Despite its title, Steel Defier isn’t a game about David Owen and the breakup of the SDP. (There’s a reference that will mean nothing to anyone under 40!) But enough outdated political references. Let’s get on with our PlayStation 4 Steel Defier PlayStation 4 review! (Ed: “I wish you would!”)
Despite its cybernetic visuals and pulsing action movie soundtrack, Steel Defier also isn’t a shoot ‘em up.
You begin Steel Defier trapped in a prison cell on board a spaceship, and the game looks not unlike Among Us, but Steel Defier also isn’t a multiplayer game of deception.
So far, then, Steel Defier has certainly managed to defy our expectations.
Enough about what Steel Defier isn’t, and more about Steel Defier is: namely, a fun, simple retro-styled puzzler/platformer. The aim of the game is straightforward enough. Collect key cards and escape! However, unlocking the key cards also triggers the ship’s alarm, which activates moving barriers that kill you instantly on impact, and not only do you lose your life, but you also lose all collected keycards. This unforgiving gameplay mechanic makes Steel Defier surprisingly tricky, but also maddeningly addictive, as you’ll keep having “one more go” over and over again as you try to progress further. Despite Steel Defier’s simplicity, the game’s longevity is increased not only by its difficulty but also by the inclusion of an (initially locked) survival mode in addition to the main campaign mode.
The puzzle aspect of Steel Defier is that you must think carefully about timing when deciding whether to risk making a dash for each keycard, and when to jump the barrier in order to avoid getting splatted and losing everything.
Steel Defier is an inventive, simple, addictive arcade platform puzzler. Don’t defy the urge to pick this one up from the PS Store, and get defying that steel today!
