 3DS Steel Empire for both Steam and Nintendo Switch in full 1080p. This game has a very interesting history of re-releases considering that it is a semi-obscure game in the gaming community.
The Legend of Steel of Empire is a horizontal multi-scrolling shmup. Set in a very steampunk-ish environment. More specifically sometime in the 19th century, you are a team of elite freedom fighters from the Silverhead Republic who are on a mission to prevent your enemy the Motorhead Empire from taking over your nation. The object of the game is to blast the entire Motorhead Empire in 7 stages each with 2 bosses. Before you start each level you have a choice to play as either a biplane or a zeppelin each with its own distinct attributes.
The biplane moves fast with less firepower while the zeppelin moves slow and has stronger guns. You don’t collect any additional weapons. You fire both left and right like in Section Z or Sidearms. You stay with the same gun throughout the game, however, you collect “EX” icons to level up your vehicle’s firepower.
This game design choice is very unusual for a Japanese-produced shoot ’em up. RPG-style level building you usually see in shoot em ups produced in Europe. The dollar signs are just bonus points. The “B” icons are screen-clearing bombs which are very useful if you are either in grave danger or you want to get rid of bosses quickly. You also have a life gauge on top of the screen and the hearts replenish your meter.
The graphics are very well done 2D sprites. Gorgeous steampunk backgrounds and detailed enemy vehicles. Starfish did a really good job giving the game a modern facelift. They look just as good as the Genesis version. Also, you can actually spot enemy bullets! That is one flaw the original Genesis Steel Empire has. When I play the Genesis original I notice enemy bullets at times blend in with the backgrounds. Not so much in this new Switch version. The music is all very nice synth arrangements from the Genesis game. Catchy early 20th century war like tunes that fit in with the mood of the game very well.
As for the difficulty, this is honestly one of the games I recommend to a shmup novice. It is not brutally hard like let’s say Deathsmiles or Rolling Gunner thanks to the fact you won’t lose 1 life when you get hit by enemy fire only once like in most shmups. There is a training mode and several difficulty levels so even the most experienced and hardcore shmup fan will not get bored of this game.
The Legend of Steel Empire is now on the Switch eShop. Physical copies are being distributed by both ININ Games and Strictly Limited (with the rare NES shmup Over Horizon as an exclusive bonus game as well as the original Sega Genesis Steel Empire) later in the Spring.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
Also available on PlayStation 4
