SteamWorld Heist 2 Preview – A sequel worth diving back in for
The SteamWorld series is a little bit like the sprawling menagerie of Pixar films. While these games share a particular steampunk style and aesthetic, developer Image & Form has consistently surprised and delighted as they explore different genres and game styles with each and every game. Almost. Just like Pixar being lured back for Toy Story, Cars and Monsters Inc. sequels, SteamWorld is also returning to one of its most popular stomping grounds with SteamWorld Heist 2.
The original SteamWorld Heist arrived in 2015, tipping the turn-based strategy XCOM-like format on its side, quite literally. Instead of having a birds eye view of proceedings, moving characters on an isometric world grid, the game switched to a side-scrolling 2D view, putting a lot more emphasis on layers and elevation, as well as player skill as opposed to percentage hit chances.
Truth be told, as much as I loved its core concept – enough to buy the game three or four times in various deep discount sales – I never actually played SteamWorld Heist for more than a few hours. I might have to try and right this wrong, after settling in for the opening of SteamWorld Heist 2.
Thankfully, while they share a gameplay core, SteamWorld Heist 2 tells a completely new story. Set in a fragment of a planet that’s covered in water and small islands, Steambots are being subjugated by the Royal Navy and their fleet of Dieselbots, the fresh water that they need to survive is becoming ever more scarce, with the salty sea water corroding and destroying any that resort to it.
Enter the hero of the piece, Captain Leeway. Well, actually he’s the one-armed son of the legendary Captain “Krakenbane” Leeway, and has struggled all his life to live up to the expectations of greatness that are heaped upon him. Also his submarine just got commandeered by the Royal Navy, and it’s halfway been stripped for parts.
The game’s opening sees you get to grips with the game’s take on turn-based strategy with some of Leeway’s crew – it was
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