Steamworld Heist (3DS) Review

Powah Dunk | January 3, 2016 | Review | No Comments

Steamworld Heist is the follow on from the hugely successful SteamWorld Dig, despite being set in the same world you needn’t have played Dig to understand Heist. Unlike it’s predecessor Heist plays more in the vein of SRPG style games such as Code Name S.T.E.A.M & X Com. Presented in glorious 2D Steam punk graphics you are treated to a tale of Space Piracy, Action & of course Heists.

To say this title is a quirky one is an understatement, the premise is basically robots in space fighting over Gallons of Water while wearing hats, while there is a credible narrative involving factions, royalists, back stabbing and piracy I didn’t pay too much attention as all I wanted to do was move onto the next heist.

As previously stated this is a 2D strategy game, graphically it’s got a very distinct Steam Punk feel to it which really helps set it apart, as you go through the depths of space you’ll come across quite an eccentric cast of ‘Bots who all have different quirks which are perfectly animated making them a joy to come across and guess what role they would play. The Enemies aren’t as varied and usually come in the standard variety of Melee, Gunner, Shield or later on you have Aliens, as you fight so many of these you’ll come across character repetition quite quickly but this is to be expected of any game of this genre.

The core gameplay of Heist is heavily inspired by X Com in that most of your combat SHOULD be done from cover using the handily placed Barrels/Brick Walls/Dynamite Crates. The game doesn’t make this easy on you as most cover can be destroyed with ease so it’s a case of staying on your toes and positioning yourself in the best area possible. To help combat you are given free aim when using your gun ala S.T.E.A.M, the best part of this has to be the ability to bounce bullets off the wall to combat cover usage, some guns actually have laser sight so you can see accurately where your bullet will go, not every gun has this though and it’s a case of guess work and factoring in breathing. It’s little touches like that which help Heist dominate your time, each Heist can be done in a matter of minutes and has different objectives which can be completed to award a bigger score, it’s perfect for pick up and play and is absorbed in the “Just one more map” mentality which will keep you playing into the early hours of the night.

I found Heist easily to be one of the more addictive pick up and play games available on the 3DS, though it doesn’t quite have the depth of other titles like Fire Emblem or Code Name S.T.E.A.M it has such a unique charm, reeks of quirkiness and most importantly has tonnes of hats to collect for your band of robots!. It’s an ideal title for anyone who just wants to spend 10/15 mins at a time say on the bus or on break but will have you playing into the early hours of the morning if you give it chance. It may not have the depth some people would require from strategy titles but if you are a fan of the heavily underrated Code Name S.T.E.A.M or just need a quick strategy fix this title will not only fit the bill but devour your 3DS playtime for months to come.