The hype is starting to crank up a notch or two for the upcoming steampunk-inspired action RPG Steelrising. Ahead of the game’s planned release on September 8th, developers Spiders have shared some more details about the 18th-century themed adventure, and in particular, have focused on Steelrising’s protagonist Aegis.
In a new post on the PlayStation blog, Spiders CEO Jehanne Rousseau has shed some light on the character creation process behind mechanical marvel Aegis, who is a uniquely designed automaton that players take control of in the game. Aegis’ main job in Steelrising is to protect Queen Marie Antoinette from the invading forces of the Clockwork King Louis XVI and his army of machinery.
Rousseau shares a lot of interesting details about “automaton dancer” Aegis in the blog, including the fact that her original name was actually Ada.
Originally, our automaton was called Ada, in double reference not only to the idea of creation, Ada being our Adam, but also in reference to Ada Lovelace, the first programmer in history. Over time and as our universe developed and became anchored in the French Revolution, Ada became Aegis, this time in reference to the aegis, the shield that Athena wields to protect Zeus.
Jehanne Rousseau, CEO, Spiders
The stats reveal in the post that Aegis has 9 different types of weapons and was previously employed as a dancer for the court, prior to switching it up into bodyguard mode, presumably. Rousseau also confirms a bit more about the game’s mechanics and how Aegis’ design as a playable machine is actually quite integral to the game’s style.
Even before we decided that Steelrising would take place in the 18th century, we had already envisioned an automaton protagonist. Indeed, the possibilities offered by having a machine, capable of rebuilding itself at will or improving its mechanics as it progresses, seemed to fit well for an action-oriented “soulslike” game, where death is an integral part of the learning curve.
Jehanne Rousseau, CEO, Spiders
The post also shows some video footage of the character customisation options players will have for Aegis. While her body and weaponry are obviously part of her built-in engineering, players will be able to adapt the colours and styles of her wig, her facial features, and the material of her body. For all the details in full, you can head over to the PlayStation Blog to get a deep dive into all things Aegis.
Steelrising is set to launch on September 8th and will be available on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam, GOG and the Epic Store.