Steel Century Groove Review

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I was really impressed with the Steel Century Groove demo at GDC and eager to play the full game. Now that I have, I can say the developers didn’t just meet expectations – they exceeded them!

The core gameplay remains largely unchanged from my initial impressions last year. Players still step into the shoes of a new mech pilot, battling it out in rhythm-based dance fights to become the ultimate champion in a world after the apocalypse. While the basic rhythm game mechanics are consistent across all mechs, each one handles differently and offers unique gameplay experiences, changing how each battle feels.

Beyond the two features I showed earlier, we’re also exploring a couple of other ideas. One involves a mechanic where players ‘plant’ seeds on timeline notes, meaning they’ll need to carefully time their abilities to water those sprouts and eventually collect the rewards. Another idea has players managing two different resources simultaneously – slowly transferring one to the other to improve their abilities and increase the chance of getting specific notes on the timeline.

Even from the early look, it was clear the developer – largely a one-person team – created a gameplay experience where each mech feels unique, yet the core gameplay remains consistent. The game keeps things interesting with enemy weaknesses players need to exploit, and by occasionally changing up how you play, like during a boss fight that transforms the game into a rhythm-action experience similar to Hatsune Miku: Project Diva. All this helps keep the roughly 10-12 hour game fresh and engaging.

It’s incredibly enjoyable to play, and the large number of modifications you can use to customize each mech and change up your strategy is really interesting. Although there are only six mechs, the different playstyles and the variety from mods make it feel like there are many more.

Honestly, the story in Steel Century Groove really surprised me. It starts out feeling like a classic coming-of-age tale, kinda like a Pokemon game, but it builds into something way bigger. It starts asking questions about what it means to be human, how we connect with tech, and what we leave behind. It’s not super complex most of the time, but the world it’s set in really makes it work. The humor can be a little dark sometimes, but underneath it all, you can tell the game has a lot of heart.

Sloth Gloss Games is primarily developed by a single person, and it’s impressive they created a game with such a unique look and feel despite the challenges. The game’s music largely uses Creative Commons licensed tracks, and many of the art assets were sourced from online stores. However, this isn’t obvious while playing. The game features a beautifully realized, ruined version of the United States, including a wonderfully detailed and flooded San Francisco, which is truly captivating.

I was excited to learn about Steel Century Groove, and I wasn’t disappointed! It’s a charming indie RPG that really showcases the amazing creativity happening outside of big-budget game development. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this team creates next.

9

Versions tested: PC

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2026-01-28 01:56