SteamWorld Heist 2 review: strategy, the sea, and gaining steam

While very approachable for beginners, SteamWorld Heist 2 boasts great complexity and depth for hardcore fans of the genre

SteamWorld Heist 2 / Thunderful

When you hear the name of a long-established franchise you usually know exactly what you’re going to get. If you play Assassin’s Creed, you’ll get stealth, combat, and exploration. If you play Call of Duty, you’ll run around with friends and shoot people. The SteamWorld franchise is built differently. Rather than sticking to a specific genre, SteamWorld is united by its art style and characters. It has covered genres from metroidvania to management sim, and the Heist games are turn-based strategy titles. Aside from the SteamBots, one more thing unites the SteamWorld series: consistently high quality.

SteamWorld Heist 2 takes the strategy adventure to the open seas and gameplay is split into two sections. There is the overworld exploration on the high seas, which features naval battles and environmental puzzles. This section of gameplay really helps break up the slower strategy levels with some fast-paced action. As you can guess, the other half of gameplay is 2D strategy, where you assign a number of your crew to take on heists and pick up loot while defeating oncoming forces.

SteamWorld Heist 2 / Thunderful

It’s a beefy game and the levels introduce new concepts slowly. There is always something new to consider just as you master the current mechanics. At first you will learn to use cover strategically, to advance and position yourself throughout the level, and what each enemy does. You’re then taught to switch weapons to open up new sub-skills creating mix-and-match characters with the best of each job. Later floor hazards and status conditions are added encouraging you to think more carefully about positioning, and consider the risk-reward of allowing yourself to take extra damage. Each part is introduced slowly enough that you have time to master each, but quickly enough that you always feel challenged.

The way SteamWorld Heist 2 is structured makes it perfect for any level of strategy player. Not only are there several levels of difficulty, but you can increase or decrease the setting whenever you like. You are never locked to a specific difficulty level, and if a mission is causing you trouble, you’re welcome to make it easier just this once. 

SteamWorld Heist 2 / Thunderful

Approachability is intentional and thoughtful. If you fail a mission you can go back just two turns to attempt a more favorable position, or you can return to the overworld. There is no punishment for attempting a level again, you won’t even be locked out of using the same crewmate again. It’s a complete do-over, giving players the chance to learn from their mistakes. Dying in the overworld will lose your bounties – a currency that can be exchanged for loot at the end of each in-game day – but this isn’t enough of a setback to doom your run.

While these aspects make SteamWorld Heist 2 approachable for beginners, there is great complexity and depth for hardcore fans of the genre. Swapping jobs is the best way to improve your crew, but there are several other ways to gain an advantage. Each character can equip a number of sub-items that will offer different benefits in battle. Not only do you have to match these sub-items to your crewmates’ jobs, but also to the level, meaning you’ll be swapping out jobs, items, skills, and weapons regularly. The first Boomer perk allows you to equip an extra item, which is a clever game design element teaching you how beneficial swapping jobs even for just one mission can be.

SteamWorld Heist 2 / Thunderful

The SteamWorld series rarely puts the story on center stage, but there has been an obvious effort to improve on this front. Our protagonist is a boat captain trying to live up to his mother’s name while dealing with the water crisis in the region. SteamBots run on steam, and as pure water becomes more scarce, bots are being plagued by rust. This has caused many to become Rattlers, bots who have slowly swapped out their metal parts for bone. There are obvious political tensions, a closeness with your crewmates, and a strong character arc for our captain. It won’t go down as the greatest video game story of all time, but it’s definitely a step forward for the series and an important tentpole to support the gameplay.

Consistency and quality underline not only SteamWorld Heist 2 but the series as a whole. From a game design standpoint, everything is polished and you’ll never feel frustrated. When you lose you’ll know why, and you’ll bring this knowledge to your next attempt. Despite this, consistency comes with its downsides. SteamWorld Heist 2 doesn’t take risks and doesn’t revolutionize the genre, but it doesn’t attempt to. Instead, it offers players a quality game that doesn’t disappoint, while never reaching that ‘must-play’ status.

Score: 7/10

Version tested: Nintendo Switch