Steel Rats

The idea of a 2.5D motorcycle combat platformer where your front wheel is a giant, junkbot-shredding buzzsaw is undeniably awesome. Traversing the stylized retro-future levels using physics-based stunts and pipe-riding feels incredibly stylish when you pull it off. Unfortunately, the controls are frustratingly complex and unintuitive, often turning high-speed momentum into awkward fumbling against the environment. It's a visually striking and unique action game that is held back by its own demanding mechanics.

the game is not just accelerate and break, has a story, missions, objectives, and good graphics - approved

The little I played this game on my steamdeck it seemed unique and not quite like other games I have played. I didn't get into it right away but it does seem like something I would pick up and try again in the future

Really enjoyed playing this game. The gameplay is fun, the graphics look great, and overall it was a really good experience. Definitely worth trying!

Steel Rats is an action-platformer developed and published by Tate Multimedia that takes a familiar side-scrolling formula and injects it with a distinctive motorcycle-focused identity. Blending fast-paced combat, stunt riding, exploration, and arcade-style destruction, the game creates an experience that feels remarkably different from most entries in the genre. Set within a gritty dieselpunk world inspired by retro-futuristic America, it combines stylish visuals with high-speed gameplay to deliver an adventure that is often chaotic, energetic, and entertaining.
The story unfolds in Coastal City, an industrial metropolis under siege by an army of hostile machines known as the Junkbots. Standing against this robotic invasion is the Steel Rats, a biker gang that serves as the city's last line of defense. While the narrative itself is relatively straightforward, it provides enough context to support the action and establish the game's unique setting. The focus remains primarily on the conflict between humanity and the invading mechanical forces, but environmental details and character interactions help give the world a sense of personality and history.
What immediately separates Steel Rats from other action-platformers is its complete commitment to motorcycle-based gameplay. Players never leave their bikes, and every aspect of movement, combat, and exploration revolves around controlling these powerful machines. The motorcycle is not simply a vehicle used to travel from one location to another. It functions as a weapon, a platforming tool, and the foundation of nearly every gameplay mechanic. This approach gives the game a strong identity and creates a refreshing alternative to traditional side-scrolling action.
Combat is built around speed and momentum. Players can tear through enemies using spinning wheels, mounted weaponry, devastating attacks, and environmental hazards. The bikes themselves become instruments of destruction, capable of slicing through robotic opponents with spinning saw blades attached to their wheels. Maintaining movement while attacking is often the key to success, creating encounters that feel dynamic and fluid. The most enjoyable moments occur when players chain together jumps, flips, attacks, and stunts without ever losing momentum.
The roster of playable characters adds welcome variety to the gameplay. Each member of the Steel Rats possesses unique abilities, weapons, and combat styles that encourage experimentation. Some characters specialize in raw offensive power, while others offer advantages in mobility or crowd control. Switching between riders allows players to adapt to different situations and introduces a strategic element that prevents the action from becoming too repetitive. Learning how to utilize each biker effectively becomes an important part of mastering the game.
Level design is another area where Steel Rats performs well. The game constantly introduces new environments filled with ramps, vertical pathways, hidden routes, and hazardous obstacles. Exploration often rewards players with collectibles, upgrades, and optional challenges that encourage revisiting earlier locations. The stages frequently incorporate multiple layers of traversal, allowing players to discover alternative paths and secrets hidden throughout Coastal City. This emphasis on movement helps maintain engagement and complements the motorcycle-focused gameplay perfectly.
The visual presentation is one of the game's strongest qualities. The dieselpunk aesthetic combines industrial machinery, retro-futuristic technology, and biker culture into a cohesive and memorable world. Massive factories, ruined city streets, underground facilities, and mechanical fortresses create a distinctive backdrop for the action. The art direction consistently reinforces the game's identity, making Coastal City feel like a unique setting rather than a generic post-apocalyptic landscape.
Character designs are equally impressive. Each member of the Steel Rats has a distinct appearance that reflects their personality and combat style. The enemy robots also display enough variety to remain visually interesting throughout the campaign. Combined with cinematic cutscenes and detailed environmental artwork, the game succeeds in creating a world that feels stylish and fully realized.
The audio design further enhances the experience. The roar of engines, crunch of metal, explosive impacts, and aggressive soundtrack all contribute to the sensation of speed and power. Sound effects provide satisfying feedback during combat, while the music maintains a sense of momentum throughout the adventure. Together, the audio and visual presentation create an atmosphere that consistently supports the game's energetic gameplay.
However, Steel Rats is not without its flaws. The motorcycle physics, while central to the game's identity, can occasionally feel awkward during precision platforming segments. Certain jumps require a degree of accuracy that conflicts with the otherwise fast and aggressive nature of the gameplay. This can lead to moments of frustration, particularly when navigating more demanding environmental challenges. The controls generally improve with practice, but the learning curve may deter some players during the early stages.
Combat, while entertaining, can also become somewhat repetitive during extended sessions. Although the character-switching mechanic helps introduce variety, encounters often rely on defeating large numbers of similar robotic enemies. Additional enemy diversity and more complex combat scenarios could have helped sustain the excitement over the entire campaign.
The story, while functional, never reaches the same level of creativity as the gameplay systems or world design. The members of the Steel Rats are visually memorable and enjoyable to control, but they receive relatively limited character development. Greater focus on the relationships within the biker gang could have added more emotional weight to the adventure and strengthened the overall narrative experience.
Despite these shortcomings, Steel Rats succeeds because it embraces a bold concept and commits to it fully. The combination of motorcycle combat, platforming, exploration, and arcade-style action creates a gameplay experience unlike most of its competitors. Its willingness to experiment helps it stand out in a crowded genre, even when certain mechanics occasionally struggle to match the ambition of the overall design.
For players looking for an action game that prioritizes speed, style, and originality, Steel Rats offers a rewarding ride through a visually striking world. While it may not achieve the polish of the genre's finest examples, its inventive motorcycle mechanics and memorable dieselpunk atmosphere make it a unique and enjoyable experience that deserves recognition for its creativity.
Rating: 7/10

So, positives: Innovative game design, innovative level design, original concept for an action platformer that I've never seen before, and it's cheap. The game runs smooth and seems free of bugs. The level designs are challenging, so if you're looking for a challenge, this game will give it to you. You've got bonus benchmarks to hit in each level and they're not all easy. The controls are mostly made to match how the game is supposed to be played and are responsive to button pushes with one exception.
Negatives: The controls are difficult to get the hang of. They're just as innovative as the level design which means they are not intuitive. It definitely takes some getting used to; steep learning curve. If there's one thing I would change, it would be to put the dash on a separate button than the wheel saw because it's kind of hard to hit that dash when you need it. I can double tap the blade saw button and the saw will turn on and off without the bike dashing.

Juego de acción en el que en vez de ir a pie, vamos a en moto. Una idea simple, pero genial. Podemos mezclar el género de las maniobras con los tiros y acción.
La parte de conducción falla. Las físicas tienen bugs, y de hecho, las fases de conducción puras son horrendas. El jefe final, también es muy malo, obligándote a esperar cada vez que hace un ataque para dañarle.
Si hubieran pulido un poco las físicas, el juego hubiera sido muy bueno, porque los niveles de acción son buenos.
Aún así, lo recomiendo, no se merece las críticas que tiene.