Steelborn (v1.0)

A distressingly silent colony on VL-744 turns a standard reconnaissance assignment into a hostile sci-fi action adventure. You play a Major sent to determine why Earth has lost contact with the settlement, arriving with a heavily armed combat mech and far more questions than answers. The planet’s exotic landscapes look inviting at a distance, but its wildlife and buried secrets quickly turn every expedition into a fight for survival. Steelborn balances pulpy alien-blasting spectacle with a darker mystery about the mission and the person carrying it out.

Most of the action revolves around switching between the Major and his war machine to handle the planet’s threats and reach new areas. The mech supplies the durable, high-firepower answer to large enemy groups, while leaving its cockpit lets you squeeze into inaccessible routes, search for hidden discoveries, and fight on foot. A jetpack adds vertical mobility, and combat mixes five firearm types with a katana for players who prefer to close the distance rather than empty another magazine. Enemies range from swarming alien creatures to imposing bosses that demand more than simply holding down the trigger, making weapon use, positioning, and mobility important throughout the campaign.

Its biggest strength is the contrast between hulking mech combat and more vulnerable on-foot exploration. Rather than treating the robot as a temporary power-up, Steelborn builds its world around the ability to abandon it, return to it, and use each form’s strengths to uncover paths through the hostile environment. Dialogue scenes and plot turns give the shooting a narrative purpose, while the authored soundtrack pushes the adventure toward an intentionally cinematic, metal-heavy mood. Players who enjoy the exploration structure of a metroidvania alongside the combat flexibility of mech action games should find plenty to like, especially if they want a focused single-player adventure instead of an endlessly recycled loot grind.