The Legend of Steel Empire

The Legend of Steel Empire remains a faithful reimagination of the original release, even including the end credits gag. It will take a medium-skilled player less than an hour to do a complete loop but it is such a good time, that can't be considered a fault. While it doesn't quite enter the bullet hell pantheon of other shoot 'em ups on Switch, it is certainly worth the shelf space in your collection and might be the perfect excuse to dust off your arcade stick in 2024. Maybe one day down the line we'll get a proper 16:9 sequel handled by the original HOT-B staff, but in the meantime, this is a welcome return for the original.

Classic shoot 'em up now finally available on PlayStation 4

The Legend of Steel Empire isn’t a shooter that will blow you away or anything, nor is it going to be a terribly long game to finish, but for what it is, it’s serviceable, not to mention its approach in terms of theme which sets it somewhat apart from the rest. I’d maybe draw a comparison to something like Jamestown in regards to that, yet another great little gem that happens to be on Switch too. Either way, you’ll be well served if you do decide to pick this one up, but keep your expectations in check as it lacks any form of extra materials or game modes. It is what it is.

The Legend of Steel Empire made me realise how much fun this classic shmup is all these years after its debut and that's rather special.

I don’t know why Steel Empire is the game that keeps getting ported, remade, re-released, whatever. Don’t care why either, it’s a good game and if this gets more people to play it, so be it.

A brilliant all round Shmup for newcomers and genre fans

The Legend of Steel Empire can be a nice and short experience for fans of the genre if found at an appropriate discounted price.

The Legend of Steel Empire is a fun side-scrolling shooter set in an interesting alternate history timeline. The gameplay is easy to get to grips with, allowing people of all skill levels to deal with enemies. However, the short length of the campaign is not truly worth the asking price, so I'd recommend waiting for a sale to pick it up.

It's not quite a definitive version, but it is an easy way to play an underappreciated fourth-generation shoot-'em-up on the go.

The Legend of Steel Empire for Nintendo Switch strikes a solid balance between its modern upgrades and its Sega Genesis roots. Despite its short campaign, the game offers plenty for shmup fans to uncover and master without completely overwhelming casual arcade players.