Imagine, if you will, an alternate history in which the French Revolution is quashed before it can even begin — not by the other great powers of the age, fearful of change, but by the tyrannical King Louis XVI himself and, well, his army of clockwork automatons.

This is the narrative setup for the awesome-looking Steelrising, an action RPG developed by French studio Spiders (who is perhaps best known for 2019's Greedfall). It's an incredibly original take on a fascinating period in European history, and one that is not often explored in games.

In Steelrising, you play as Aegis, a masterpiece automaton created by Vaucanson, an engineer in the service of the Clockwork King. In this alternate version of 1791 Paris, the streets are overrun with mechanical monstrosities, and it is only through the careful application of force that the Revolution can be restored, and allowed to run its rightful course.

Combat looks to be fast, frenetic, and bloody, with a focus on character action. It remains to be seen how it handles, though, as fighting was probably the weakest part of the otherwise great Greedfall. Here's hoping some lessons have been learned in the intervening years.

With its Gothic art style, unique and striking enemy design, and grim setting, Steelrising is more than a little reminiscent of Bloodborne, which should be an exciting proposition for any true PlayStation fan.

Originally set to release on 22nd June, Steelrising has been delayed until 8th September, giving Spiders a little more time to tighten things up. In the meantime, gear up in the comments section below.

[source youtube.com]