SteamWorld Heist 2 is a satisfying seafaring romp

Through no fault of their own, certain art styles can rub us up the wrong way.

From noughties gamers infamously decrying Wind Waker’s cel-shaded beauty to fan outrage at the chibi stylings of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond, certain aesthetics can be an instant deal breaker.

My arty kryptonite? The smiling, kids’ TV-esque robots of SteamWorld. Starting life on 3DS with 2013’s SteamWorld Dig, developer Image and Form’s creation has since spawned multiple spin offs, each more critically acclaimed than the last. Yet despite its continued success, thanks to its initially low-res debut, my brain has SteamWorld firmly filed under ye olde 3DS curio.

It’s why I came into Heist 2 – my first SteamWorld game – dubious about whether this cutesy series had much to offer older players. It turns out, you should never judge a vessel by its paint job, as underneath its forgettable aesthetic lies a surprisingly meaty mix of tactical RPG and seafaring adventure.

As previously mentioned, Heist 2 is the latest spin off of the genre-fluid Steamworld series, which veers between Metroidvania, card battler and city builder with admirable ADHD abandon. Despite being a sequel, this is an entirely self-contained story.

Taking place in an all new locale, Heist 2 swaps the stars for the sea and intergalactic pirates for actual pirates, putting players in command of an endearingly battered submarine. Too haggard to actually submerge, it’s up to you, Commander Leeway, to restore the pitifully bobbing vessel – and your family name – to their former glory.

How, you ask? By recruiting a ragtag crew and plundering the high seas. In this nautical Robin Hood-esque yarn, the mechanical monarch’s navy rules the Great Sea with an iron fist, hoarding the land’s rapidly dwindling water supplies. As you sail from reef to reef, it’s up to you to right these wrongs, fulfilling various citizen’s bounties as you liberate stolen ship parts and redistribute that vital H20 via a series of elaborate and daring heists.

As you