Hands on with the SteamWorld Heist 2 PC Version
Sail the seas with SteamWorld Heist 2, which is now available on Gamesplanet. Take a look at our first impressions from the game!
By Craig Bishop (Gamesplanet)
SteamWorld Heist 2 Review copy was provided by Thunderful Games for testing purposes, opinions are Gamesplanet's own and not representative of Thunderful Games. Performance stated is in a pre-release build and may not reflect the final game.
Explore the oceans and sail the seas with the strategy sequel SteamWorld Heist 2, which is out now. Thanks to our lovely friends at Thunderful Games we've been lucky enough to go hands on with the sequel ahead of release, but how is the game and is it a worthy title for the SteamWorld series?
My own experience with the SteamWorld has been a mixed bag, having loved the SteamWorld Dig titles, but barely touching the well received SteamWorld Heist (my own fault). Even though I haven't played as much of the original game I still went into the sequel with a fresh mind.
Gather a Crew and Plunder the Seas
While it's a sequel, you don't need to have previous knowledge of the first game - which is somewhat reminiscent of SteamWorld Dig 2, which did have a couple references to the original game, but was a self contained story. You play as Captain Leeway, who must gather a crew and live up to his mother's legacy by battling the navy. The original SteamWorld Heist put you in space, and SteamWorld Heist 2 brings things back down to Earth as you explore the open seas with the help of your handy submarine (once you get it back of course).
The Submarine is more than just a way to get from point to point as it serves as a mini base of operations for your crew to plan missions, upgrade the submarine and get to know people better. Think of it like the XCOM 2 base, with sections opening up and various people to chat with.
As you progress further into the story you'll be able to hire mercenaries that can join your crew, and they'll have different sets of abilities as the crew are broken down into 5 classes (or Jobs if you prefer): Brawler, Boomer, Engineer, Sniper, Reaper and Flanker. For example, the Brawler is better suited for melee combat, while the Sniper can shoot enemies from further way. Bringing the right crew member to a mission could be the difference between winning and losing.
Missions and Upgrades
Being a turn-based strategy game it's crucial to plan your next move and get into the best position in order to survive, either by hiding behind something to get cover, or shooting an exploding barrel that drops onto enemies to make things easier. There's plenty of ways to handle missions and you don't feel punished by doing something wrong. Should you die you can restart from the beginning or a couple turns earlier.
Speaking of difficulty, the game also offers up a chance for you to customize the experience. Prefer a straight up Story game and want an easier time in combat? You can do that, or you can crank up enemy health and try the game at its most difficult. The game caters to all players, no matter their skill level. Once you've conquered a mission you'll earn resources, which can then be used to upgrade your submarine with weapons, health and more.
You'll also be able to upgrade your crew, as they level up and gain new abilities - as well as being able to purchase new weapons for them from local bars.
What's next and closing thoughts
I've barely scratched the surface on SteamWorld Heist 2, and even after a couple hours it feels like there's still a ton of things left to do. Some critics claim that the game may take upwards of 40 hours, which is a crazy amount of time compared to mine. But it's a game I want to continue playing, and something I can see myself getting invested in the same way I did with SteamWorld Dig 2, and I look forward to seeing where the adventure goes.
If you're new to strategy games, or didn't ply the original game don't worry, SteamWorld Heist 2 does a great job bringing new players into its world and what a world it is!
SteamWorld Heist 2 is available now on Gamesplanet and you can save 15% off the game until August 15th. You can also pick up the original SteamWorld Heist for 90% off and other SteamWorld titles titles in our Summer Sale until August 12th.
How about Steam Deck?
Yes, like the other entries in the SteamWorld series it runs well on Steam Deck and is Verified. This means you'll have a great time playing it on handheld, with an Oled Deck you can get a stable 90 FPS most of the time without any huge drops (at least from the initial areas I have tested) both in the open world sea and in missions. I would prefer to play it on PC though as the Mouse support is better for aiming - but it's not a deal breaker. If the devs were able to patch in some touch screen support it would be even more optimal for Deck. You can get a good chunk of battery life from SteamWorld Heist 2 as well, perfect for those trips on the go :)
SteamWorld Heist 2 Gallery
To round out let's have a look at some screenshots from the game. All screens are taken in 4k resolution at max settings on a Desktop PC.
