SteamWorld Heist 2 Review — Full steam ahead

SteamWorld Heist 2 units sail as a sequel to the beloved turn-based techniques shooter, changing the sport’s spacefaring setting with a swashbuckling open-sea journey. In a world inhabited by steam-powered robots, clear water is in brief provide, and it’s all the way down to Captain Leeway (that’s you!) and his crew to heist the Nice Sea searching for solutions, loot, and hats. A lot of hats.

The sport’s essential missions are turn-based, with gamers commanding their crew as they sneak into enemy bases to plunder loot and full goals. Throughout each flip, it’s essential to fastidiously plan the place to place your steambots for the very best strategic benefit based mostly on enemy positions, hazards, goals, and the aimline on your weapons. If you’re prepared to fireplace and “scrap” enemies, you then line up photographs and watch as bullets and projectiles fly throughout the stage and ship metallic physique elements in numerous instructions.

SteamWorld Heist II’s gunplay is probably the most satisfying I’ve ever skilled in a 2D title. There’s a singular thrill in lining up a sniper shot and watching the bullet ricochet off the partitions and into the metallic dome of an enemy behind and above you. Whereas any weapon that isn’t a sniper is way tougher to land extravagant photographs with, each profitable hit feels unimaginable, particularly paired with the sport’s glorious sound design.

Talking of sound, the dulcet tones of Steam Powered Giraffe grace your ears as you come to a bar on the finish of an in-game day to spend your hard-earned currencies on new weapons or crewmates and relaxation up your present group for tomorrow’s journey. Between the comfortable feeling of unwinding after a mission, the hilarious tavern shanties hyping me up for the following, and conversations with numerous wacky steamboats, this technique works brilliantly through the marketing campaign — however considerably of an inconvenience when grinding XP to progress.

After a restful break and strategic spending of Gallons, the sport’s essential foreign money, it’s time to embark in your subsequent journey throughout the open sea. Right here, you interact in real-time battles with different ships as you navigate your submarine to the following mission to uncover hidden treasures, because of newly acquired upgrades. Treasures corresponding to secret hat retailer accompanied by a catchy Steam Powered Giraffe track about how sensible hats are.

Whereas the map to progress from one mission to the opposite evokes a way of discovery and makes SteamWorld Heist’s marketing campaign really feel like a real journey, the “real-time” naval fight leaves a lot to be desired in comparison with the unimaginable gunplay of the missions themselves. Weapons and torpedos routinely hearth from completely different areas of the submarine as you cross by enemy ships, amounting the fight to awkwardly scuffling your sub round with the WASD keys to hit enemies as you cross by to get to the following mission. Returning to missions to grind XP or acquire extra hats can also be an enormous ache within the neck.

Earlier than beginning a mission, you select your crew members and tweak their loadouts. The brand new job system in SteamWorfld Heist II is a game-changer, granting steambots entry to completely different abilities based mostly on their outfitted weapon. As you degree up these jobs by finishing missions, you possibly can combine and match abilities to craft the proper crewmate on your playstyle or a particular mission. Want a healer however don’t wish to skimp on AoE injury? Degree up the Boomer and Engineer bushes, and you’ve got one explosive medic.

Total, the job system is a superb function that retains issues contemporary and gameplay extra partaking. Nevertheless, it’s not and not using a obvious problem that affected my enjoyment of the sport as a complete. That problem is XP, or reasonably, how little XP (and foreign money) you acquire from finishing missions. Creating the construct you need takes a variety of grinding the identical missions, breaking the move of the principle story. On something above “Story” (simple) issue, grinding to maintain up with the steep issue curve and experiment with jobs and weapons is a necessity. The additional you progress, the longer the missions are, and the extra monotonous the entire ordeal turns into — particularly when touring again to earlier areas and stopping at a bar between every degree.

Fortunately, the issue is tweakable past “simple” and “laborious” modes, with sliders to tweak points like enemy injury, accuracy, and the time it takes for alarms to sound and reinforcements to flood in. That is an extremely spectacular function and one I’m grateful for, although balancing between too simple, too laborious, and too lengthy is a science in itself.

Pacing points apart, SteamWorld Heist 2’s marketing campaign is pleasurable when it isn’t being interrupted. Levels are hand-crafted and really feel distinct sufficient from one another to stop them from feeling repetitious. Whereas I didn’t significantly discover myself strongly hooked up to any characters or ultra-enthralled with the narrative, I adored the world itself and the hilarious strains of dialogue spouted from wacky tavern friends or egomaniacal bosses. The sport’s visuals and character designs are vibrant, daring, and colourful, and I can’t wait to go to the earlier SteamWorld titles to discover this universe much more.

Conclusion

SteamWorld Heist II is a fascinating mix of technique and motion that delivers a very amusing journey in each sense of the phrase. The sport’s turn-based fight is a spotlight, providing a satisfying (and I can’t use that phrase sufficient) mixture of planning and execution. The job system provides depth to character development, permitting gamers to customise their crew to swimsuit their playstyle completely. Finally.

The sport’s vibrant world, stuffed with quirky characters and top-notch dialogue, creates an enthralling and cozy environment. Gear and XP acquire, pacing, and journey are simple points that detract from the general enjoyment of the sport, however when the gameplay is nice, it’s rattling good. Land a trickshot with a rocket launcher throughout an underwater bunker, ping the stripy hat off an enemy, watch your steambot plow it on their metallic head, and inform me you’re not having a superb time. There are some issues that hats and good music do repair.