SteamWorld Heist II, releasing on August 8th, is both developed and published by Thunderful Development and Thunderful Publishing, respectively. It’s a turn-based shooter with heavy strategic leanings, letting players learn how to utilize each character and class fully. Do forgive me, for I haven’t played the first SteamWorld Heist, but I will review this as fairly as I can.
The story seemingly takes place years or decades after the first game, now putting you in control of a new Captain, Captain Quincy Leeway, son of Krakenbane, a legendary Steambot who at this point of the story had beat the Kraken and laid the foul beast low. Quincy Leeway is thrust into a series of events that leads him down a path his mother once followed, but does his easy facade hide the same steely (pun definitely intended) resolve? Or is it only hot air (yes, pun still intended)?
The gameplay is fun, with a standard progression of learning with the various guns and weapons in the game. Learning which bullets ricochet on surfaces and which do not, especially weapons with their gimmicks which either go through a lot of targets or aim at an arc and bounce the same way, or some that rely on your aim and a bit of calculation due to the lack of a guide.
Melee is fun as well, with either a weapon or your bare hands, although the former deals better damage than the latter, and depending on the weapon, has various effects as well such as status changes like freezing or burns, the former locking you in place and other other chipping away at your health depending on the severity. The mechanics expand as you play, keeping it fresh as you play along.
Bit of focus on the objectives here, as some might seem daunting at first, but as you play the game and replay the stages you might have failed at miserably at first, things get better and a lot easier to manage, or even capable of being cleared with full marks to get through certain doors in bars where great stuff are hidden behind doors requiring the right number of recognition to get the stuff behind them, usually a great reward that really helps as you progress through the game and eases the game out.
On the overworld, or should I say the wide seas, you’ll always consult your map to avoid getting lost, making the trips from point A to point B and back again on a tour to clear all stages with full marks or in-sea battles are fun enough and earn you bounties to further enhance your crew and ship, allowing you to survive longer, take more damage and deal them back worse than enemies hit you out in the open seas thanks to equipment that you can pick up or buy from bars.
The music fits the situations and areas of the game like a fitted leather glove, from combat situations to sailing the open waters of the planet you’re in, everything fits really well and would leave your feet tapping and your head bobbing.
Each character’s design stands out from the others, and with interchangeable hats, you can get from either buying them from shops or knocking them off of enemies’ heads and collecting them, it provides a lot of options for either making them look cool or to make yourself chuckle with delight because of how outlandish they look further.
A few complaints to take note of: finding healing stuff is few and far between, but always make sure to have one or two carry some just in case things do get hairy between you and your enemies, leaving you with more health and wiggle room to nab that full-star clear and closer to getting stronger.
To sum it all up, SteamWorld Heist II is an amazing game as an entryway to the series, letting players get immersed in the story and its gameplay. The music serves to keep you really pulled in and invested in everything that is happening in the game. The same can be said for the combat to dialogue between characters and the crew you’ll build as you progress further in the game. In the immortal words of Joe Bob Briggs, “4 stars, check it out!”
