SteamWorld Heist II: Everything We Know

Thunderful announced SteamWorld Heist II on April 17 at the Nintendo Indie World event. It came as a surprise to many people, considering that it has only been a few months since the last SteamWorld game launched. However, while the SteamWorld series has been around for some time, every new title finds a way to keep things fresh and exciting.

SteamWorld Heist II promises to kick the action and adventure one notch higher. Here is an overview of everything we know about the new game.

What is SteamWorld Heist II?

SteamWorld Heist II is an action/adventure role-playing game (RPG). It is the seventh installment in the SteamWorld series. Interestingly, the series comprises multiple genres, and the Heist genre involves tackling tactics.

This new SteamWorld game came as a surprise for two reasons. First, the last SteamWorld game, SteamWorld Build, was released only a few months ago and failed to live up to the audience’s expectations. Second, Thunderful recently reported that it was in the process of laying off 20% of its staff and would have to shelve some of its ongoing projects. However, this new game has been in development for some time, and the developer promises that it will be an improvement on the current SteamWorld games.

Story

Water is a precious resource in the world of Steambots. However, it has turned deadly, causing corrosion in Steambots’ mechanical hearts and metallic limbs. No one knows why, and the player taking on the role of Captain Leeway, must recruit a crew of Steambots and embark on a dangerous adventure to solve the mystery and save the SteamWorld.

Gameplay

SteamWorld Heist II will offer over 35 hours of gameplay characterized by adventure and combat. Most of the gameplay comprises turn-based shooter combat, pitting you as the good Steambots against evil Steambots, the antagonists.

Interestingly, the shooting combat is based on a ricochet mechanism, whereby bullets bounce off walls and other items before hitting their targets. Watching the bullets bounce off of walls is entertaining, although hitting your targets can be tricky. Ricocheting bullets can go in any direction, including back toward your characters, necessitating accurate aiming and calculated strategizing.

To this end, the free-aiming shooting mechanism enables players to set up their shots in strategic sequences, making takedowns beautiful and satisfying. The idea is to use the environment to your advantage to make each shot count and destroy enemies as quickly as possible. Moreover, the game also features naval warfare with ship-to-ship combat on the Great Sea.

Adventure is also a central aspect of the gameplay. The game features a new interactive map that players can explore as they raid enemies’ bases and loot precious resources. Looting is fun, and the plunder offers real and immediate rewards by bolstering your crew’s strength. Exploring the map also gives you clues to the mystery behind the corrosive water, bringing you closer to saving the world. You can also embark on various Great Sea challenges for more action and exploration.

Besides a new map, SteamWorld Heist II also features a new jobs system and more than 150 guns, ship equipment, and utility items. The jobs system enables you to customize characters’ abilities, skills, weapons, and equipment by assigning them different jobs. For example, you can assign one character a Sniper job to improve their long-distance shooting accuracy. You can also assign them a Reaper job to optimize their crowd control skills. Interestingly, skills and abilities carry over to other weapons, enabling you to build the ultimate crew.

The game features 11 characters, each with a unique personality and diverse strengths and weaknesses. For example, Captain Leeway is a charismatic talker, while Daisy Clutch is the crew’s adventurous gunslinger. The characters look badass and somewhat whimsical with their metallic body parts and silly hats, which is part of the game’s appeal.

The game’s graphics are stunning. The environments are hand-crafted and feature compact structures and robust colors. Moreover, original music and dynamic tunes complement the charming graphics, making the playing experience even more engaging and entertaining.

Development

SteamWorld Heist II is currently under development by Thunderful, the Indie studio behind the series. The studio is also partnering with the Steam-Powered Giraffe music band to produce unique, original music for the game. Thunderful is responsible for both development and publishing.

Trailer

The official trailer for SteamWorld Heist II is quite insightful. However, it is entirely dedicated to the game’s gameplay and doesn’t delve into the story.

Most of the scenes in the trailer showcase the characters, environments, and combat styles. Characters face off at every turn and use bullets from diverse weapons to shatter each other’s mechanical bodies. The scenes especially focus on the ricochet shooting mechanics, showcasing how players can use the walls and other items in their environments to their advantage.

A few scenes in the middle of the trailer also showcase the game’s naval warfare mechanics. It appears exciting, as ships sail through the vast seas and shoot deadly projectiles at each other.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

SteamWorld Heist II will launch just in time for summer, giving fans something to keep them entertained throughout the season. It will be released on August 8, 2024.

The game will be available on multiple platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Steam Deck. However, it is still unclear whether the game will be available on subscription platforms, such as PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. Interestingly, Thunderful CEO Martin Walfisz suggests that the Nintendo Switch is the best platform for SteamWorld games, which explains why they chose the Nintendo Indie World event to announce SteamWorld Heist II.

This game will be the seventh edition in the SteamWorld series and the second installment in the Heist genre. It comes only a few months after the release of SteamWorld Build, which didn’t perform as expected. However, it promises to be better than all previous editions.

So, what’s your take on our overview of everything we know about SteamWorld Heist II? Are you eager to play the game? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.