Judgement: Recommended
View review on Steam
SteamWorld Heist is a game about a crew of space-faring androids dealing with issues as they come.
Story-wise, it felt rather superficial, and was probably the weakest part of the game for me.
Design and art-wise, the game looks good, but can end up being repetitive, as you will be going through a lot of missions, as they have an overall similar design and style as the other missions for their respective sectors. Characters, on the other hand, are rich in details and so don't suffer from that same repetitiveness.
Gameplay loop, specially when it comes to combats, was probably the best part of the game. The combat goes in the line of a turn-based tactical RPG and that, unlike games like Final Fantasy Tactics where an attack's success depends on, more often than not, getting pretty close and hoping RNGesus is on your side, instead you have a relatively non-linear exploration (in contrast with the linearity of the rest of the game), as well as being more skill/timing-oriented, having to aim while being pretty aware of both your surroundings (more than once I've been shot by a turret in a corner that I forgot) and your character's movement patterns (requiring more patience for aiming).
Besides, still regarding gameplay, much like with design, each character feels unique also through their specific skills and quirks. Some can move less and some can move more. One seemed to have a counterattack for melee attacks. One has an AoE healing. One can literally become invincible once per mission. Some have steadier aims than others. Basically, plenty of possibilities to test with.
And the game says in the beginning that a controller is recommended, but since some shots need to be very precise, and even more so when hunting for new hats that come from enemies (the hat needs to be shot off the enemy's head without killing the enemy to get it), I'd recommend a mouse instead.
My impressions overall were pretty positive, maybe because the most positive part, the gameplay loop, was also the biggest part of the game overall. Still, it is a game I recommend.
Story-wise, it felt rather superficial, and was probably the weakest part of the game for me.
Design and art-wise, the game looks good, but can end up being repetitive, as you will be going through a lot of missions, as they have an overall similar design and style as the other missions for their respective sectors. Characters, on the other hand, are rich in details and so don't suffer from that same repetitiveness.
Gameplay loop, specially when it comes to combats, was probably the best part of the game. The combat goes in the line of a turn-based tactical RPG and that, unlike games like Final Fantasy Tactics where an attack's success depends on, more often than not, getting pretty close and hoping RNGesus is on your side, instead you have a relatively non-linear exploration (in contrast with the linearity of the rest of the game), as well as being more skill/timing-oriented, having to aim while being pretty aware of both your surroundings (more than once I've been shot by a turret in a corner that I forgot) and your character's movement patterns (requiring more patience for aiming).
Besides, still regarding gameplay, much like with design, each character feels unique also through their specific skills and quirks. Some can move less and some can move more. One seemed to have a counterattack for melee attacks. One has an AoE healing. One can literally become invincible once per mission. Some have steadier aims than others. Basically, plenty of possibilities to test with.
And the game says in the beginning that a controller is recommended, but since some shots need to be very precise, and even more so when hunting for new hats that come from enemies (the hat needs to be shot off the enemy's head without killing the enemy to get it), I'd recommend a mouse instead.
My impressions overall were pretty positive, maybe because the most positive part, the gameplay loop, was also the biggest part of the game overall. Still, it is a game I recommend.
Review posted on 02/11/2023, 09:09:00.