Steamworld Heist II Review - The Near-Perfect Heist
The Steamworld franchise has long been known to dabble in a multitide of different genres, but in recent years the IP has also become known for double-dipping through sequels if there is more to be said. Steamworld Heist, first released in 2015, the game was praised for many reasons, but was critiqued for its lack of objective types, and challenge. Now, it’s been almost a decade and Steamworld Heist II has arrived, endeavouring to elevate the sub-franchise to new heights. There’s more gameplay nuance, but despite that, and being a great game in its own right, this smaller scale conflict doesn’t extend the series in the ways that were possible, leaving the taste of missed opportunity in the mouth.
Compared to the universe trotting exploits of Piper Faraday and her team in the original game, the scope of Steamworld Heist II’s narrative is much more contained. The waters of the Caribbea are being poisoned with a substance that afflicts Steambots with a disease known as “rust”. Young pirate captain, Quincy Leeway, sets out to reclaim his submarine which was taken by the Royal Navy and becomes embroiled in a larger plot that involves the origins of the disease and the many vested parties who would benefit from its ongoing proliferation. Leeway carries some baggage where he, as the son of the legendary Krakenbane, a legendary monster hunter in the region, grapples with his own perceived inferiority compared to his mother. Those exploits of his mother play an integral part in looping Leeway’s own personal interests into the broader narrative, creating a compelling narrative experience that you will want to see out, add plenty of flavour found in the cast of loveable bots, and despite some of the gameplay elements that make this a more tedious exercise than would be desirable, you’ll overlook them to see what comes next..
At it’s core, Steamworld Heist II is much the same playing experience as you might recall from the original game. A side-scrolling, turn-based tactical experience, players find themselves in relatively small spaces, confronted by waves of increasingly plentiful numbers of enemies, with only your firearms and your gritted teeth to get your through. Players have the ability to recruit a range of different bot archetypes from snipers, to boomers, reapers, brawlers, flankers, and engineers. Each have their own specialties and can be mixed and matched within the broader party to create a unit primed to break through whatever comes its way. The challenges before you are numerous though, from time constraints, to handling hordes of enemies, and of course, some pretty enormous bosses as well who mix speed with power in devastating ways. Players will need to utilise the newly added ability to draw skills from other job types’ progression trees to create an unstoppable force. Maximising the number of stars you acquire from each mission is, as always, essential to narrative progression, but also serves as a massive dangling carrot for players to chase while on a quest for 100% completion. The standard fare is superior in every way to what the original game provided, but it’s in the realm outside of combat where Steamworld Heist II falters somewhat.
Rather than traversing the outer regions of space, Steamworld Heist II is set in the Caribbea, and traversal by sea is a major part of your way around the world. Boat handling is solid enough, but the Caribbea overworld is lacking in excitement and things to do that really sucks the fun out of the playspace. There’s no level-node based traversal here, with full 360 degree handling available to the player, but there’s little memorable about the time spent abroad. Overly simple naval combat (even when underwater in the sub), loose handling, and upgrade systems for the boat that are a bit underwhelming, make that fraction of the Steamworld Heist II experience feel relatively forgettable, and the wait til the next combat encounter feeling unnecessarily long. The game is chasing more non-linearity, but doesn’t execute in a way that feels rewarding, and instead simply bloats the game clock. Thankfully the core moment-to-moment gameplay more than carries the experience.
The aesthetic of the Steamworld universe persists with Steamworld Heist II and is once again a highlight. From excellent character designs to a far greater colour palette being utilised than ever before, through more differentiated environments than we’ve previous seen in a Steamworld game, Heist II looks excellent. Pair that with excellent sound design and some quality (albeit extremely rare) voice-acting for the game’s very few cutscenes, and you’ve got an excellent sensory blend for players to relax into.
Steamworld Heist II isn’t’ the transformative experience that this sub-series required but it makes significant strides forward in its core gameplay loop, and while the world-traversal leaves a bit to be desired, the cumulative experience is something to again celebrate. The Steamworld IP has itself another winner.
Steamworld Heist II was reviewed on PS5 with a code kindly provided by the developer
