SteamWorld Heist Review

A successor to the completely different SteamWorld Dig, SteamWorld Heist has you build a ragtag crew of androids in order to take on evil throughout the galaxy (be they plundering pirates, an oppressive monarchy, or a mysterious alien force). The overarching story isn’t all that gripping in the early going, as you’re basically just battling a procession of robot foes, but the characters you’ll meet along the way help the adventure build steam.

While the animation is a bit on the simple side, each robot on your crew has a distinct personality that’s conveyed through well-written dialogue, and smart visual design. Piper’s streamlined look fits with that of a robot leader, Sally has the countrified look of a (robot) farmer’s daughter, and Ivanski mixes old-timey strongman with brutish Russian to perfection. It’s a bit of a shame that the 2D style doesn’t employ many effects or tricks to take advantage of the 3D, but between these quirky animatronic pals and the fun intergalactic travel, SteamWorld Heist’s adventure felt a lot like a playable version of Firefly, except where everyone’s a robot.

Even more alluring is the expertly crafted strategic combat. Breaching an enemy ship with one to four of your robot gunslingers as you take on enemy forces and seek out loot is a great experience because of the many variables at play. There’s weapons like laser-sight sniper pistols and multi-projectile shotguns to vary the core of the combat, and then you have each bot’s unique skills, like Piper’s ability to inspire nearby crew, or Ivanski’s one-turn invulnerability trick. These all synergize in rewarding ways when coordinated properly.