A fun romp that lasted just a little too long
Image & Form is a studio that knows how to make a great game. Both SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Dig 2 knocked it out of the park and kept me hooked for hours on end. SteamWorld Heist is no different, though it departs from the Metroidvania aspects of the first two games in favor of a turn-based, side-scrolling game.
You control Captain Piper Faraday, leader of a ragtag crew of pirates with a strong resemblance to the cast of Firefly. Even Captain Faraday herself has similarities to Malcom Reynolds. At first, I thought the subtle references were just my burning desire for anything Firefly related, until the end credits. Beneath the title is the line, “You can’t take the swag from me” — a clear play on the opening theme of the single greatest television show of all time.
Anything related to Firefly wins points in my book, but Steamworld Heist stands on its own just fine. There are three sections, each with a major boss at the end. Gameplay consists of making your way through a series of (sometimes procedurally generated) levels. Each level is scored with a star rating at the end ranging from one star to four. Stars are earned by completing the level without losing a party member and collecting the special loot (called Epic Swag. I’m torn between amusement and flashbacks to when “yolo” was popular.)
Each world has a couple of challenge stages that are more difficult than others, but overall the game is not particularly difficult. It has an interesting mechanic in that bullets can ricochet off angled surfaces, allowing you to fire around shields and cover to hit enemies. Different characters can use different weapons, too. A good team consists of a variety of classes to meet different needs. I found myself favoring Captain Faraday, a Sharpshooter; Gabriel “Seabass” Stub, a Vanguard; and Valentine Butterbolt, another Sharpshooter. This combination took me through most of the levels, with Captain Faraday providing support and healing while Seabass tanked and Valentine stood in the background and sniped. In the limited number of levels when I could take a team of four, I opted for a fourth character that could wield a rocket launcher.
I passed over weapon upgrades in favor of weapons with the “Piercing” attribute, which let my bullets pass through multiple enemies. In later levels, it came in handy for tackling the swarms of foes that would come my way.
SteamWorld Heiest isn’t a particularly long game. I finished almost all of the content in just over 13 hours, but I found myself glad to see the credits by the time I finished. Though the game is fun, the mechanics did not change much. The story is mediocre at best, and without a strong plot to keep my attention I started to grow bored by the end of the game. This is a strong $15 game, but I can’t find myself suggesting it for more than that price.
Overall, SteamWorld Heist was a good experience, but I don’t know if I’ll be revisiting it for the New Game+ mode. I would give it a 6.5 out of 10.
Patrick is a long-time gamer and diehard fan of the classics: Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, Halo, etc. He collects SNES games and once dove into a dumpster for a copy of Earthbound.
