This is a collection of two very different games, but with similar characters.  The games are Steamworld Dig and Steamworld Heist, two indie titles previously only available via download, but now are together in a single physical copy disc.  It’s available for Wii U and PS4, but reviewed on Wii U here.  We’ll take a look at each game separately.

Steamworld Dig

This was the first game in the series to come out.  You play as a steam-powered robot cowboy in a world filled with other robots in a Wild West setting.  Your job is to dig underground in a mine to gather valuable ores, which you can then sell and buy upgrades.  These upgrades include longer lasting lamps, better pickaxes and drills, and bigger bags so you can carry more stuff.  Every so often while underground, you’ll encounter caves that have puzzles to solve and usually a special item.  These items will help you get around easier in the mines, like speed boots and water powered jets.  The game reminds me of a mix of Dig Dug, Boulder Dash, and Mr. Driller, with a bit of Metroid-style exploration thrown in.  I really liked this game, but I had two problems with it.  Depending on how you dig, you may find it difficult to climb back up later on when you need to resurface.  Also, later in the game there will come a point when you fall down a long way, and if you don’t come prepared, it’ll be tough to get back to the surface.

Steamworld Heist

I’m not sure if this is meant to be a sequel to Steamworld Dig or whatever, but in this one, the world has exploded into smaller land chunks, and water is a scarce and valuable commodity (these are steam-powered robots after all).  Scrapper robots are stealing from moisture farms, and it’s up to Piper Faraday and her crew to take back what they stole, whether it be water, weapons, or kidnapped robots.  So instead of a Wild West setting, it has more of a space pirate vibe.

The game is totally different, too.  It takes the form of a strategy game.  In each stage, you’ll board a spaceship and take turns moving, taking cover, and shooting in 2-D spaceships.  Find the best places to snipe enemies and guard against their fire, and steal all their treasures and find the escape pod to win the heist.  You can steal treasures like weapons and other items, as well as water which you can spend like money in shops.  You’ll also be able to recruit new crew members later on, too.

Normally I don’t like strategy games, so I didn’t think I’d like this one.  But there are five selectable difficulty settings, and aside from not earning as much experience points, you’re not really penalized much for playing on the more casual settings.  Plus the simplicity of the game, as well as the detailed graphics and animation, kept me interested.  Only problem I had was the learning curve was a tiny bit high, so while they did a good job teaching the basics, they didn’t go over the more intricate parts as well.  And if you start a game, you have to reset the system if you want to play the other one.  But if you enjoy indie games, you’ll definitely want to check out this collection.

Kid Factor:

Steamworld Collection is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, and Use of Tobacco.  I really didn’t notice much bad language in the text, and some robots smoke, but that’s it.  You do use guns to shoot at robots in the Heist game, and robots fall apart when they are hit.  Reading skill is needed for the text, and younger gamers may get frustrated at the difficult parts later in the game.  Luckily Steamworld Heist has difficulty selections, and the easy ones are pretty simple.

Tags: Game Reviews