A new mobile game has just been announced from Yu Suzuki and YS Net! Steel Paws is billed as a "feel-good battle action" game for mobile devices. It was revealed by way of a premiere trailer at the recently-held The Game Awards and is set to launch exclusively on Netflix Games in 2025.
Steel Paws: a "Dynamic Action Adventure Game"
"Embark on a dynamic action adventure game as a girl alongside her Buddy Robots to conquer a mysterious Tower that reappears every century".
The Japanese trailer has a similar description, with some additional detail (translation):
"A girl sets out on an adventure with her companion robots to conquer the mysterious tower that appears once every 100 years. Master abilities, upgrade your companion robot, and take on the enigmatic tower. Defeat enemies, earn rewards, and fight your way through a world beyond imagination!"
The Game Awards Premiere Trailer
Scenery Images
The YS Net website has been updated with a new page for Steel Paws, and there are some cool, atmospheric images to be found within the files:
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| "Tower scene" |
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| "Tower - outside" |
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| "Center of the tower" |
The Characters
- Mech-animal Buddy - Da.Da
- Mech-animal Buddy - Goo.Goo
In-Game Screenshots
Build-Up to the Announcement: Hints from Yu Suzuki
With the announcement of Steel Paws, it may be interesting to look back to identify any hints that Yu Suzuki may have given about it prior to the trailer release.
To start with, let's review the recent responses Yu Suzuki has provided in his responses to the annual New Year developer surveys - Famitsu holds one each year for a number of top Japanese developers.
From 2023's survey:
Q: Your Keyword for 2023?
Yu Suzuki: "Light AI".
Q: Your New Year's Resolution / Aspirations for 2023?
Yu Suzuki: I'd like to try taking a light-hearted approach to AI, without pretentious logical thinking. The answers that an imperfect AI, including bugs, can come up with should be fun. I'm setting out on a journey to seek new ideas using AI.
And this year's survey response:
Q: Your Key Theme for 2024?
Yu Suzuki: Creating games I'd want to play myself!
It is difficult to judge to what extent the above comments were intended to apply to Steel Paws before seeing gameplay footage.
However definitive confirmation of the game's development came in September 2023, during an interview by Esra Krabbe of IGN Japan at the Tokyo Game Show:
Esra Krabbe: Recently you've announced Air Twister, but are there still various other games you're planning to create going forwards?
Yu Suzuki: I can't talk about it yet, but we're working on something.
Esra Krabbe: Oh, really? That's big news just to mention casually! I hope it was okay for you to say it.
Yu Suzuki: [laughs] I can't say any more than that.
Esra Krabbe: Well, hearing that there's something else to for fans to look forward to is really good news.
Yu Suzuki: It's still in development right now, so...
Esra Krabbe: I'm looking forward to it!
And, most recently, Suzuki teased the possibility of an upcoming announcement during the community interview held by Shenmue Dojo & Phantom River Stone earlier the year (May 2024):
Q: Can we look forward to a game announcement at some point this year?
Yu Suzuki: There may be a game we can announce later this year. Maybe!
"Creating games I'd want to play myself!"
ReplyDeleteDidn't this egomaniac say he hadn't played games for like 15+ years? His judgment is pretty poor on what games are decent.
Yu Suzuki has always been more of a visionary designer than a hands-on gamer, but that hasn't stopped him from creating groundbreaking titles in the past. I think it's fair to wait and see what this project has to offer before passing judgment.
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