Is there a genre? SteamWorld is he afraid of being taken? Starting life as an RTS in SteamWorld Tower Defense, Image & Form’s long-running anthology series has been in space, the Wild West, and even taken on the form of a fairy tale. And while Dig, the Metroidvania-style series, is arguably the most popular, many have a soft spot for the 2015 3DS hit SteamWorld Heist.
Returning to the strategic roots of the franchise, SteamWorld Heist is a turn-based strategy game that takes the unique aesthetic and humor of the SteamWorld series and combines it with gun-toting action and bullet ricochets. We loved it, and the Ultimate Edition on Switch isn’t difficult at all. However, we didn’t expect to see the return of Heist, but nine years later, SteamWorld Heist II is almost here. We got a chance to go hands-on with the PC version of the game at Summer Game Fest, and we can already tell that this is a well-oiled machine that fans will love, and newcomers can jump right into as well.
SteamWorld Heist II is all about steampunk sailors this time around, and the new setting is also where the game’s biggest change is. Your base of operations is your submarine, and this is where your entire crew (read: playable characters) gather. You can chat with them, find out what to do next, and then start your next adventure from here – similar to the first game.
Taking the helm of the ship – a wonderful computer terminal – you have a chance to explore a huge open world on the high seas. Most of this just involves steering your boat around the water, following the map to find your next loot, or just exploring. The section of the game we played was just before the middle of the game, so we were given some instructions by producer Petter Magnusson, who told us to head north for our first mission and then head west for some more exploration of along with a second mission.
The point is that we have received so confused because the map was much bigger than we expected. The game directs you to your next objective, but sailing the big blue seas is really fun, and we noticed a lot of small details on the islands. A small umbrella and a towel on a beach; metal scraps from some stones; and many chests with items and currency inside.
However, our prosperity led us into some trouble – an enemy ship was firing on us. Ship combat simply involves retaliating using your cannons, boarding the enemy ship, or running away. It’s basic, but it adds an otherworldly flavor and really brings home that nautical theme. We were surprised how often the enemy spotted us.
Eventually, we made our way to our first mission, where we re-entered the SteamWorld Heist combat. We chose two different characters – Daisy, a sniper, and Crowbar, a wingman. Daisy specializes in taking out enemies from afar, while Crowbar is fast and can get close to the enemy. Each mission will let you choose who to take with you, but after you succeed, your warriors will need to rest, so you’ll need to drop them off at a nearby tavern to regain their strength. theirs.
After jumping in, we had to go to the back of the facility and get the manager out. The gameplay is basically the same as in the original SteamWorld Heist, but this level had a lot of extra challenges to throw at us. There was a timer that, if it ran out, would signal waves of enemies coming out to cause us trouble. Another issue was the automated weapons at the top of some rooms – we could remove them, but they were also quite dangerous.
One thing that stood out was the stage layout we played. The level quickly branched off into two paths that, while both led to the same ending, allowed us to split up our team to focus on either keeping enemies busy or speeding to the goal. There are also items and loot to pick up along the way, and depending on how much you collect, you can improve your rating and get better rewards. The layout of each phase is vital to making those great ricochet shots, and we felt really good every time we managed to get the bullets off the wall.
However, once we got to the end of the stage, it wasn’t the end of things. We had to make our way back; to our surprise, we actually failed and both our units were destroyed. Fortunately, SteamWorld Heist II gives you one free retry per level and is loaded by an autosave during the mission. This gave us a chance to change our focus from shooting everything in sight to getting the hell out of there.
Of course, you can’t move as much as you want, as moving also takes action points, which you need to attack or defend. Choosing the right place to hide your characters, or deciding whether to take out an enemy first, is a risk you have to weigh. But using Crowe’s special ability – which allows them to teleport further distances – meant we could get close to enemies and pick them off.
Every single character has their own unique special abilities. Daisy’s dramatically increases her shot accuracy, providing a very clear shot line, so we could almost guarantee a hit. Combining these character abilities with the robust and improved class system expands the amount of customization available, and it’s something we can see ourselves messing around with for hours.
We’ve already mentioned sniper and wingman, but we also got to play with boomer, an explosive class that deals area damage, and engineer, a healing and debuffing class that can also take two shots during a turn. These classes are tied to your character’s weapon – changing from a rifle to a shotgun would change the character’s class from a sniper to a wingman, for example. And it also gives that character access to more abilities.
Completing missions earns you cogs which you can spend to unlock new abilities. And these default class abilities are always available if you unlock them, even if you change weapons. We didn’t get much chance to play with this, but we did spend time looking at the skill grid and each class for each character. Giving weak characters healing abilities, or melee characters quick attacks seem like easy wins early on, but the further you get into the game, things can get very dangerous. Fortunately, you can respect your characters whenever you want.
However, there are some lingering questions about SteamWorld Heist II ahead of its launch in just over a month. The game looks absolutely gorgeous on PC, with beautiful visuals and fantastically smooth performance – we’d like to think the Switch won’t struggle too much. The last game in the series, SteamWorld Build, certainly took a hit on the Switch, but this was a fully 3D city-building hybrid. So that lattice of doubt is always with us, but we’re hoping for Heist II.
Second, is Heist what SteamWorld fans want right now? It’s been a tough year for Image & Form and Thunderful, with the latter reporting that SteamWorld Build sales fell “somewhat short of expectations” and development on a new SteamWorld game, Headhunter, has stalled. SteamWorld Dig 2 came out seven years ago and fans are desperate for a third deep dive. Given the promise, charm and fun of SteamWorld Heist II’s first few hours, hopefully the franchise can get back on its feet and fans will show up and be ready to party.