SteamWorld Heist II

Release Date: August 8, 2024

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, Switch, PC

The newest side-scrolling robot tactics game from Thunderful Development was my final appointment at Summer Game Fest 2024. I felt completely dead while sinking back into the blue couch I was sitting on for the demo, but not so dead that I didn’t immediately get stoked for the new possibilities coming in the sequel. The first SteamWorld Heist was XCOM in 2D, with players lining up ricocheting bullets and collecting rewards from surviving successful battles.

SteamWorld Heist 2 doesn’t change what’s not broken, but it does add some big twists. There’s now overworld exploration via a submarine you can upgrade and battle other ocean enemies with in real-time. Each character can also train in various classes and share abilities between them similar to the job systems popularized in Final Fantasy Tactics and other strategy RPGs. The result seems like a much deeper tactical experience that I’m really looking forward to checking out the full version of when it drops later this summer. — Ethan