Hugh J. O'Donnell

Steamworld Heist
Published by Image & Form
Played on PS4/PS VIta

The Skinny: Take command of a ragtag crew of space pirates in this surprising strategy RPG.

‘Steamworld Heist’ is an unusual choice for a follow up to indie studio Image & Form’s well-received exploratory platformer ‘Steamworld DIg.’ In this installment, the developers take their lighthearted steampunk aesthetic into new directions: Space, and the tactics genre.
The plot centers around Captain Piper Faraday as she rebuilds her crew and goes for scores in The Outskirts. When a gang of outlaws called the Scrappers start menacing innocent bots, Piper steps in to steal from the bandits, and get to the bottom of the strange occurrences in the Outskirts.
The series maintains much of the humor and aesthetic from Dig, and keeps a side-on perspective that makes navigation easy. Each enemy ship is a level, and levels can be replayed for better loot and experience. The combat system actually works very well. Each bot gets a set amount of movement, and can attack or perform unique actions. Shooting requires a steady aim, which adds some skill into the mix. Failure costs gallons, but doesn’t throw off the pace of the game, and isn’t too penalizing. Players can always go back and level up or try for better gear and try again.
With plenty to do and collect, and a well-rounded roster that grows over the course of the game, ‘Steamworld Heist’ is a pleasant and addictive little tactical adventure that does everything right. The game has a good length of about 25 hours. The writing is charming and doesn’t outstay its welcome. It gets my full recommendation.
‘Steamworld Heist’ is available from Steam, or for most Nintendo and Sony consoles.

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