5 ways SteamWorld Heist 2 will become your new strategy obsession on PS5 and Xbox Series X
Aug. 16, 2024The new turn-based strategy from Thunderful is great entry point into the series
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SteamWorld Heist 2 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and it may just become your new strategy obsession if you aren’t careful. The seventh installment to the SteamWorld series landed on August 8, bringing with it the sort of turn-based tactical combat that engages the brain and eats through spare time. Whether you’re a veteran of the franchise or a new player just looking to break into the genre, as we noted in ourSteamWorld Heist 2 review,there’s plenty here for everybody to enjoy. So keep on reading for five reasons why you should play SteamWorld Heist 2 today, or you’ll run the risk of your friends finding it first and talking your ear off about it for the rest of the year.
Play anywhere
SteamWorld Heist 2 is designed to bring brand new players into the turn-based tactical carnage. Thunderful Development has made that clear from even a cursory glance at the game in action, with the setting shifting from outer space to the great sea. The new setting acts as a grounding for expanded play, where you must assemble a ragtag crew of Steam Bots, venture out across an overworld in search of sources of rusty corruption, and then battle smartly against robotic threats to minimize damage to the surrounding ecosystem. If you played the first game you’ll feel right at home, but if this is your first time with a SteamWorld title you shouldn’t expect to encounter any friction.
One reason the original SteamWorld Heist curated such a passionate audience is because of the ways in which it positioned its tactical shootouts – tasking you with manually aiming the guns of your crew, pulling off complex bullet-bouncing skill shots to take down any aggressors. SteamWorld Heist 2 builds on this framework, expanding the scope of the handcrafted maps and increasing the smarts you’ll need to connect projectiles with an intended target. SteamWorld Heist 2 is all about gaining mastery over ricochets, and outfitting your crew with the right weapons, abilities, equipment, and outfits to get the job done without suffering massive losses.
Planning strategic shots in fast-paced Steambot combat isn’t the only thing you need worry about in SteamWorld Heist 2. Thunderful Development has widely expanded the scope of play, introducing a robust jobs system – allowing for increased specialization with your favorite crew members – and the opportunity to engage in real-time naval combat between core turn-based missions, a palette cleanser while you reset your brain after all that careful planning and execution. SteamWorld Heist 2 features a wider world to explore, with plenty of opportunities to forge new alliances with your crew, sit back and relax to the delightful soundtrack, or upgrade your gear for the missions ahead.
More than anything else, SteamWorld Heist 2 is a pretty chill strategy game. There’s enough depth hidden away here that genre experts will certainly be able to sink scores of hours into gaining mastery, but if this is your first time playing a turn-based tactics experience (let alone your first time with one of the SteamWorld games) then you can expect Thuderful to guide you gently into the mix. With an exceptionally smart, environmentally-focused combat system that lets you battle across increasingly complex maze-like levels to a robust character customization system which allows for a surprising amount of flexibility, SteamWorld Heist 2 has proven itself to be a strategy game that can grasp ahold of your attention with ease.
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GamesRadar+ has created this content as part of a paid partnership with Thunderful. The contents of this article are entirely independent and reflect the editorial opinion of GamesRadar+
Josh West is the Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar+. He has over 15 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+’s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you’ve definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.
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