SteamWorld Heist
- June 7, 2016
- Image & Form Games
- 16h median play time
Imagine & Form proved themselves to be formidable developers with the release of SteamWorld Dig, but SteamWorld Heist just takes it to another level in so many ways. It’s simple yet ambitious with a presentation as charming as its execution.
Get on SteamSteamWorld Heist is a turn-based strategy game with tactical space battles. As Captain Piper Faraday, you'll recruit a ragtag crew to explore and battle through procedurally generated ships. With a unique steampunk aesthetic and challenging gameplay, SteamWorld Heist offers a refreshing take on the strategy genre.
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Reviews
- Engaging and fun turn-based combat that requires skillful aiming, allowing for satisfying ricochet shots.
- Charming art style and humor, with a vibrant steampunk aesthetic and a delightful soundtrack by Steam Powered Giraffe.
- Diverse cast of characters with unique abilities, providing various strategies and playstyles for each mission.
- Repetitive gameplay and mission objectives can lead to a lack of variety, especially in the later stages.
- Limited inventory space can make item management tedious, forcing players to frequently sell or discard items.
- The story is relatively simple and may not be as engaging as the gameplay, leaving some players wanting more depth.
- story518 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story in "SteamWorld Heist" is generally regarded as charming and lighthearted, serving primarily to facilitate gameplay rather than to provide deep narrative depth. While some players appreciate the quirky humor and character interactions, many find the plot simplistic and repetitive, often overshadowed by the engaging turn-based combat and mission mechanics. Overall, the narrative is enjoyable but not the main draw of the game, with players often focusing more on the gameplay experience.
“The story of SteamWorld Heist is very captivating, mixing a context of cowboys, robots, miners with pirates, soldiers, monarchists, and aliens.”
“The story is cute and fun, and the band that plays in the bars and at the end of every boss does a great job making things catchy and memorable.”
“The story is simple but well-delivered, and a playthrough where you try to recruit and level up everyone should take about 25 hours, maybe more if you go for maximum reputation.”
“The story was silly by design and served to facilitate the gameplay; I really wouldn't recommend the game based on its story.”
“The story is very simple, and I found myself zoning out all the time.”
“I can see why people would like the game, but I found the characters very bland, the story is not complex at all, and you find yourself just scrolling down the dialogues, going from mission to mission.”
- gameplay449 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 51 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of SteamWorld Heist is widely praised for its engaging and strategic turn-based mechanics, combining elements from XCOM and Worms with a unique ricochet shooting system that adds depth and skill to combat. Players appreciate the intuitive controls, diverse character abilities, and the fun hat-collecting mechanic, which enhances replayability. While some reviewers note that the gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth in certain areas, the overall experience is described as enjoyable, challenging, and visually appealing, making it a standout title in the genre.
“Incredibly tight gameplay, fun RPG elements, really enjoyable characters, and a ton of replayability.”
“The gameplay is streamlined to combat like XCOM, but in two dimensions and no base management.”
“The gameplay is easy to get into, and the aiming mechanic adds a new element to turn-based strategy games.”
“The gameplay is easy to get into, but it lacks depth and can become repetitive over time.”
“The gameplay gets very samey, and the difficulties don't feel well balanced.”
“The procedural generation makes for a very uneven gameplay experience, especially regarding crew/enemy start positions, necessitating multiple restarts at higher difficulties.”
- music387 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game, primarily composed by the band Steam Powered Giraffe, has received widespread acclaim for its catchy and immersive quality, perfectly complementing the game's steampunk aesthetic. Players appreciate the unique blend of whimsical and folk-rock elements, particularly enjoying the songs featured in bars and during gameplay. However, some critiques mention that certain combat tracks can become repetitive, detracting from the overall experience.
“The music is fantastic!”
“The soundtrack is wonderful; I bought it and burnt it to a CD for the car.”
“The music is great and fits the style of the game perfectly.”
“The biggest letdown, though, is the music.”
“Meanwhile, all battles feature the same obnoxious 45-second loop of some generic ditty (not by SPG) that will cause you to just mute the music altogether.”
“Nicely polished game, surround audio (yes, on a 2D game), really fun to play (kind of XCOM, but simpler), the only thing I did not like was the in-game music which tends to be a very repetitive short loop that made me set the music volume to zero at some point.”
- graphics231 mentions
- 66 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been widely praised for their charming, hand-drawn art style and vibrant colors, which effectively complement the steampunk aesthetic. Reviewers noted the visuals as both attractive and cohesive, enhancing the overall gameplay experience with smooth animations and a unique character design. The combination of appealing graphics and a fitting soundtrack contributes to a delightful atmosphere that keeps players engaged throughout their journey.
“The visuals are gorgeous and the SteamWorld franchise is worth getting.”
“Graphics are attractive, have a well-defined and cohesive style, and work exceptionally well for the style of play.”
“The graphics and overall presentation of this game is a welcomed addition, the music, mostly from the band found within the bars is pretty good.”
“SteamWorld Heist is beautifully presented with warm, vibrant graphics, punchy sound effects, and a wholesome soundtrack, but overall the universe and characters are really, really bland, like wallpaper over a game's systems.”
“I am so angry at this for tricking me into buying it by having an art style, theme, and - on paper - mechanics that all are right up my alley.”
“The graphics are not state of the art, but clearly enough for this type of game.”
- humor87 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely praised for its charm and wit, with players enjoying the quirky dialogue, funny character interactions, and amusing item descriptions. Many reviews highlight the delightful blend of humor with engaging gameplay, making it a memorable experience that keeps players coming back for more. While some found the humor to be hit-or-miss, the overall consensus is that it adds a significant layer of enjoyment to the game.
“The dialogue between the crew mates has you laughing in your seat, from one-liners to full-on arguments; it's quite brilliant what they created.”
“I loved the small quirks of this game, its obsession with collecting hats, the musical pieces from Steam Powered Giraffe, and the humorous item descriptions scream that this was a game made with love.”
“It's a game about space-faring pirate robots with guns blasting off each other's hats, with a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor included.”
- replayability49 mentions
- 39 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag. While many players appreciate the variety in difficulty levels, character combinations, and procedurally generated missions that offer some replay value, others find that the experience can become repetitive after a few playthroughs. The enjoyment of replaying often hinges on personal preferences, with some players eager to return for challenges and achievements, while others feel the game lacks depth for extended replays.
“Incredibly tight gameplay, fun RPG elements, really enjoyable characters, and a ton of replayability.”
“Art style is beautiful as always, gameplay never gets boring thanks to a huge variety of enemies, special powers, playable characters, and weapons. Missions are highly replayable thanks to procedurally generated maps, and country/folk music adds that unique Firefly feel to the space pirate/cowboy journey.”
“Great replayability, lots of interesting personality and entertaining moments, along with a fun and challenging combat system that left me eagerly leveling up every character.”
“However, this game doesn't have much of a replayability.”
“My only critique is that replayability is somewhat low, given that the procedurally generated levels still manage to start feeling a bit samey by the end of the campaign.”
“However, outside of wanting to play through the game again with any DLC content you purchase later, I don't find much replay value here.”
- grinding46 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- -4 % neutral mentions
- 98 % negative mentions
The reviews indicate that grinding is a significant aspect of the game, often required to level up characters and obtain better gear, which can lead to a tedious experience for some players. While some find the grinding enjoyable due to the game's engaging mechanics and randomized levels, others criticize it for becoming repetitive and lacking meaningful progression. Overall, the necessity of grinding varies by player experience, with some enjoying the challenge while others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game.
“The grinding aspect of the game can be quite extensive, requiring 60 to 100 hours to fully experience everything it has to offer.”
“While the grind can be time-consuming, it adds a rewarding layer to the gameplay that keeps you engaged.”
“I appreciate how the grinding mechanics are designed to enhance character progression and skill development.”
“However, this grinding soon becomes a necessity and then somewhat tedious if you want a moderately full squad at max level.”
“A massive water penalty on death combined with grinding not being fun does not make for a good game.”
“Grinding can be fun if there's meat on the bones and it offers good clear progression; grinding isn't fun if it is identical content in a loop with no exciting loot and little to no progress.”
- atmosphere29 mentions
- 86 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, combining exceptional music, engaging graphics, and a unique steampunk-western aesthetic. Players appreciate the blend of retrofuturism and humor, which enhances the overall experience, making it both enjoyable and challenging. The atmosphere is consistently described as vibrant and captivating, contributing significantly to the game's appeal.
“But it is the music and atmosphere that make me stay.”
“Very enjoyable game with a laid-back, feel-good atmosphere, yet difficult enough to be engaging.”
“The atmosphere and music is fantastic and the gameplay is challenging without being unfair.”
- character development7 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is generally viewed as limited, with companions lacking significant growth beyond becoming stronger through use. However, players appreciate the vibrant character designs and personalities, which contribute to the overall enjoyment of the game. The art direction and soundtrack further enhance the experience, making the game visually and audibly appealing.
“The character development is fun and makes a difference; once you've picked your favorites, they just get stronger the more you use them.”
“Love the art direction and character designs.”
“Everything about SteamWorld Heist is near perfect: the character designs, the story, the weapons, the music, etc.”
- optimization5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players express concerns about its appeal and performance on lower-end PCs, others report a smooth experience with no performance issues after several hours of gameplay. The solid character performances seem to enhance the experience despite the optimization concerns.
“Who says you need a high-performance PC to enjoy a good game?”
“+ great performance”
“Honestly, I have no complaints about this game in its current state, and after only 4 or so hours of play, not even anything performance-wise.”
“The optimization problem ran through my head, and the patterns go over and over, which makes it lose its appeal.”
“Honestly, I have no complaints about this game in its current state, and after only 4 or so hours of play, I haven't encountered any performance issues.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
While Steamworld Heist features vibrant graphics and an engaging soundtrack, many users find the emotional impact lacking due to its bland characters and uninspiring story. Despite this, some players still enjoy the gameplay as a lighthearted distraction, suggesting that the emotional depth may not be essential for enjoyment.
“The story lacks depth and feels boring, which detracts from the emotional experience.”
“If you can overlook the boring story and lack of depth, you might find a fun little time-waster, but it's hard to connect emotionally.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, users report a stable experience with no significant bugs or glitches, although some mention occasional issues with hit box accuracy.
“The game runs smoothly without any bugs.”
“I haven't encountered any stability issues during my gameplay.”
“The performance is consistent, making for a seamless experience.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced several game-breaking bugs that ruined my progress.”
“The stability issues are frustrating; I often get disconnected from the server.”
Critic Reviews
SteamWorld Heist Review
SteamWorld Heist is an entirely different proposition to its predecessor, and that's no bad thing. Its quirky blend of a 2D perspective, allied with turn-based strategy and skill-based attacks, is a surprisingly addictive combination. There's impressive depth to the overall mechanics, and it's all topped off with a level of presentation that's both charming and accomplished. Whether seeking challenging strategy or an entertaining story, this title delivers both in its own unique way and has certainly stolen plenty of our time; we haven't even got all the hats yet.
90%SteamWorld Heist Review
Considering how wildly different SteamWorld Heist is from its predecessor, this was clearly a bit of a risk for Image & Form. Fortunately for us, it is one that really pays off. Turn-based strategy featuring steampunk cowboy robots might sound like a mishmash of ideas that came from someone's drunken Mad Libs game, but everything works to near perfection here, and almost every design choice has a reason to be present. The strategic element of the gameplay is both wickedly challenging and undeniably fun, and this is one of those rare games that should appeal to both hardcore genre fanatics and more casual gamers at the same time. A bit of repetition and some interface issues might keep it out of the realm of the all-time greats, but there is so much heart in this cold metal shell that all is quickly forgiven.
80%SteamWorld Heist Review
SteamWorld Heist on Wii U is exactly what we expected - a high quality Wii U iteration of a game that was already fantastic on 3DS. The wider field of view and sharper graphics are certainly appealing, and this remains a game that can easily keep players engaged for hour after hour. Image & Form struck gold with its blend of turn-based strategy and skill-based combat, and it's stolen our affections all over again now that it's arrived on Nintendo's home console.
90%
