Genre: Shooter
Developer: Polarity Flow
Publisher: Polarity Flow

Gunship gray parallax-scrolled clouds, a violent two-dimensional skyway filled with glowing orange bullets and primitively-drawn flying vessels. There isn't much variety or artistry even approximating games like "Gate of Thunder" or "Radiant Silvergun", with their vibrant, dynamically changing stages. Even the boss encounters in this one aren't much more exciting than the dull menus.

Steel Rain's music sampling is a mixture of guitar and synth samples, mixed with some chirpy Amiga-esque qualities. It's significantly better than the music in the vast bulk of indie games, but it has the same industrial, drab characteristics as the game's visuals. Sound effects are beyond minimal: there are maybe a couple of different explosion effects, and that's about it.

In Steel Rain, the player uses the mouse, joystick, or keyboard to grind horizontal schmup levels in order to earn cash, which is then used to either power up the ship, or to buy upgrades for a limited base building operation. The bases then earn research credits, "Syndicate"-style, unlocking better upgrades. It's a novel flow structure that gives the game much-needed substance.

If this formula had been done in the golden era of video games, from the mid-80s to late-90s, it could have resulted in a masterpiece, since it would have also had first-order stage designs, plus the incredible artistic and technical wizardry that characterized that time. As it is, Steel Rain is only a middling schmup, and not much more than a few-days' diversion.