In mid to late 2013, indie development studio ImageForm put themselves on the map with a game that took all the right design trends at the time (from mining to Metroidvania) and for all the right reasons. Called Steamworld Dig, it brought new oomph to a franchise that had been obscured by the DSi days. And coming back with a punch, the game eventually introduced itself to a variety of platforms and numerous end of the year lists.
Now, ImageForm is taking on something completely different. Satisfying portable gaming fans who also had to suffer the wait between XCOM and XCOM 2, Steamworld Heist is a different type of digger altogether. Think a Robot-themed, strategy-driven, Guardians of the Galaxy inspired space riff. It’s an ambitious jumble, but in it’s second try figuratively and literally, it pulls it off. Here’s our analysis of why!
Gameplay:
Although Steamworld Heist tackles an entirely different genre, it never feels too unfamiliar, due to some gameplay similarities. This can be found in the game’s still existing 2D mechanics, and a avid quest for plundering loot and objective items. However, it’s core is all the more tactical. You’ll find yourself utilizing the game’s landscapes to take great kills, and procedural generation makes it all the more fresh and inventive.
Story & Design:
On top of Steamworld Heist being particularly engaging, there’s also a good amount of content at hand that can easily extend the average playthrough. For example, the weapon selection is something that seems like it could be skimmed early on, but gets more and more vital as the game progresses. For the most part it’s not as tense as it’s big-budget counterparts, but it’s certainly not an easy game either.
Presentation/ Visuals & Audio:
Lastly, Steamworld Heist also contains it’s fair share of a good color pallete, responsive controls and menu systems, and a lack of clunky animations, which brings it all the closer to delivering the true outer space experience. Those on portable systems may get the lesser of the two cards, but the differences are minimal besides for frame-rate.
Conclusion:
It didn’t seem this way at first, but ImageForm proved Steamworld Heist to be the next logical step after Steamworld Dig. On top of fabulous gameplay and overall intuitiveness, it grasps a personality some other indie games could only dream of. Just get ready for a fun space challenge.
Steamworld Heist gets a 8/10 (Very Good)
We’d like to thank Image Form for giving us a code!
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