Disclaimer

I wase sent the Super Alloy Cursh demo to review for my blog. I understand the game isn’t finished yet, and will be a bit more lenient with my review. That said, these will be my honest impressions of the game.

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Table of Contents

What is Super Alloy Crush?

Super Alloy Crush is a side-scrolling, fighting action roguelike coming to Steam Early Access. It has some heavy, classic Megaman vibe with enough of a twist to set it apart from the genre. There is a demo you can try, and don’t forget to wishlist!

Hook

You have set off amongst the stars in the search for the ultimate cosmic treasure planet AE-38. You along with your crew must explore the vast reaches of space, and fight anything that gets in your way. Master your combos, find useful powerups, and do it all without dying. Is the treasure really out there? Can you really find it? Are you strong enough to take on what comes your way? You will need to play to find out.

Demo

The demo takes players through the tutorial and a small part of the story. It introduces some minor characters and does some minor world building. Players are then free to enjoy the Battle Rush Mode which is an endless roguelike mode. The story is very short and can be completed in 30 mins (dependent on skill) and there is a good amount of customization for an hour or two of replayability. Players will have access two both playable characters: Muu and Kelly. Muu is a close-combat cat girl robot while Kelly is a ranged robot.

Combat

The game is very reminiscent of Megaman X. Players will face off against waves of enemies, masatering the combos of their selected character to survive the level or wave. The difference between modes is that there is platforming in the story mode, while Rush mode focuses on combat. Each character has a unique set of skill and combos that fit different playstyles. Players fight off waves of enemies, filling up their energy meter to perform powerful abilities. Players will also pick up companions along the way that will help them in combat by casting buffs or abilities.

Rush

Rush Mode is the game’s roguelike. Players will need to defeat a certain number of enemies before moving to the next wave. Between waves, players can buy from a random selection of powerups to help them on their run. These power ups are random and give players access to large number of builds and replayability. The difficulty of the waves increases until they face off against bosses. A run is over when a player runs out of lives.

Does it work on the Steam Deck?

The demo works great on the Steam Deck without requiring any tweaking. This makes me hopeful for release because this is the type of game I want on my Steam Deck Library.

Impressions

Super Alloy Crush is a promising little side-scroller, but I need to see more before I can recomend it. At the moment, it feels unfinished, and there doesn’t seem to be enough content to grab my attention. The game looks good and has a cool vibe, but there are some issues I couldn’t overlook.

Aesthetic

I picked up this game because the art is cool. After playing the game, I was not disappointed. I love the artstyle. It has a modern Megaman vibe with some modern flare to set it apart. I love the character designs from the robots you crush repeatedly to bosses you fight at the end. The main characters are cute, and there are some very cool cut scenes where the artist clearly flexes their talent. The animations are on point, and while they can get a little overwhelming, I am here for it. The soundtrack so far is excellent and I can’t wait to hear more.

Story

Unfortunately, the story is poorly translated. It is very awkwardly written and needs to be revised for the final English release. It feels very machine generated, which is fine for the demo, but will turn off a lot of players. I’ve been doing this long enough to know that many of the negative reviews will be because the English is awkward. What I did understand was okay, but not enough to hook me. I could be wrong, but it feels like the main focus is going to be Rush mode and balancing the different elements that go into that.

Rush Mode

Rush mode is fine for the first few minutes until it starts to get repetitive. It takes away the platforming and focuses on the combat. As someone who hates platformers, it is missing some platforms. Combat in this game is fun, and trying to master the combo system takes effort, but I wish the stages had some variety. I hope the full game includes a bit of variety, or at least some minor side scrolling to break things up. Otherwise, it feels like the same type of fight, with a few variations between fights. Sure these changes force players to change up their strategy, but it still feels the same.

That said, there are aspects of this mode that I like. I like that I don’t have to commit to a story and can jump right into the action. I like that the random upgrades change up the playstyle. I even like that the upgrades you buy will have some kind of drawback. There is some depth to this game, but I can’t see myself committing to a game that will only hold my attention for a couple of runs.

Comabat

Combat in Super Alloy Crush is explosive, chaotic, and colorful. Even in my noob hands, combat and combos felt smooth and exciting. I love that I can customize my character’s combos, and I love more that I can choose my own playstyle. I tried out both characters, and while I prefer Muu, I had fun equal fun with both. Unfortunately, the game feels a little too easy. Maybe I have been jaded with my time with Megaman, but I expected more of a challenge. I can only hope that I can pick my difficulty in the main game.

Conclusion

I honestly need to see more of Super Alloy Crush before I can recommend it. If you like the art style and are a casual fan of the genre, you’ll get a good amount of enjoyment. Maybe even enough to earn it a spot on your wishlist. If you are a longtime Megaman fan, the game might feel a little too easy. I would argue it strips bits of what made Megaman fun. If the story turns out good, I can find it in me to forgive the difficulty. Otherwise, it has cool art and it isn’t the worst way to spend an hour.

You can check out the Super Alloy Crush demo on Steam.