Ditching the area exploration of the unique, SteamWorld Heist 2 is a swashbuckling techniques journey that locations you within the footwear of Captain Leeway. He takes to the Nice Sea along with his ragtag group of Steambots to resolve the water disaster, take care of the oppressive navy making issues worse, and show he can reside as much as his legendary title. The sport’s writing is undoubtedly charming and has you rooting for the crew. This additionally extends to the assorted taverns and areas discovered on the Nice Sea, that are full of enjoyable, humorous characters that by no means outstay their welcome, and make the world really feel lived in.
The gameplay loop breaks down into two sections. There’s an overworld through which you traverse the waters in your submarine. This consists of battling navy ships (and maybe even different enemies) as you discover the seas to search out missions. Whereas it is cool to search out hidden areas and shortcuts, that is most likely the weakest a part of the sport – particularly the additional you get into the journey.
The opposite half, and the principle occasion of the sport, are the turn-based battles. These are 2D tactical fights that includes the identical issues that made the unique sport so nice. This time round, there are six distinctive courses out there, which is nice by itself, however the place it actually shines is the cog system, which lets you stage up in a single class and switch a few of the talents to a different, resulting in some lethal combos (the Engineer’s cowl is implausible for the Sniper, for instance). You may also recruit particular Steambots from taverns, who in flip have their very own distinctive talents so as to add an additional layer. These are backed up by a novel variety of mission sorts, reminiscent of capturing a particular piece of loot in time, beating a boss, or simply merely surviving.
SteamWorld Heist 2 does every little thing the title implies. It has the copious quantities of allure and robust world-building discovered within the wider collection, whereas constructing and bettering on the superb gameplay basis launched within the authentic SteamWorld Heist. This seafaring journey is not one you need to miss should you’re after some top-tier techniques, and the enhancements over the unique make the almost-10-year wait greater than price it.