Steel Seed Review: Stunning Blend of Stealth, Action, and Platforming?

Sci-fi action meets sneaky stealth in the latest release from Storm in a Teacup, Steel Seed! Having previously released the narrative-heavy indie adventure game Close to the Sun, this title represents a significant departure for the budding indie studio, and I can say for certain, it's their most ambitious release to date! But did Steel Seed satisfy my itch for a covert operation? Or is it a compromised effort? Let’s find out in our full review!

Steel Seed feels like a modern-day Star Wars game with its exciting mix of intense swordplay, stealth, and platforming. These elements come together nicely to deliver a very impressive and ambitious indie release that, in all honesty, doesn’t look or feel all that indie. However, we may as well address the game’s biggest weakness right away, and that’s its story. We play as Zoe, who has seemingly been transformed into a robotic version of herself in a mysterious underground facility. Her memories are foggy at best, but she knows that she must seek out her father, who is the head of an important industrial company, all while adjusting to her newfound form.

Accompanied by a robot companion named Koby, the two explore various industrial settings, with the game’s greater plot eventually being revealed a few hours in, though I won’t spoil it for you here. The writing and voice acting in Steel Seed are serviceable but never exceptional. I really wanted to fall in love with Zoe, but she lacks personality. Koby is cute, but there’s not much depth there, and the villains and supporting cast don’t do much to elevate things further. It’s a bit of a shame because the world of Steel Seed is begging for a compelling script, but you really won’t get that here.

What you will get is a really great action game—that is, if your preference is for stealth more often than brute force. Zoe and Koby will explore a massive world broken up into various sections that can be fast-traveled between with ease at save stations. The game features three different difficulty modes: a story mode for those of you who don’t want a challenge, a standard mode (which is how I played), and a hard mode for those of you who are battle-tested. The good news is that if a certain difficulty proves too much, you can switch using the settings menu at any time.

On default settings, Steel Seed feels tough but fair, assuming you take the time to learn its mechanics. Zoe moves about quite gracefully, double-jumping with ease, hanging from ledges, sliding down hills, and even wall-running on specific designated panels. She’s fast and feels great to control thanks to platforming mechanics that have been finely tuned so that most missed jumps will result from user error. This excludes some of the game’s scripted action sequences, which are beautiful to behold but occasionally a bit finicky to execute. While I loved these sections of the game the first few times I went through them for their visual splendor alone, it wasn’t always clear where to jump, how to land, or what to shoot. This is a minor complaint mind you as the moment-to-moment gameplay feels great.

Progressing through this 15–20-hour campaign involves a great deal of acrobatics, with the other 50 to 60 percent of the game revolving around combat and stealth. Most battles that you’ll encounter take place in large, open arenas where you’ll need to carefully plot out the best course of action. Generally, it felt like Steel Seed favored stealth, as sneaking up behind enemies and tapping the action button was by far the easiest way to dispatch foes quickly. Zoe can also pounce down on enemies from above or even fling them off ledges if she is hanging below where they stand. The stealth is very satisfying, made even more so by crouching in designated areas of the map where enemies won’t be able to detect you.

But should detection occur—and it likely will—all hell is bound to break loose, resulting in being swarmed by robots. At this point, reliance on light and heavy attacks, dodge rolling, and strategically healing with the limited magic gauge becomes crucial for survival. That is, if the healing ability has been unlocked. Yes, in Steel Seed, abilities are learned by performing different actions and then purchased using currency collected from fallen foes. For instance, a certain number of stealth kills may be required to unlock a new attack, or enough enemy weak points must be targeted with Koby’s machine gun ability to learn a new defensive mechanic. Speaking of Koby, control of our favorite robot companion can be taken at any time, allowing access to unreachable areas or marking enemies to reveal their locations on the map. Koby is limited in how far he can travel, but I loved the element of strategy that having him as a mechanic added to the game.

Enemies can not only take quite a beating in Steel Seed, but they also dish out serious damage. This is why I emphasize that stealth is almost always the best solution, which could potentially be troubling news for players who dislike stealth mechanics entirely. Personally, I had a blast with the game’s combat engine, sneaking mechanics, and platforming. It’s also worth mentioning that if you are afraid of heights, this might not be the game for you, as Zoe tends to get up REALLY high and makes numerous death-defying leaps! If all of the above can be endured, Steel Seed is likely to be the perfect game.

Visually, Steel Seed is hands down one of the best-looking indie releases I have ever played on this channel. Its environments are breathtaking, its action sequences jaw-dropping, and the animations are fast, fluid, and incredible to watch in motion. I loved the design of the world and the character models, even if I never quite connected with these characters on an emotional level. For those with a graphics card capable of supporting it, crank Steel Seed up to 4K resolution with max settings and watch your jaw detach from your face. The level of visual fidelity here is shocking, making it easy to fool a friend into thinking this is the newest AAA game. Unfortunately, a few framerate snags were encountered throughout my playthrough, though a day one patch is expected to deploy alongside the game, which will hopefully alleviate many of these frustrations. While the issues weren’t egregiously bad or game-breaking, they are certainly worth noting. Sound design is also great here, with Steel Seed taking full advantage of my 5.1 sound system. There are a few vocal tracks that weren’t totally my jam, but the action and explosions all sound fantastic, with solid voice performances throughout. Overall, the game looks amazing and sounds great, quite an accomplishment for an indie developer.

I came into Steel Seed with no real expectations but was ultimately blown away by its excellent platforming, intense action, and satisfying stealth. Heck, I didn’t even get into all the hidden items that you can go back and collect for 100 percent completion via fast travel. I wish the characters within this world were more compelling because this gorgeous world does such an amazing job of drawing the player in. Every year, we seem to get a surprise release that comes seemingly out of nowhere and is way better than it has a right to be, and early into 2025, Steel Seed is just that. If you’re a fan of stealth action games with plenty of platforming, look no further. Whether you want to hang around and see if some of the smaller performance snags are ironed out is up to you, but either way, this one belongs in your indie gaming library at some point.

ESSENTIAL