Almost a model continuation
The SteamWorld series is unique. Its events unfold in one steampunk universe, where after the war with people, robots (here they are called steambots) formed their own civilization, but in each game the heroes, the location and the genre change. It all started in 2010 with tower defense, then there were metroidvanias, turn-based tactics, collectible card RPG and a city-building simulator with notes of dungeon crawler. SteamWorld Heist II is a sequel to turn-based tactics, but the location has changed dramatically – from spaceships we moved to a submarine.
And again the water crisis
Like the first part, the sequel’s plot revolves around water, which all steambots in this steam universe use. But if there we experienced a shortage and flew in search of H₂O between the inhabited fragments into which the Earth was scattered, then here the action takes place on one of these fragments. The water turned out to be infected with a disease called Rust, which is fatal to robots.
The main character, Captain Liwei, must not only answer the two classic questions of who is to blame and what to do, but also solve the problem. Along the way, he wants to prove that he is worthy of his famous mother, everyone’s favorite and the heroine on whose ship we are sailing.
There is also some mysticism in this story, connected with a mysterious artifact, obtained by the mother – at some point it comes to life and begins to communicate with the captain, and then it turns out that extremely unpleasant people are hunting for this artifact.
In addition, we are confronted by the “naval” – the royal army, which seems to be chasing smugglers, but in fact privatizes water, establishes its own rules and profits from it. There are also “rattlers” – local undead, cultists who exchange their gears for bones and worship Water. But pirates were not particularly noticed, although the local Caribbean is periodically mentioned in conversations. However, after two starting regions we get to the local Arctic.
For glasses, hats and reputation!
The story in SteamWorld Heist II is interesting, with colorful characters and locations and daring tasks – for example, we infiltrate a closed prison, storm a guarded fort to get the necessary upgrades for the ship, and chase the flagship for access codes to a closed tunnel.
In addition to the plot, much attention is paid to exploring the world. We sail our ship between the islands, shoot down naval ships, collect gallons of water scattered here and there (this is the main local currency) and gradually clear the map of the fog of war.
We gradually open new points with tasks and hidden places where you can get something useful, open a store with rare goods or with fashionable hats – as in the first part, they do not give any bonuses, but can cover the head in battle and funny fly off, which causes sincere indignation both among enemies and among our wards.
Access to some places and new regions is blocked by the plot – first you need to get important upgrades for the ship, which, for example, will help to overcome strong currents or turn it into a submarine, which will open up a new layer of gameplay and expand the scope for exploration. In addition to the plot, there are also regular upgrades – we are free to install new weapons, reinforced plating, an improved engine, and so on on the ship.
To get all this, you need to complete missions, collect mission points, save money (that is, gallons) and gain reputation, which is needed to advance through the story and open new rare stores.
All possible reputation for the mission can be collected if you fulfill not only the main but also the bonus condition and if no one dies. You can try to do this as many times as you like, but after success you will no longer receive reputation from the mission.
But we can get quest points every day, including for those we’ve already completed. At the end of the day, when we send our tired charges to rest at the bar, we exchange the collected quest points for useful things – gallons, new weapons, and rare crystals, which are needed to unlock many upgrades and features.
As you can see, there are plenty of opportunities for exploration and resource grinding for new weapons and upgrades. At some point, you even get a feeling of satiety. The first part was more concise, but the protracted nature is one of the few downsides (and even then, it is relative) of SteamWorld Heist II .
Ricochet and multiclassing are the key
And the main advantage is, as before, turn-based battles in different complexes and buildings (we fight with a ship in real time). They still remind us of Worms and are largely based on the ability to kill enemies with ricocheting bullets and grenades. We build broken lines, which allows us to get to opponents where it would seem impossible to get them.
Ricochets, however, are not the only thing. You need to wisely place your charges behind cover, use skills, watch the rear and act quickly. In many missions, enemies after a certain number of turns sound the alarm and start calling in more and more powerful reinforcements, and turrets appear on the ceilings and walls. We must not only complete the main task and escape, but also collect loot if possible – for this we receive bonuses.
Overall, the battles in the sequel have become even more interesting and diverse. In addition to new guns with unique effects, this was influenced by expanded upgrade options and multi-class characters. Initially, specialization is tied to the weapon used. And if a sniper takes a shotgun in his hands, he will become a scout, and if an engineer changes a pistol for an axe, he will already be a fighter.
At the same time, we retain the ability to use the skills of the previous class – to do this, they need to be activated using special gears. Having learned several useful skills in a new profession, you can change the shotgun back to a rifle with new skills. All this expands the scope for experimentation.
The fights themselves have become larger and more complex, although the balance is still excellent – I did not notice any cheating on the part of the enemies even on “Veteran” and “Elite”. Yes, they spawn reinforcements, but you can always escape.
We are limited, for example, by the fact that we are not allowed to complete all the tasks only with powerful favorites. Each fighter can participate in only one mission per day, and then he needs to rest. Therefore, it is important to expand the list of available characters and hire newbies in bars in order to complete as many tasks as possible per day and receive more rewards for this.
And here we can scold the authors for the fact that there are not so many truly bright characters among the fighters. Well, yes, there is a crow with a shotgun and a huge robot in pink armor, but they are hardly comparable to the circus performer who never parts with his dumbbells and the shaking old sniper from the first part.
As befits a great sequel, SteamWorld Heist II has become bigger and more varied, partly more complex and interesting. Towards the end, there is even too much going on – but that’s a minor detail.
Pros: interesting plot; large world that is useful to explore; expanded opportunities for upgrading everything, including the ship; the appearance of multi-class characters; still great tactical battles; the atmosphere of a cozy adventure with excellent music, nice pictures and appropriate humor.
Cons: Fewer colorful characters than the original; the game can feel overloaded with battles, especially naval ones.
