SteamWorld Heist II Review

SteamWorld Heist II is a side-scrolling tactical turn-based strategy game developed by Thunderful Games. A sequel to SteamWorld Heist and another entry in the overall SteamWorld series, this is a game fans have been waiting for since 2015. Now, there is the slightly awkward situation where I haven’t played the previous game, which definitely did not prepare me for the turn-based tactical gameplay (I thought it was just a 2D shooter, why do I keep skimming the Steam page?), but I’m more than willing to tackle what it has to offer. So get your furnace running hot and get plenty of water to see if it’s worth sailing the seas for.

Humanity is long gone, with the Earth being nothing but a couple of giant chunks orbiting around the core and in space, water is a difficult resource to come by, which is a problem especially if you’re a robot who primarily runs off steam. There is, however, a great source of it on one of those chunks — the oceanic Shard. However, something (or someone) seems to be poisoning the Shard’s sea, making it corrosive to those who rely on it. In response, the Royal Navy has enforced strict control over the resource (plus stealing it), raising tensions to a boiling point. None of this matters to Captain Quincy Leeway, though. He just wants his submarine back, a crew to run it, and a chance to escape his legendary mother’s shadow. Although, that water crisis might become his problem eventually…

The writing is pretty good and made me feel for the characters, along with making me chuckle a few times. You kind of do feel sorry for Quincy, as practically everyone you meet either says he isn’t worth the water powering him compared to his mum or they just see him as Krakenbane’s son, and he isn’t exactly happy about either situation despite the bravado he puts on. The art style and animations are also really well done, with every step and shot lovingly animated and showcasing a character’s personality really well.\

Rest and reprieve from a pirate's life. Treasure it.

I would like to give mention to the soundtrack. The music is really good here, especially the songs that play in the various bars scattered throughout the map. I did find myself just stopping to relax and listen to it, even sing along. Actually, one of the songs is currently stuck in my head and I really want to know when the soundtrack is coming out.

Although the main protagonist of the story is Quincy, you’ll be playing as the crew on missions, starting off with Daisy and Wesley. Daisy is just happy to be there and Wesley wants to die gloriously. Yeah… You might want to start recruiting new crew members as soon as possible. That’s a recommended tip because, with more crew, you can run more missions before you end the day, which means you can collect better rewards from Bounties once you do. It’ll also heal and revive all your crew members and ship, so it’s recommended you take your time and regularly visit the nearest bar.

Recruit a whole cast of unique characters who can be customised to your liking.

Your crew has various jobs, which determines their weapons and abilities, from Snipers and Engineers to Reapers and Boomers (wow, that word is ruined). Don’t think they’re set for life though, as you can easily switch jobs by equipping a different weapon to them. What’s special here is that abilities unlocked in one job stay with the character, even if they get a new job. It just takes cogs to equip them. That means your crew members are highly customisable, being potentially able to adapt to any situation or excel at whatever they specialise in. Also, you can give them cool hats that you either buy or, uh, liberate from the scrap of a fallen enemy. Hey, at least it makes those narrowly missed headshots actually worth something.

Actually, let’s talk about the gameplay because you will be shooting a lot in this game. It plays similarly to the modern XCOM series, just on a 2D plane. You prepare your squad with items and weapons, each member of your crew has two actions to move and use their abilities, you’ll probably want everyone to be in cover, and a mission can and will go wrong if you aren’t playing smart. This should be familiar territory if you’ve played something similar. However, very little is left to chance here. There is no need to roll the dice to hope you hit your target. Nope, it relies on your own ability to aim. Only sniper rifles have laser sights, and even then, they sway, which can throw off your shot if you mistime it. Bullets also ricochet, which can really help you hit an enemy behind cover. You do have to be mindful though, as enemies can do the same to you and they can be really good at it. It’s actually really fun to pull off trick shots, maybe even accidentally wipe out a room with a single bullet from a pistol. It’s really fun, as it’s less about risk management and relying on RNG and instead about actual tactics, strategy, and your knowledge of geometry. It’s your fault if you miss and that’s what makes it satisfying when you do hit those long shots… if you're playing on a controller. As it turns out, several hours into my playthrough, using a mouse provides a crosshair, which makes aiming infinitely easier. Why didn't I think of this sooner? That means anyone playing the console versions will have a much more difficult time with the game, and that doesn't feel fair.

However, I should point out that SteamWorld Heist II is really accessible, regardless of your (in)ability to eyeball bullet trajectories. If a mission is going pear-shaped, you can revert back by two turns or just abandon the mission completely. There are no consequences (other than a hit to your pride) so you’re free to change your squad and their equipment and go again, a little more knowledgeable. And if that’s still too much for you or you find the game a breeze, you're free to lower or raise the difficulty at any time, even create your own custom difficulty. The rewards don’t change so play how you want to. It’s all great.

Everything is under control.

Between missions, you’ll be playing as Quincy (he can’t fight, he’s missing an arm) as he recruits more members, buys weapons and items for his crew, and upgrades for his ship to be the best in Shard. He’ll also have some puzzle areas to solve to get some more loot. However, his main duty as captain is manning his ship around the map, where he'll encounter obstacles and enemies that need to be taken care of, above and below the water (your ship is a submarine after all). There is combat, but all you have to worry about is your positioning and movement as all your weapons fire on their own. It’s usually a small distraction from your destination rather than a dedicated moment of destruction, but there can be some really intense fights later in the game.

Onto performance, and I have no issues with it. I didn’t run into glitches or drops in framerate. It all ran well. I also can’t figure out if I have a genuine problem with the game since, well, I was kinda having way too much fun building up my crew and sending them out on nigh-impossible suicide missions… and getting out without a scratch.

Another successful heist.

Even though I haven’t played the prequel, SteamWorld Heist II is really damn good so I can’t help but assume fans will love it that much more. I feel as though this is a great entry point into the genre and it’s certainly less frustrating than missing a 95% chance of hitting. It’s fun, it’s made with plenty of heart, and I want to play more.