Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC

Publisher

Thunderful

Developer

Thunderful

Series

SteamWorld

Genre

Action, Adventure, Strategy/Tactics

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

1.7 GB

Release Date (NA)

Aug 8, 2024

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Epic Games

SteamWorld Heist II, the sequel to the 2015 2D tactical shooter, is a fun ride for both SteamWorld fans and turn-based players. With its turn-based and free aim mechanics, it’s both fun and challenging for many. The game also adds additional layers to boost its replay value.

O Captain! My Captain!

You’ll control Captain Leeway and his gang of steam-robot pirates in the Great Sea, a world filled mostly with water. You’ll take on the navy and other foes as you uncover the threat to the Great Sea. Like the other SteamWorld games, characters are humanoid robots that communicate and react like humans. If you’re not familiar with the SteamWorld series, you don’t need to worry about any backstory. It’s a game where you can jump in and enjoy an adventure with its own unique story to tell.

You’ll control the game in two different ways. You have turn-based battles against enemies on the battlefield, and then there’s the overworld map where you control your submarine. Each one plays in a different style but both are enjoyable.

Big Guns for a Tiny Ship

Your means of transport in the world of SteamWorld Heist II is a tiny submarine. Compared to enemy vessels, your ship looks like a small toy. However, your little ship can really start to pack a wallop as you play the game’s story and add equipment to your vessel. Torpedoes, machine guns, increased speed, and more are available as options. Many of these require you to unlock slots by spending crystals. These crystals can also be used in various ways to help your pirate crew’s stats and skills. The upgrades and gameplay are similar to the gummi ship from the Kingdom Hearts games but better.

Your ship can speed up and dive underwater to not only avoid enemies and their projectiles but also uncover secrets. However, your vessel has limits. Stay underwater too long and you’ll run out of air. If your ship’s health gauge is completely depleted from enemy attacks, it’s over.

If things get too hard, you can adjust the game’s difficulty setting for the overworld without affecting the turn-based battles. However you approach it, the overworld is fun and feels like a different game entirely, providing a break from the turn-based sections.

It’s All in the Wrist

Many battles you take on have a required mission to complete. Whether it’s wiping out enemy forces or finding specific items, the game does a pretty good job of differentiating each battle from another. Sometimes, though, it does feel a bit repetitive with some missions being more copy and paste. However, you can adjust the game’s difficulty anytime to either decrease or increase the challenge. There’s no extra or reduced awards to consider, for better or worse. The option gives players what works well with their skill.

In terms of how battles work, every character on both sides gets a turn to move and take action. There’s a limit on what you can do, though. If you attack first, you can’t move afterwards. If you move, you have the option to attack afterwards, but it depends on how far you move. Moving too far will take away the option to make an attack. The game helps users to understand the options by a color indicator and icon. Stepping onto an area with a blue-colored line that has the “no symbol” over a weapon icon indicates no offensive can occur, ending the character’s turn. A yellow-colored version gives the OK to continue your character’s turn. It’s simple enough to understand, but the caveat is once you move, you can’t undo it. Choose your moves wisely.

Depending on the character, their equipment, and their skills, you can make additional offensive moves in one turn, making some battles feel one-sided. Some roles are more fun than others. Playing as a sniper is one of the most entertaining ones. Their weapon features a faded yellow line that lets you adjust the angle of the shot to hit enemies. You can potentially shoot your projectile to bounce off the ceiling and hit the enemy from behind. It’s like playing a game of billiards/pool to try and shoot your ball into the pocket.

Once you complete a stage, you’re rewarded with the loot you’ve grabbed and with experience points to level up your pirate robot team. If your character is defeated in battle, they’ll return to your team and still gain the experience points. Characters that participated, whether they lived or not, cannot deploy for another mission until resting overnight at a nearby bar.

Permission to Come Aboard

Missions also have requirements, such as having a certain amount of steambots to play or changing your teammate’s job to a different role. If you don’t have enough bots on your team, you can add them as long as you meet specific requirements: having a roster spot and having enough gallons (the game’s currency). Once hired, they stay on your team. Each robot is designed differently and makes your team visually fun. Each robot starts off with a job, for example, a sniper or a flanker. Gain levels to unlock job skills that can benefit their role. For a sniper, a steady aim makes it easier to align to your target and shoot.

You can also change your teammate’s job. If you want your flanker to be a sniper, you can do so as long as you have a weapon ready for their role. Skills you’ve unlocked from a previous job can be equipped while learning a new job, that is, as long as you have enough cogs. Cogs are like a currency to attach skills to your pirate. For example, a sniper’s aim skill requires two cogs to equip. Ideally, you can create the most powerful pirate crew that anyone has seen across the sea.

Gotta Collect ‘Em All

SteamWorld Heist II is obsessed with hats. If you shoot at your enemy’s hat, you can knock it off and pick it up to keep. An enemy can do the same to your hat, but you still keep it after the fight. Collecting hats doesn’t add any value to the gameplay, but it’s a fun extra to try and capture hats from every enemy. Some players would even sacrifice their teammates just to pick up an enemy hat. The game does keep a library of hats collected along with the option to wear any of them. 

The game also has a special cameo appearance from a popular anime series about a straw hat. Can you guess which anime that is?

A Steamful of Color

The world of SteamWorld Heist II is vibrant. The Great Sea and the well-illustrated characters who sail its waters are fun to explore and interact with. The level of detail in battles is great with electric sparks flying and steam pumping out of robots. The soundtrack contains both orchestrated scores and vocal tracks. The score has a wild west vibe and the vocal tracks come in when visiting bars and when the game’s story is progressing. It makes exploring with your submarine ship laid back and relaxing, until a large warship is on your tail shooting missiles and cannonballs.

The Final Turn

SteamWorld Heist II is a great turn-based adventure with a rich, customizable system for upgrading your crew and ship. Battles are entertaining and the possibility of wearing various hats is a treat. Enemies of the Great Sea, beware of this pirate crew!

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review.