Metroidvania enthusiasts looking for their next favorite title may have just found it: SteamDolls – Order of Chaos is a remarkably interesting new entry into the genre, with a great setting, soulful art and voice acting, and some neat mechanical twists. However, in the game’s current early access state, excited players will have to be wary of a few bugs and other such early-development inconveniences.
The first thing you will notice in SteamDolls – Order of Chaos, as well as in any Metroidvania title, is the art and setting.
I’ve often said that the genre is used to portray some very interesting settings and narrative ideas, and usually does so with fantastic art. SteamDolls – Order of Chaos is no different, portraying a grimy, post-apocalyptic steampunk world that often ventures into supernatural and body-horror elements. The art style is clearly inspired by pulp comics, something the game also proudly states. Not only does the game’s gorgeous hand-drawn art lead to some incredible backdrops and levels, but it really shines through in the game’s numerous comic-book-like cutscenes, which show our protagonist in glorious full detail.
The protagonist called the Whisperer, is by far the best part of the game. The developers—The Shady Gentlemen—have delivered on the classic trope of the edgy-yet-quippy anti-hero, delivering dialogue that is acceptable enough while avoiding the ever-loathed Joss Whedonification of “quirky character writing” that has become popular in modern culture. No, the Whisperer is a classic, Solid-Snake-type badass, with enough edge to cut through the tension in the room as easily as he cuts his foes into tiny little shreds.
The Solid Snake inspirations are clearly intentional when you look at the game’s phenomenal voice cast. Imagine my shock when I not only heard but then rushed to the Steam page to confirm the presence of legendary voice actor and icon of my childhood David Hayter in the role of our protagonist, delivering his delightfully edgy lines with what is undeniably the best voice performance you could ask for a character like this, with maybe Robbie Daymond or Johnny Yong Bosch coming in as distant second choices.
David Hayter is not the only voice actor of Metal Gear fame joining the game’s voice cast, as Jennifer Hale (Naomi Hunter and Emma Emmerich) and Christopher Randolph (Otacon and Huey Emmerich) join Hayter for what could possibly be one of the most nostalgic and unexpected cast reunions of the year for me personally.
The Metal Gear inspirations in SteamDolls – Order of Chaos do not end with the cast, as this Metroidvania switches things up in the genre by having a heavy focus on stealth. The ability to sneak is not only present but highly valuable as you navigate through the steam-dystopian world of SteamDolls. Enemies you encounter can either be killed with one hit in stealth or be approached in a more typical Metroidvania-style combat system, which risks alerting enemies and greatly increasing the difficulty required to kill them.
The game’s story is dark, brooding, and full of harsh depictions of government and corporate corruption in a failing society. While it can be hard to follow at times, I personally found myself really enjoying the tone of the game, especially when it unapologetically mixed its steampunk elements with horror, depicting some grotesque monsters often born of unjust experimentation and greed. The voice talent, of course, does wonders in portraying this game, even in areas where the script itself probably could have been a little better.
Beyond everything I just mentioned which makes SteamDolls – Order of Chaos pretty unique within its genre, many of the other mechanics will be familiar to those who played Metroidvania titles. There is a lot of platforming, some basic combat, and different enemy types as well as boss fights to make the latter mechanics more difficult. Overall, the game has a pretty solid foundation, but seeing as it’s in early access, we should not be surprised that there is still some work to be done.
One area in which SteamDolls – Order of Chaos particularly needs some work is with the platforming, which of course is a pretty core mechanic of the game. Namely, I think SteamDolls would benefit heavily from a ledge-grappling mechanic or some revised platform boundaries. This is something you will notice if you boot the game up right now and engage with the platforming; oftentimes, it is difficult to jump onto a ledge, coming short of the platform’s surface when jumping from below or from the side of the platform. Depending on where you are in a level, this can lead to some significant standstills; one such spot after the first boss I think took me a full minute and a half just to continue, as I kept falling through the platform.
That might not sound like a lot, but when these errors are happening on nearly every jump, it can really eat into your playtime and generally feels bad. I noticed the hardest platforms to jump onto were any that required you to use your air dash to reach, which often led to you clipping through the platform at ankle height and falling to the floor.
While much less of a problem, I think the game’s audio could also use an improvement. I’m not sure if it’s intentionally made this way, but the audio in SteamDolls – Order of Chaos can be kind of justified as mediocre. It feels as though I’m listening to the game through an old blown-out speaker, and it is more noticeable with sound effects like gunshots and hits while fighting. Other sound effects feel as though they could use some better mixing, either being too loud or too quiet against other sounds, making for kind of a jarring listening experience.
Overall, SteamDolls – Order of Chaos is an exciting new Metroidvania, one with some interesting stealth mechanics and a fantastic voice cast that should attract nostalgic fans of the Metal Gear franchise, but also who are just simply great in their roles. Though there are some bugs to be fixed in early access, I highly recommend players keep an eye on this one.
Pros:
- A fantastic setting, filled with grim narrative and horror elements
- Great comic-book-inspired art style
- Phenomenal voice cast that fans of Metal Gear Solid will feel nostalgic for
Cons:
- Some platforming issues in the current Early Access state
- Sup-par sound design that could use a bit of remixing
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