A new SteamWorld game, a new genre to tackle. A formula that works surprisingly well for this franchise that keeps reinventing itself with every new entry. In SteamWorld Build, you’re tasked to build a vibrant town where the steambots can truly thrive. Is this another successful venture into a new genre? Let’s find out!
The SteamWorld charm
I’ve played a lot of SteamWorld games in the past and I love how the franchise keeps reinventing itself by using completely different genres for its sequels. Although the core gameplay always changes drastically, the SteamWorld charm never disappears. SteamWorld Build is no exception, you start the game with a touching story about a farming bot and his little daughter who travel to a steamy version of the Wild West together with their community. They are guided by a mysterious machine that seems helpful but also very, very evil. The storytelling is top-notch and you’re instantly immersed in your new world. Moving to a new location is as thrilling as it is complex and before you know it, you’re learning everything about running a town that’s filled with steambots.
As a true city builder game, SteamWorld Build has a lot of mechanics that you need to master, not to worry, it really takes it step by step at first, depending on the level of difficulty you selected. At first, your job is easy, you just need to build extra houses to attract more workers so you can start creating a vibrant city. The only rule is that the houses need to be connected to the railway station with a road. Nothing hard, right? Well, in order to be motivated, workers need a market and maybe even a repair shop. Need more resources? Well, time to build some heavy machines and some storage to keep the flow going. The more you progress, the more elements come into play, and the more you’ll need to do in order to keep your population happy. When your town is at full steam, there are tons of mechanics all happening at once but no need to worry, the game explains it tremendously well by introducing new mechanics only when you need to use them. The first couple of hours felt like a lengthy tutorial but I certainly appreciate this approach, I didn’t get lost in the many options but I learned to progressively make my city better without ever drowning in the options.
Time to dig
Just when you think you learned the basics, the game introduces you to the twist that makes it unique, you’re not only running the city, you’re also running the mines! Underneath your city, there’s a vast network of mines, that you need to construct. In the mines, you’re looking for new resources to improve your city. It takes us back to the SteamWorld Dig games without it feeling like some simple copy-and-paste work. Mining under your city comes with its own set of difficulties. You’ll need to place support beams so parts of your city won’t collapse and later on, you’ll need to defend your mines in tower defense-like segments. There’s a lot more going on than just automatic resource gathering and I really love all the variation this brings to the gameplay. Since you’re managing both the city and the underground, there’s a lot going on but you’ll always feel in control. SteamWorld Build quickly and easily became my newest addiction, the flow of switching between both locations is very pleasant and the game offers enough challenges to keep things interesting, it’s a weird mix of genres but strangely, it really works.
One of the reasons why it works so well is its presentation and controls. I played it on the Nintendo Switch OLED and the colors really popped while playing in handheld mode. I always had a clear overview and could track my goals easily. The controls are tight and responsive, just like I like them in City Builders. Besides its gorgeous graphics, the little steambots all have their own personalities which makes it that much fun to keep them satisfied. The fact that my engineers needed a moonshine pub in order to operate certainly brought a smile to my face. You’ll never get bored while playing this and it’s a true pleasure building a city and some complex mines all at the same time, which is something only a SteamWorld game is able to do.
Conclusion:
If you’re looking for something new in the city builder genre, this is the one you need. There are a lot of mechanics but thanks to the great tutorial, you’ll always know what you need to do. It can become challenging to run a city and mines simultaneously but it’s so much fun too. One of the most innovative games in the genre.
8/10
Tested on Nintendo Switch OLED
