SteamWorld Heist Impressions

From Lou "Herobyclicking" Adducci

Robots. Steam powered with the intent of taking your Loot. Your space Loot from your spaceship. Departing from the terrestrial setting of SteamWorld Dig, SteamWorld Heist places you in the stars in the role of Captain Piper. She and her growing band space bandits are landing on your 3DS this fall 2015, but trust, me that really ain't soon enough. Those ships ain't gonna Loot themselves. then he proceeded to help me at even faster by switching characters during movement.

Image & Form places this third, though not last, entry of the SteamWorld franchise in the stars as a 2D turn-based strategy game. Brjann Sigurgeirsson remembers how they came to this new concept for a SteamWorld game. "We were spending lunch breaks talking about X-COM (Enemy Within) and how great it was. We thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if we made a robot turn-based game.” Well, how is it going to be different, “well, we would make it 2D, that what we do, that’s our rule man!”

Even without that prompting you can see the influence of the popular turn-based game from Firaxis. Though unsurprisingly Image & Form quickly and deftly injects its personality and style into the game. Lip smackingly so. Heist mixes perfect parts of whimsy and grit in their design. Like SteamWorld Dig, Heist carries this nuance, creating a melodramatic glow. I spent some time with Brjann playing Heist at E3. The noise of the small indie mixer faded as I picked up the 3DS and took control of Captain Piper. Dirt-caked walls of a rogue spacecraft filled my vision, I had a job to do. At the start, Captain Piper and her first mate enter a ship, taking turns moving through the levels. When you encounter enemies you opt for accuracy when moving frugally. Finding cover is key, though most cover can be destroyed. Plan your moves, do better than I did. My excitement of tromping through the handcrafted hallways of the enemy ship were brought to a halt. I was playing quickly and recklessly. I failed to line up (or not line up my shots) on the robotic baddies protecting the goods my crew so desperately sought.

http://i.imgur.com/w5MYN4z....

Straight on conflict only got me so far. What I needed to focus on was using cover, knowing my weapon type and ricocheting my shots into my foes for extra damage. "Lou, you're playing really fast!" Brjann laughed. Be then he showed me how play even quicker, increasing excitement, but hastening my complete demise. I didn't care. Load it up again, let's toast some robot bolts. Less of mine this time though. Eventually I managed to slow my pace to take to perfect shots, to take the perfect position and to grab that tasty, amazing loot.

I love strategy games. I like planning, checking, double checking and acting. I like stepping away and considering the move. I like being the person to send virtual characters to their victory or demise. While I never would have considered 2D for a viable turn-based game, you would never have have guessed it by the depth of focus and concentration of those enjoying the game. SteamWorld Heist has scratched a very deep itch. It has also left me with a desperate wanting of more. It summoned my SteamBot and I am so ready.

This space epic brings us just a bit closer to knowing more about Image & Form's bizarre world of SteamBots. Who are they? Where do they come from? Where are the humans? “That has to be explained, right? Heist is not the last SteamWorld game we are going to make. There is still going to be more to learn. The next game is going to tell quite a bit and that is going to cover the human aspect of the SteamWorld story,” Sigurgeirsson says. The robots emulate human traits, gender and behaviors. Did the humans create the SteamBots? We’ll just have to wait to find out until the next SteamWorld game.

Those interested in creating and joining a new community surrounding SteamWorld Heist are in luck. Image & Form (@ImageForm) has launched a new social media campaign for the SteamWorld enthused who enjoy spreading the word and participating in community events like naming/designing in-game items. Earn the illustrious title of “SteamWorld Ambassador” and encourage your friends to participate for prizes.

One thing is definitely clear, SteamWorld Heist is on the list of future obsessions that I am more than happy to participate in this fall. To feel the clank of that hatch open, the rush of the heist and thrill of looting space ships couldn’t come soon enough.

http://i.imgur.com/OJiFVam....

Day 16 | Image and Form