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SteamWorld Heist II

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SteamWorld Heist II
Developer(s)Thunderful Development
Publisher(s)Thunderful
Director(s)Brjann Sigurgeirsson
Producer(s)Petter Magnusson
Artist(s)Brandt Andrist
Composer(s)Steam Powered Giraffe
SeriesSteamWorld
Platform(s)
ReleaseAugust 8, 2024
Genre(s)Turn-based tactics
Mode(s)Single-player

SteamWorld Heist II is a turn-based tactics shooter video game developed and published by Thunderful. As the seventh installment in the SteamWorld series and the sequel to SteamWorld Heist (2015), the game was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S in August 2024.

Gameplay

In SteamWorld Heist II, the player gathers a crew of Steam Bots as they venture into the ocean to uncover its source of poisoning. Gameplay is similar to its predecessor. The game was a 2D turn-based tactics video game.[1] Players commands a team of Steam Bots as they explore side-scrolling levels. In each turn, each character has two action points, allowing them to shoot, move, or perform other abilities. In each turn, players have to strategically place characters in their party in tactical positions, such as taking behind cover to boost their defense. When attacking, players controls the aiming of all firearms in battle. Players can bounce bullets and grenades off the environment for ricocheting trick shots.[2] SteamWorld Heist II introduces the job system, enabling players to specialize their characters. Changing the weapon will automatically change a character's job. There are six jobs available at launch, including the Reapers, a class which can shoot twice if the previous shot defeats an enemy, and the Boomers, a demolition expert specializing in the use of explosives.[3] Some job skills will remain usable even if a character's job is changed subsequently, though they must be first unlocked through spending "cogs", a currency which will be rewarded to players as they complete missions.[4]

In between missions, players can now directly commandeer the submarine and explore the ocean overworld. The player's ship can be equipped with a large assortment of weapons, which will fire automatically at hostile enemies when they approach. As opposed to ground combat, naval combat occurs in real-time. In the overworld, players can access missions, collect scraps and resources, and visit taverns.[5] By visiting taverns, players can purchase and upgrade a squad member's gears and abilities, recruit new characters, and let characters returning from missions rest. As players progress in the game, their reputation will increase, allowing them to upgrade their submarine to unlock previously inaccessible areas.[6]

Development

SteamWorld Heist II was developed by Thunderful Development.[7] Development of the game started in 2020. The team chose to make a sequel to SteamWorld Heist because there were a lot of features they had to cut during its development. As a result, the team significantly expanded systems for character customization in Heist II, and introduced the overworld system which was initially planned for the first game.[8] The game was officially announced in April 2024 and was released for Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and Series S on August 8, 2024.[9]

Reception

The game received "generally favourable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[10]

Steve Watts from GameSpot praised the game's unique gameplay and liked the flexible job system for experimenting players to experiment with different tactics and character builds. While he noted that many of the game's systems are complex, they "synergize incredibly well without feeling overwhelming".[11] Dan Stapleton wrote that SteamWorld Heist II "takes place on a surprisingly large overworld map that’s packed with so many tough and tactically deep turn-based missions", and added that the experience took him about 40 hours to finish. He praised the refinement to the game's control scheme, and the handcrafted levels which are "built around using teamwork to accomplish their objectives and escape unscathed".[12]

Writing for PC Gamer, Robin Valentine wrote that the strategic component in the game was "compelling" and "satisfying", and noted that the game significantly expanded on the original by introducing new job system, though he felt that the game, which is twice as long as the first game, was "in danger of outstaying its welcome".[4] In a more negative review, Katharine Castle from Eurogamer wrote that the core gameplay was still "eminently enjoyable", though its bigger scope and ambition meant that player progression became too slow and mission in late game "feel progressively less like a fun, cheeky outing to steal some treasure, and more like an openly hostile grind where you barely escape with your life".[13]

References

  1. ^ Hagues, Alana (June 24, 2024). "Hands On: SteamWorld Heist II Expands On A Beloved 3DS Title, But Is It What Fans Really Want". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  2. ^ Ramee, Jordan (June 26, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 Makes Combat An Entertaining Puzzle Of Geometry And Explosions". GameSpot. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Jarvis, Matt (May 3, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2's new job system brings a whole scrapheap of customisation to the charming 2D XCOM-a-like". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Valentine, Robin (August 2, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  5. ^ Bailey, Dustin (June 26, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 plays like a perfect follow-up to a great XCOM-style tactics game, and it's borrowing from Final Fantasy to add even more depth". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  6. ^ Benson, Julian (August 1, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 review: "While sillier than XCOM's po-faced sci-fi, its mechanics are no less serious"". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Bailey, Kat (April 18, 2024). "Steamworld Heist 2 Announced: We Talk to Thunderful After the Sequel's Indie World Showcase Reveal". IGN. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  8. ^ "It's a Steam Pirate's Life - SteamWorld Heist II Interview". Gamereactor. June 26, 2024. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  9. ^ Kennedy, Victoria (April 17, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 takes to the sea for long-awaited sequel". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "SteamWorld Heist II". Metacritic. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Watts, Steve (August 8, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 Review - Like Clockwork". GameSpot. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Stapleton, Dan (August 1, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
  13. ^ Castle, Katherine (August 1, 2024). "SteamWorld Heist 2 review - the return of this tactical gem feels a little lost at sea". Eurogamer. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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