It’s sort of an odd shift for a sequel to go from an outer area setting to a nautical one, however SteamWorld video games have by no means shied away from being sort of odd. The truth is, it’s their complete factor. There are direct connections between the foolish swashbuckling story of SteamWorld Heist 2 and the unique from 2015, however these take some time to indicate up – as a substitute, a lot of Heist 2 feels utterly separate because it provides you management of a submarine and a crew filled with goofy robots in a colorfully cartoony ocean. This journey takes place on a surprisingly massive overworld map that’s full of so many robust and tactically deep flip-based mostly missions and lighter facet actions that burning by way of all of them took me round 40 hours.
The plot that ensues is appropriately gentle and enjoyable, revolving round our borderline-competent one-armed captain, Quincy Leeway. He’s attempting to flee the shadow of his well-known mom and gathering a crew to find the supply of a rusty corruption that’s poisoning the water. I wouldn’t name any of the surprises stunning or its characters particularly memorable (I think they’d be simpler to like if their dialogue have been absolutely voiced) however its robotic coronary heart is firmly in the fitting place.
What is memorable is the music, for which the relentlessly charming band Steam Powered Giraffe returns with 15 delightfully catchy authentic songs that play once you’re visiting taverns between missions. I typically discovered myself hanging round a bit longer than I wanted to so as to allow them to end a verse about how good it’s to be a robotic earlier than heading again to my ship.
SteamWorld Heist 2’s 2D flip-based mostly tactical gameplay is similar to the unique, however the controls are notably smoother (albeit nonetheless a bit wonky on mouse and keyboard). Shifting your group of 1 to 5 bots (relying on the mission) round a facet-scrolling degree to line up photographs and snag loot inside their two-motion turns is a tough problem of effectivity, and having to flee an endlessly growing stream of enemies as you full a particular goal quite than simply attempting to clear the map provides quite a lot of missions an exhilarating finale.
The truth that the entire aiming is finished manually by elevating or reducing the angle of your bots’ gun arms – within the fashion of the traditional Worms video games – provides it a bit extra life than quite a lot of flip-based mostly video games. It’s fairly hilarious to look at the projected path of a shot from a piercing sniper rifle as you slide it round till it passes by way of a number of enemies, then let it fly on the proper second of its gently wobbling sway. That stated, you’d must be a geometrical savant to foretell what a number of financial institution photographs you’ll be capable of line up with out transferring someplace first and seeing the place the rule of thumb finally ends up pointing, so quite a lot of these really feel like random fortunate rewards quite than one thing earned. I do really feel fairly happy with myself after I efficiently land a ricochet shot to hit an enemy behind cowl utilizing a weapon that doesn’t have the rule of thumb, although.
Every character begins with a local class that you just degree up, however you’re strongly inspired to show all of them into hybrid beasts that blend and match talents from the six totally different bushes. It’s a really good and versatile system when you get going, although quite a lot of that unlocking course of, which requires a bot to run missions with every class’s signature weapon sort, feels compulsory. You’d be silly, as an example, to not unlock the primary-tier powers of the Sniper and the Boomer on nearly everyone: the previous means that you can use a Good Intention potential that places a prediction line on any weapon and removes sway, and the latter allows you to equip a 3rd stock merchandise. And I have to say, an improve you should purchase comparatively early on that unlocks the primary two full tiers of a category’s expertise after utilizing it for only one mission made me severely remorse how I’d chosen to unfold my expertise factors skinny as much as that time.
As soon as issues get rolling and you may mix the most effective expertise from every tree with the ten bots’ distinctive particular talents, there are quite a lot of extraordinarily highly effective and satisfying tips you may pull. Shifting across the 2D maps is a snap when Beacon can teleport anyplace you’ve seen (with a 3-flip cooldown timer), and pairing that with brawler’s hammer means there’s nobody he can’t smash for top harm. Chimney’s Tit for Tat potential offers harm to anybody who hits her, and that goes very properly with the Ache Amulet merchandise that does the identical factor as a result of the consequences stack. Hightower’s Abs of Metal potential makes him invulnerable and forces each enemy to assault him that flip – which is great for, amongst different issues, shopping for a while to your crew to make a getaway.
Notably, SteamWorld Heist 2 does away with a number of the authentic’s annoyances, equivalent to a tightly restricted stock system and procedurally generated ranges that felt samey after a bit. These multi-chambered phases are all hand-constructed round their goals, and you may maintain as a lot of your loot available as you want (although there’s no method to degree up early-recreation gadgets, so quite a lot of it turns into out of date junk you must unload). There are quantity of legendary weapons that include distinctive modifiers, like a melee hammer that provides you further harm to your sidearm pistol or a sniper rifle that inflicts burning harm, and I typically discovered myself altering up my ways to benefit from a brand new one.
Towards the top of the marketing campaign I’d cranked up the problem a few notches to maintain the enemies aggressive with my heavy-hitting groups. (Issue might be nice-tuned to your liking on the fly with totally different sliders for the tactical and actual-time modes, in addition to a couple of different choices.) After all, every mission is thoughtfully designed with layers to it past merely carrying out the primary goal together with your final bot limping out the door with a sliver of well being, enemies nipping at their heels. Getting the utmost score means you’ll have to return again for one more run and go for getting all of your bots out alive, then try this whereas additionally grabbing the entire loot luggage (together with the one little bit of epic loot), and then do the bonus goal – which might be issues like hitting a number of switches throughout the identical flip, killing three enemies by dropping stuff on them, or taking out turrets it’d be simpler to sprint previous in your method to the door. Boss fights additionally put intelligent spins on the mechanics and problem you to cope with a number of issues directly as you’re disabling defenses and bashing away to inflict as a lot harm as attainable.
Enemy selection is one other robust level. The Rattlers are particularly neat wanting, in that their designs are differentiated from the extra typical junkyard androids of the Navy by the truth that they’ve changed their metallic elements with rust-proof ones fabricated from bone (it’s unclear the place the bones got here from). It may be a bit difficult to tell apart a few of your individual bots from the equally steam-powered Navy enemies till you get to know them higher, however with a number of units of melee, ranged, and particular enemies (just like the Rattler who drops totems that may hit your group with elemental harm each flip should you don’t take them out) there are quite a lot of variables to contemplate and threats to prioritize on each mission.
If that sounds overwhelming, know that there are zero penalties for failing a mission – you simply attempt once more (with no charge to restore your bots like within the first SteamWorld Heist). You too can reload a checkpoint from two turns again, so whereas it can save you-scum your manner by way of a mission it’s not fairly as straightforward as undoing the one dangerous transfer you simply made. Contemplating there’s no actual method to know and plan for what sort of bot can be greatest suited to a mission earlier than you dive in, it’s for the most effective that failure could be very a lot an choice.
After all, there’s mainly a complete second, completely totally different recreation constructed round that concept, which you play as you journey from mission to mission. The place the primary SteamWorld Heist’s overworld map is one thing akin to Tremendous Mario World’s related nodes, this one is an open-world recreation unto itself, if a comparatively easy and two-dimensional one. The map itself is surprisingly massive, and there are many facet challenges to interact in to achieve treasure chests through which you must navigate currents or run gauntlets with weapons firing on you from either side. Puttering round this expansive maze of waterways is a pleasant, lighter break from the flip-based mostly ways; tangling with enemy watercraft, working occasional impediment programs, and unlocking routes and shortcuts with new talents is kind of a bit shallower than the primary occasion, however it positively has a couple of tense moments as a result of you may’t replenish your sub’s well being with out docking and ending your day, and getting sunk means shedding all of your booty. I particularly like often coming throughout battles between fleets of ships from the 2 essential enemy factions going at it and cleansing up the wreckage after I end them off – that sort of factor places a bit little bit of life and spontaneity into what’s in any other case a fairly static world.
You possibly can solely cruise round for therefore lengthy, although, as a result of every bot is sweet for one mission per day. To be able to maximize your return earlier than coming in to dock for the night time you’ll need to search for mission combos that allow you to expend everyone in your present roster, which could imply replaying a mission or two. That stated, there doesn’t appear to be a time restrict or something, so should you wished to you may merely do one mission day by day and simply use the identical squad for practically every little thing. However that’d be boring (and would depart a few of your crew underleveled).
Fight with boats and different subs is alongside the traces of “bullet heaven” video games like Vampire Survivors, in that your sub fires mechanically (so long as a goal is inside its weapon arcs) when you concentrate on steering out of the best way of incoming cannonballs and torpedoes. There’s actually some ability to approaching enemies outdoors of their gun arcs and spinning to line up all of yours, and it will get a bit deeper when you unlock the flexibility to spice up your engines and submerge (see what I did there?). SteamWorld Heist 2 does a dependable job of rolling out upgrades to stop each fight and the satisfying act of uncovering the map’s fog of conflict from turning into too one-word over the course of three dozen hours. There aren’t a ton of various enemy varieties to battle out right here, however you’ll see sufficient destroyers, battleships, skiffs, and subs – and discover higher weapons, engine boosters, armor, and the prefer to improve your sub with – to maintain issues fascinating.