SteamWorld Heist II Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, & PC)

The SteamWorld franchise has hardly been the type to stick to one lane. Its developing teams often dabbled in all sorts of genres. There was SteamWorld Tower Defense (2010), followed by platform action-adventure SteamWorld Dig (2013). Then, turn-based tactics shooter SteamWorld Heist (2015) graced our screens, followed by turn-based RPG and deck-building SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamesh (2019). Recently, we’ve gotten our hands on the city-building, dungeon-crawling SteamWorld Build (2023). All genres have hit the nail on the head by their own merit. However, SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Heist are the only games to receive a direct sequel in 2017 and 2024, respectively. 

If you’re new to the franchise, the SteamWorld series describes itself as an anthology of video games. Each game is of its own genre, but at its core, all of them depict a post-apocalyptic steampunk world. Players gallivant across diverse environments and planets, controlling steam-powered robots on their crazed adventures. In SteamWorld Heist (2015), you’re thrust into a Shard, which is a piece of destroyed Earth brimming with vast oceans. Characters adopt the naval lifestyle, which is, of course, rampant with pirates and smugglers. Captain Piper and her crew hop from Scrapper ship to Scrapper ship, looting water (fuel) and establishing their dominance on the great seas. 

With SteamWorld Heist II, the adventure continues this time with Captain Leeway, the son of Captain Piper, attempting to fill her mother’s big shoes. But does the sequel provide a better experience nearly ten years down the line? Let’s find out in our SteamWorld Heist II review.

Salty Seas

The Great Seas have been corrupted; its water, and also the fuel that runs the SteamWorld Heist II economy, deemed harmful to steam-powered machines. So begins your main mission: to get to the bottom of what is corrupting the oceans and find a way to stop it. But beyond the overarching mission at hand, moment-to-moment gameplay packs lots of comedy and breath pauses. The story tells of a steam-powered race of robots who have sworn service to Captain Leeway. As part of their job description, they hop from one station to the next, looting treasure and drawing one step closer to the end goal. 

There are enemies—lots and lots of them—that you’ll run into on your quest for the truth. The most frustrating of them all will be the ones resistant to water damage, whether Diesel-powered robots or ones that have evolved to replace their corroded metal parts with bones. At its core, SteamWorld Heist II is a combative experience, often unleashing waves of enemies at you to pressure you into submission. But you’ll master every skill and ammunition you’ve got to reach the excavation point of different levels unscathed. The story, sure, is interesting, at times weaving surprising twists and turns. But it can get rather boring as it often drags itself across hours upon hours of exploration and combat. Dialogue, on the other hand, can be funny at times but also verbose. It doesn’t help that they are purely text, with no voice acting. 

Catchy Music

Still, the music saves face. It not only makes up for what the plot lacks but also stands on its own feet as some of the best tunes you can listen to. The rest point at the bar is accompanied by exhilarating vocal choruses from the renowned Steam Powered Giraffe. But the soundtrack during exploration and combat is deeply immersive, too, with its quasi-nautical themes and appropriate beats: battles are energetic and electric, while exploration is calm and relaxing.

Visually, SteamWorld Heist II delights, as expected. The original was fun and charming. The sequel, on the other hand, elevates the vibrancy of the environments and SteamWorld’s exciting aesthetic. Character designs are intricately designed, as are the environments, brimming with color and spice.

On the Decks

Your base of operations is a submarine that you steer into uncharted territory to loot treasure and fight enemy ships. Naval battles take place on an isometric map, with your submarine firing at enemy ships automatically. Your only job is to dodge incoming fire. Once taken down, you can loot treasure drops in the form of water (fuel) or Crystals. These come in handy at the rest stop at the bar, where you can buy upgrades for your submarine (or new crewmates and upgrades for their weapons, skills, and abilities). It can get bland at times, so simply steer your ship to avoid damage. But it’s also a nice change from the more energetic combat sections of the game. Plus, naval battles are the only way you can unlock new areas to conquer on the pretty expansive map of the Great Seas. 

Anyway, you’ll be better thrilled by the combat section of the game, which you can jump into when you steer your submarine to the bar, where, besides resting, trading, and talking to NPCs, you can pick up missions for your crew. Depending on the mission type, you can choose one to four of your crew members to venture out and complete the missions. For some missions, like defeating waves of enemies, you may need all hands on deck. There are some that demand looting all the swag spread out across an enemy ship. Others demand defeating mini-bosses. You’ll also assess the objective and determine which crew members will be better suited to complete it. 

Jobs

Crew members can specialize in one of six jobs: brawlers, snipers, engineers, flankers, reapers, and boomers. Each job has active and passive skills, which you can allocate depending on the remaining slots a character has. At first, you can assess missions and determine which job is necessary to complete them. Brawlers are heavy hitters with thick armor, making them the best tanks. Snipers, though, can take long-distance and accurate shots that can ricochet off walls and obstacles. You do have more nitty gritty perks for each job. For instance, engineers can fire twice per turn, while flankers are faster and wield shotguns.

When you die, you can only go back two turns. So, you don’t quite have a lot of wiggle room to mess up. It makes every move fundamental in winning, whether carefully assessing enemy positions before making a move. Meanwhile, an alarm system keeps you on your toes. When it runs out, reinforcements are called in, with more attack power. But for a mission that rewards you for looting all the treasure in the level, it can put quite a strain on you. I have no complaints here, though, as risk versus reward remains an effective means to build tension in playthroughs. 

More

In a neat twist, though, you can mix and match characters’ jobs. Initially, you can allocate a weapon tied to a job to a crew member. And upon completion of the mission, their experience points will level up their job. However, you can allocate a different job to the same crew member in the next run, so in the long run, characters can maximize perks across several classes. You can have your shotgun-wielding crew member level up a sniper job allocation, thus allowing them to unleash critical damage with accuracy. 

Indeed, SteamWorld Heist II offers plenty of ways to customize. And sure, in the end, characters may end up having bits and pieces of every job available. But before the whole crew wields relatively similar abilities, you’ll have experimented with a whopping set of combinations that tip the scales of combat in your favor. And with mission variety and plentiful upgrades, you can only go up from there, tinkering around with an assortment of tools at your disposal.

Verdict

There’s plenty to love in SteamWorld Heist II. The plot kicks us off with a funny but compelling tale of a captain with big shoes to fill. He must lead a ragtag crew of steam-powered robots to stop the villain corrupting the Great Seas. But even with the great responsibility the crew has to save the oceans, they still slot time to have fun. They are pirates, after all, and so players are tagged along on an epic adventure. You spend time looting enemy ships and overthrowing enemy Diesel-powered and bony robots. It’s all so immersive and profoundly engaging that you find yourself easily lost at sea and have no desire to be found. 

Of course, the turn-based combat is the best part of the gameplay, picking up where the original left off. Lining up shots that ricochet off walls and slice precisely through the heads of enemies hiding behind cover is exhilarating. Every move you make is planned, and watching your efforts unfold is well worth the trouble. On the cooldown periods, you steer your submarine in open water, evading enemy fire. Successful missions earn you exciting rewards that further deepen the mechanics and tools at your disposal. 

Newcomers won’t have to play the original to catch up on the sequel. SteamWorld Heist II is perfect for anyone looking to let loose, whether for short bursts of piracy or diving deep into the more complex missions the game offers.