Steel Rats

Tate Multimedia is a pretty big fan of biking, because after bringing us Urban Trial Freestyle they're back with Steel Rats, although this isn't biking as we know it. This new title mixes Trials-esque gameplay with added destructive elements and combat and throws all of this into a post-apocalypse setting that proves pretty unforgiving.

In fact, even after the second level of Steel Rats we found ourselves feeling the pain, as we had to force ourselves to wade through a terribly difficult tutorial during which - to make matters worse - the hints and tips are given in a very unapproachable way. Nevertheless, we sat and consoled ourselves by saying that it would get better, and it certainly did.

Make no mistake though, the tutorial is worth it despite its frustrations. The game properly starts to punish you during the third stage, where it really kicks on, and the story - though tangled and meaningless at the beginning - also becomes more and more interesting. Sure, it's far from perfect, but it intrigued us so much that we wanted to explore to the end.

The whole game boils down to quickly traversing different routes with a motorcycle while taking down the robots encountered on the road. In theory, at least. In practice, this is easier said than done. Riding alone wouldn't be that fun, if not for the variety of actions offered by Steel Rats, and we start as a young member of the titular gang trying to find our companions. However, it quickly turns out that the motives of our daredevil are much more complex, and with time the group we play a key role in saving the city, perhaps even the whole world. We couldn't help but be reminded of the iconic Biker Mice from Mars, and if you loved the animated series back in the day you will be delighted with the feel of the game.

The atmosphere is built up not only by the sensational design of the city but also the wonderful soundtrack. We daresay that it is the most complete and satisfying work of Arkadiusz Reikowski so far, whose efforts you could listen to in Layers of Fear and Observer before now. The title track that accompanies you when selecting the board and managing the rats is beautiful, and Reikowski's reputation for atmospheric music perfectly matching a story is proved here too.

On the visual side of things we're also impressed, as the models - although small - make a good impression when driving, and are quite detailed. As you're travelling there's also a lot to see, such as the metro and skyscrapers, although perhaps the textures could load more quickly in some instances. It truly feels like a broken world, and it's a joy to see what it holds.

The game is devilishly fast, although it usually doesn't force the player to rush. Each mission has additional challenges, but in just a few cases it requires you to beat a certain time. Instead of speed you're more likely to focus on smashing things at certain points, and this is helped by purchasing new skills for your heroes. Skins are available too, and with four different characters to choose from, variety really is the spice of life.

Each gang member has unique skills that define the style in which you play. Toshi is adept with gadgets, for example, using a combat drone that causes a lot of confusion among his opponents, while group leader James has the most health points and a really strong motor. Perhaps Randal is our favourite though, as his harpoon reels in enemies so we can dispatch them quickly.

Unfortunately, even the best motorbike can rust with time, and a terribly unbalanced tutorial is literally just the beginning. The biggest problems with Steel Rats are related to the controls and the fact that we can't assign buttons ourselves. There are also no descriptions for the use of individual abilities, so most of them will either not be used at all, or we'll pay for learning them on the job. This isn't helped by the fact that the game isn't easy at all, and the lack of basic information means that we got frustrated many times more than we felt the satisfaction of discovering something new.

Some levels are truly cinematic, but with this style of platforming gameplay, the problem is that we often can't see what lurks in front of us. A badly placed camera can kill you just as efficiently as the big bosses encountered at the end of each island, and in many cases zooming in and out is more harmful than helpful. It's only by learning the route that we are able to derive real pleasure from speed, and even then we found ourselves falling into the abyss from time to time.

The thoughtful and atmospheric world really does the job in Steel Rats, meaning that even after finishing you want to traverse it again. Not only to break the records set by friends but above all to feel the wind in your hair once again. It's just a shame that the moment-to-moment gameplay left something to be desired at times, with the action getting frustrating more often than it should have done.