Thunderful’s sequel offers a vibrant new cast, a larger scale, more customization, and several engaging encounters, with a few hiccups.

Of all the potential sequels and new entries in the SteamWorld universe, a follow-up to 2016’s acclaimed SteamWorld Heist feels a little too good to be true. Revisiting the side-scrolling turn-based tactical strategy combat makes sense, but what could a sequel potentially offer to build on that? Thunderful Development’s SteamWorld Heist 2 answers that in several ways while sticking close to what already works, even if some of the newer features could use more fine-tuning.

The story takes place on a Shard, a piece of the fabled destroyed Earth, full of extensive oceans. Its people have adopted a naval-focused life, which also means smugglers, scoundrels and pirates plying their trade on the waters. The irony of so much water after the crises other Shards have faced throughout the franchise isn’t lost on me, but trouble is brewing. A strange phenomenon is causing the drinkable water to go bad, rusting the innards of the Steambots.

“The plot is pretty straightforward, even if it’s fairly start and stop, sometimes leaning too much on building reputation in a region or gathering items for the next story event to occur.”

Then there’s the Royal Navy, seemingly intent on keeping the Steambots down while serving the mysterious core. The cult-like Rattlers are also a problem, embracing the replacement of their parts with bones to counteract the rust. Other threats abound, as they typically do in a SteamWorld title, but none of this initially concerns protagonist Captain Quincy Leeway.

Sulking and missing an arm, he looks to retrieve his submarine and sail the high seas once more, hopefully living up to the legacy of his legendary mother, Krakenbane. His demeanor is bold and dashing in public but anxious in private, especially as he keeps failing upward due to his crew’s successes.

Other quirky characters also emerge, from the loyal Wesley Hotchkiss, who is strangely obsessed with dying heroically, and Daisy Clutch, the Oliver Twist-inspired, happy-go-lucky sniper to Sola Fathom, who cryptically hints at strange things in the depths. You’ll recruit various crewmates to join your cause, and they shine during some pre-mission briefings, cutscenes and conversations. Some missions also delve into their past, though it’s nothing too extensive.

Overall, I would have appreciated more focused development on each since their tales take a backseat to the water crisis and Leeway’s problems. They liven up the atmosphere, but there could have been some more scenes of camaraderie, celebration or just the crew living it up. A pirate’s life for me outside of the tactical heisting, sailing and outpost hopping, if you will. Otherwise, the plot is pretty straightforward, even if it’s fairly start and stop, sometimes leaning too much on building reputation in a region or gathering items for the next story event to occur.

“The naval combat is only one aspect of the gameplay – the other is the heists. Each heist requires a specific number of bots – the larger maps may necessitate four or five, while some challenge you to get through with only one.”

A major new addition in SteamWorld Heist 2 is real-time naval combat. Exploring the overworld and fighting hostile ships is enticing, especially since it grants water and upgrade materials. It’s not too mechanically intensive in the opening hours – your guns fire automatically and have a cooldown while you manually pilot the vessel, attempting to evade attacks.

While those systems remain, the sub gains new features like diving underwater (necessary to defeat certain enemies and mines), boosting, and equipping different weapons. Torpedoes are good all-around, especially underwater, and cannonballs deal significant damage despite their slow projectile speed (making them ideal against big targets). However, gun turrets are better suited for nimbler targets.

With various ways to upgrade the sub, there isn’t too much thinking required when engaging in high-seas battles. Except for the tedious backtracking, the world map is fun to explore, laden with secret areas with light puzzle-solving or vendor-less locations selling hats.

That’s only one aspect of the gameplay – the other is the heists. Each heist requires a specific number of bots – the larger maps may necessitate four or five, while some challenge you to get through with only one. Since your crew has a cooldown, you must return to an outpost after every heist to rest. Recruiting more allies means more heists to tackle at a time, thus leading to more Bounty Points and better rewards. However, it can get tedious to return to an outpost, especially in the mid to late-game maps. You could end your day and return to the most recent one, but that means not being able to cash in any Bounty Points.

“It’s all standard fare if you played the original; the twist is that your crew isn’t limited to singular classes. By equipping different weapons, you can swap Jobs.”

Like its predecessor, environments are presented from a two-dimensional perspective with various elevations, areas to take cover, environmental hazards, doors to open, and so on. Taking cover against enemy fire on the horizontal plane is a must, but you also need to keep the vertical plane in mind. Some walkways are open, which makes them fair game for shooting above and below. This can be turned to your advantage, especially when ricocheting rounds.

Each character has a turn with two action points – one to move, the other to shoot, though you can expend both for reaching greater distances. Some abilities don’t cost action points, allowing for more agency. Weapon aiming is manual, though – some have sightlines to indicate the direction of bullets alongside weapon sway; the risk vs. reward aspect can be sweet, especially as you bank a sniper shot into an enemy’s head after ricocheting off the wall beyond them. Be careful, as enemies can do the same, alongside flanking and intelligently using cover on higher difficulties.

It’s all standard fare if you played the original; the twist is that your crew isn’t limited to singular classes. By equipping different weapons, you can swap Jobs. Completing heists and garnering XP levels them up, unlocking new abilities. You can then switch and spend Cogs to keep passive and active skills unlocked from other Jobs.

Engineer plus Sniper allows for deploying cover at will, which meshes well with a passive that grants increased damage when you don’t move for a turn. You could also take a more passive approach as a Boomer + Engineer, deploying cover and, when an enemy rushes you, backing off to detonate it (which has unlimited range).

Of course, each Job has a starting passive only accessible if you use their associated weapon. Characters also have personal upgrades – as you progress and unlock new features in the submarine (including stat upgrades and extra crew slots), these can be purchased to add some more spice like Cornelius becoming invulnerable to all damage for a turn and taunting all enemies, which pairs well with Payback, a Brawler passive that deals damage to those attacking crewmates. It’s even possible to upgrade Job skills to make them more effective.

“Aside from some difficulty spikes, the mission design is pretty good overall. One level sees you battling several sword-wielding Royal Navy enemies while chasing after their cowardly boss.”

While you get a hefty amount of water and Fragments for purchasing new weapons and upgrades several hours in, the Job progression can feel somewhat slow. The low amount of weapons initially available also discourages experimentation, and if you’re not satisfied with a Job’s abilities, it can be a slog to switch to something else.

Adding to this is the strange difficulty spike in some missions, particularly those against the Rattlers in colder environments since some areas inflict chill if you stand on them. The Rattlers themselves can eventually freeze you with their attacks and grow to exponential numbers, making for a miserable experience, especially if you’re 15 minutes into a relatively smooth sailing mission. Difficulty sliders are appreciated, but those mechanics and some of the alarm RNG can be annoying.

A system where each level-up grants Cogs for allocating to each Job’s skills – equipping their respective weapons can still unlock the previously mentioned passives – would go a long way towards alleviating this. It would also encourage trying different builds and set-ups, especially later in the game.

Aside from some difficulty spikes, the mission design is pretty good overall. One level sees you battling several sword-wielding Royal Navy enemies while chasing after their cowardly boss. Others involve surviving ambushes and even boss fights, whether it’s two conflicting factions going at it while you try to take them down and survive or a recurring nemesis who dons a giant mech. They’re pretty varied and enjoyable, with decent replay value if you want all the swag or to escape unscathed.

“SteamWorld Heist 2 is a pretty good sequel, offering a lot of the same strategic gameplay of the original with a brand new setting, likeable characters, appealing visuals, and excellent music.”

The presentation is also incredibly solid – environments and characters are filled with details, and the SteamWorld aesthetic is still very pleasing. The music is the real star, though, with Steam Powered Giraffe offering an array of somber and epic songs that suit the pirating experience.

SteamWorld Heist 2 is a pretty good sequel, offering a lot of the same strategic gameplay of the original with a brand new setting, likeable characters, appealing visuals, and excellent music. Its hang-ups do sour the experience now and again, and long-time fans expecting a complete overhaul of the original might want to temper their expectations. However, this is still a solid turn-based experience with a wealth of customization and things to do in an appealing world.

This game was reviewed on PC.