The games in the Staemworld series are unusual in their world, in which humanity has given way to a new form of life – intelligent steam-powered robots. Heist is the fourth game in the series, where robots conquer the last frontier of space, made in the style of steampunk and western.

Steam space

After the events of Steamworld dig 2, the Earth was destroyed. The surviving Steamboats have rebuilt their civilization on the fragments of the planet, extracting vital water and other resources. But the peace and tranquility did not last long. In the core, where there are the most fragments, the royalists have risen – diesel-powered bots under the leadership of the Red Queen, seeking to restore the Earth without much understanding of the means. In deep space beyond the orbit of the moon, an unknown force rises its head. And on the outskirts of the Steamboat settlement they are attacked by various gangs. Players will take on Piper Faraday and her crew, smugglers and pirates with a heart of gold.

The world is divided into three regions, in each of which the player’s ship moves between points of interest. At these points there may be shops, bars and, of course, ships and boarding stations. In battles, players earn water, which is the main currency in the game, loot, experience points for the team and reputation. Reputation is needed to advance through the story, hire some characters and to access special weapons in stores. For completing a mission you get one point, and one point each for no losses and collecting all the loot on the level. If a mission was failed or could not be completed with the maximum rating, then it can be restarted at any time. In addition to the missions necessary for the plot, there are additional tasks . Overall, this part of the game turned out to be modest, but it gets the job done.

The armor is strong, our steamboats are fast.

The main gameplay of the game is boarding. Tactical Battles in a game reminiscent of a mixture of XCOM, Worms and roguelike. From the first, two-phase movement and a system with full or partial cover. From worms, a two-dimensional map, manual aiming and. It must be taken into account that despite the fact that you can aim with one click of the mouse, the hands of our steamboats tremble and you need to choose the moment so that the bullet (or something else) does not fly into the milk. Oddly enough, both systems work well with each other. It is necessary to tactically run from cover to cover, bypass the enemy or smoke him out from behind cover. With a well-aimed shot, you can knock off an enemy’s hat (which has no tactical meaning but allows you to add this item of clothing to your collection) or immobilize the enemy bot for a turn with a well-aimed hit in the legs. There are also objects in the location that can either hinder or help, such as exploding barrels or spilled fuel. Roguelike elements are visible in the level structure. Each ship that players board is divided into compartments. The general concept of the level remains the same from attempt to attempt, but the details change. For example: the location of compartments and transitions between them, and inside them the location and number of enemies and loot change.

The battles during the boarding https://slotsnogamstop.co.uk/gonzos-quest/ turned out to be fast, each level takes ten to fifteen minutes. With rare exceptions, collecting loot is the goal of most missions; enemy bots are just an obstacle. Delaying the mission by shooting enemies is dangerous for another reason. Often an alarm is raised on the ship and after a few turns reinforcements arrive or turrets are activated. Alone, the enemy does not pose a threat, but you should not relax because at the level the enemy has more strength, a more advantageous position, and he will take advantage of any mistake the player makes. The fact that opponents are divided into three factions adds variety to battles. Each with its own set of soldiers, which is why we have to change tactics a little. At the end of each chapter, the player will face a boss battle, each of which has its own characteristics and challenges the player’s tactical skill.

Piper’s Nine Friends

Before each raid, the player will be asked to select from one to four bots for the boarding team. Initially, only Piper herself and her first mate are available, but gradually the crew will expand with seven (plus one from the add-on) boarders.

Each bot has a preferred type of weapon and has its own set of active and passive abilities. Initially, two or three are available, but as you gain a level, new ones open up .There are ten levels in total and the development itself is strictly linear.

Items will help supplement existing abilities and characteristics. Each steamboat has two slots for them. Armor, grenades, jetpacks, first aid kits and even additional weapons that don’t waste a turn. Consumables have a limited number of uses in battle, but are restored after the mission.

A steamboat without a gun is just half a steamboat. Let each character have his own personal gun, but it’s better to replace it with something from the trophies at the first opportunity. Fortunately, the arsenal is extensive: from shooters made from garbage to futuristic blasters. All this variety is divided into three types: pistols, assault weapons, sniper rifles and heavy weapons. Pistols are universal weapons, perform well at medium distances, can be handed to any steamboat. Assault weapons are shotguns and machine guns, not very accurate, but ideal in close combat due to high damage. Sniper rifles, for the most part, do not allow shooting after moving, but are equipped with a target designator for accurate shooting and the use of ricochet. Heavy weapons – grenade launchers and rocket launchers, ideal for destroying a group of opponents or particularly powerful enemies, but require careful handling as explosions can hit allies. Each weapon has not only damage, but also additional features, such as a double shot, armor penetration or paralysis.

The shine and misery of the steel world

I just love the visual style of Steamworld heist. The characters are not only well drawn but also animated. This applies not only to characters under control but also to enemies. And how the robots fly apart from hits (the game also slows down at some moments) I can say the same about the environment. The overall visual style is reminiscent of a comic book come to life.

The music is quite good, but with rare exceptions it doesn’t stick in your head at all. The only exception may be songs from the group Steam Powered Giraffe, who play in bars and after each victory over bosses.

Unfortunately, the project is not without its shortcomings. The game, although it turned out to be rich and interesting, is a little short, if you skip additional missions and are not distracted by getting the maximum rating, the game is played in seven to eight hours and twice as long if you go through all the missions. On the other hand, she doesn’t have time to get bored, although the ending comes unexpectedly.

There wasn’t enough lore for my taste. You can learn something from conversations with party members and in bars, but all this mainly concerns current events or biographies of comrades-in-arms. Many questions that have arisen in me over the course of three games have remained unanswered. The universe of the steam world is a very interesting place and the fact that the developers talk so little about it, I think it’s a big mistake

The game turned out well and is a worthy continuation of the series. I can confidently recommend the game to both fans of the turn-based tactics genre and beginners. Strong gameplay and nice-looking graphics will brighten up several evenings.