When we look at the calendar, we rub our red eyes. Nine whole years!? Has it really been that long? Unfortunately, it’s true: Steamworld Heist came out in 2015, at the time still a strange spin-off title for the Nintendo 3DS. A lot has happened since then: The Steamworld series has slowly developed into an indie favorite, it stands for quality and variety, and recently even became a genuine construction game. And Steamworld Heist? It still has many fans who have been hoping for a decent successor.
And now we know: the long wait was worth it.
All those who join us on a privateering voyage
First things first: Steamworld Heist 2 stays true to the concept of the first part. You still command a weird robot troop and experience crisp, good turn-based tactics from the side view. This time, however, there is a fresh story, new characters and an unused setting! In the first part you were still traveling in a run-down spaceship, this time you sail in a small submarine through an idyllic pirate setting that is populated exclusively by robots. They all share the same worries: the precious fresh water is running out, more and more tin cans are threatened by rust, several factions are fighting for supremacy – and behind the scenes an even greater threat is looming, which of course you are supposed to uncover.
Recommended editorial contentHere you will find external content from (PLATFORM). To protect your personal data, external integrations are only displayed when you confirm this by clicking on “Load all external content”:Load all external contentI agree that external content will be displayed to me. This means that personal data will be transmitted to third-party platforms. More about this in our privacy policy.
To do this, you first take on the role of Captain Leeway, but there are many other characters under your command that you can later control yourself: As the game progresses, you hire several thugs, snipers, strikers, reapers and other robot classes, all with their own personality and cheerful dialogues that create a good atmosphere – this is how our charming pirate troop slowly grows on us.
Source: Thunderful Publishing Reading tip: The Steamworld series at a glance!
Still great: XCOM in 2D
You spend most of the game time in varied missions, all of which are turn-based – just imagine it as an accessible XCOM from the side view! The missions rarely last longer than 20 minutes and play out in a variety of ways: we have to free a prisoner, steal valuable documents, scrap boss enemies or put down a death cult – including little surprises.
Source: Thunderful Publishing Before each mission, you select a small team of pirates to bring with you on the mission. From now on, it’s turn-based: Each character has two actions per turn, which means: Just like in XCOM, you can decide whether you’d rather run for cover, attack, or use a special action (e.g. throw a grenade).
The trademark of Steamworld Heist remains untouched: you let your projectiles and grenades bounce off ceilings and walls with pinpoint accuracy to catch enemies behind their cover and land nasty critical hits. You don’t need good reflexes for this, you can take as much time as you want to aim. And it’s just as much fun as it was on the first day!
Precision is everything
The other rules are also easy to understand: rockets and other explosive projectiles wipe out entire groups, but also hit your allies. Revolvers fire multiple times per turn, but don’t do much damage. Special forces have to recharge several rounds after use, but can be incredibly useful. And sniper rifles can penetrate multiple targets at once and are powerful at a distance, but they have to be reloaded. Only those who take all of this into account and plan each move carefully have a chance of winning. Once you’ve fought your way to your mission objective, the mission isn’t over yet: at the end you still have to get your team to the extraction point – so start thinking about a retreat strategy!
Source: Thunderful Publishing The developers have made small improvements to make the game fairer and more exciting. For example, there are less strict time limits than in the first part, and some missions even have no time limits at all. (Tip: You can adjust the level of difficulty, including the timer, in detail!) Unlike in the previous game, the mission areas are also made by hand this time, so the level structure remains fundamentally the same. However, enemies and cover are distributed randomly, so it remains exciting to play a mission multiple times.
Very important: In each level there are several loot bags and treasure chests that you should definitely take with you! Because with them you can improve your crew and your ship – and the developers have really improved things in this regard too. It continues on the next page!
