Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is a steampunk metroidvania that is beautifully animated and has satisfying movement as well as the smoothest 2D combat since Dead Cells. You play as Aletheia, a badass mercenary, armed with a sword and gun in addition to both a dodge roll and a backdash. The combat is where this game shines the brightest. Sword attacks are nothing particularly unique but the gun is where the combat goes from good to great. Many enemies are mechanical and have green stagger meters alongside their red health bar. The Tesla bullets from the gun can stun the enemies with a stagger meter, causing the enemy to be staggered and you can rush them with your sword. You generate more bullets by attacking enemies and quickly shift into a rhythm where you alternate between rushing in with your sword, generate bullets, shoot bullets, then rush enemy. It feels nothing short of sublime.

It should be known that GSC is on the easier side. This does not bother me, but for those looking for a soulslike experience- you won't find it here. I only had a handful of deaths while playing through to 100%, most of which I used to quick travel out of far away portions of the map. If there was an accessory or ability to warp back to the last save point in the late game, my death total would be in the single digits. Bosses in general are not difficult, which is a bit of a surprise as they are oftentimes built up to be a complete badass, only for me to steamroll them without using a health flask. This is not intended to be a humblebrag (I am a veteran of the genre but by no means an expert), but a disparity between how the game builds up the bosses and how they actually come across in gameplay. Is this a power fantasy or ludonarrative dissonance? You decide.

Speaking of story, it is the weakest part of this game. It is a fairly standard Chosen One narrative (which is not a problem) but the great majority of the story takes place via dialogue during which Aletheia is not actually present or anywhere near the action. As a result, I did not feel myself overly invested in the overarching plot, only what Aletheia was up to, likable badass as she is. While one would think this would even out to an average story, there is a narrative decision in the last sixty seconds of the story that made me throw up my hands in frustration. I wondered if perhaps I had missed out on an item to have gotten that ending, but no- this appears to be it. Maybe this will be retconned or expanded on with additional content, but it left a sour taste in my mouth.

Ending aside, Gestalt:Steam and Cinder is a complete joy to play and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a breezy 2D metroidvania with phenomenal combat, a likable protagonist and beautiful setting. While it is a shorter experience clocking in at just under 10 hours of playtime on my completionist run, these cinders certainly do burn bright.

Gestalt: Steam and Cinder is a steampunk metroidvania that is beautifully animated and has satisfying movement as well as the smoothest 2D combat since Dead Cells. You play as Aletheia, a badass mercenary, armed with a sword and gun in addition to both a dodge roll and a backdash. The combat is where this game shines the brightest. Sword attacks are nothing particularly unique but the gun is where the combat goes from good to great. Many enemies are mechanical and have green stagger meters alongside their red health bar. The Tesla bullets from the gun can stun the enemies with a stagger meter, causing the enemy to be staggered and you can rush them with your sword. You generate more bullets by attacking enemies and quickly shift into a rhythm where you alternate between rushing in with your sword, generate bullets, shoot bullets, then rush enemy. It feels nothing short of sublime. It should be known that GSC is on the easier side. This does not bother me, but for those looking for a soulslike experience- you won't find it here. I only had a handful of deaths while playing through to 100%, most of which I used to quick travel out of far away portions of the map. If there was an accessory or ability to warp back to the last save point in the late game, my death total would be in the single digits. Bosses in general are not difficult, which is a bit of a surprise as they are oftentimes built up to be a complete badass, only for me to steamroll them without using a health flask. This is not intended to be a humblebrag (I am a veteran of the genre but by no means an expert), but a disparity between how the game builds up the bosses and how they actually come across in gameplay. Is this a power fantasy or ludonarrative dissonance? You decide. Speaking of story, it is the weakest part of this game. It is a fairly standard Chosen One narrative (which is not a problem) but the great majority of the story takes place via dialogue during which Aletheia is not actually present or anywhere near the action. As a result, I did not feel myself overly invested in the overarching plot, only what Aletheia was up to, likable badass as she is. While one would think this would even out to an average story, there is a narrative decision in the last sixty seconds of the story that made me throw up my hands in frustration. I wondered if perhaps I had missed out on an item to have gotten that ending, but no- this appears to be it. Maybe this will be retconned or expanded on with additional content, but it left a sour taste in my mouth. Ending aside, Gestalt:Steam and Cinder is a complete joy to play and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a breezy 2D metroidvania with phenomenal combat, a likable protagonist and beautiful setting. While it is a shorter experience clocking in at just under 10 hours of playtime on my completionist run, these cinders certainly do burn bright.