SteamWorld Build – Review

I can’t put my finger on whether it’s the wild west theme, the robot population, the fact that the town’s mayor is a kid named Astrid, or that we’re digging for alien technology that makes this unique. The Station has really worked hard to find an interesting layout and keep the player engaged. You could say that the title is split into two components, one is a classic approach to the genre, not unlike The Settlers or Anno, and the other is a Dungeon Keeper inspired approach. Both of these play together with the narrative and together create an interesting whole. It exists in the same universe as all other titles called SteamWorld.

It starts with you building up a small town around an old, abandoned mining town. By placing out houses, roads and other necessities you can make the population grow. This allows you to upgrade the citizens to more specialized roles, and with new skilled specialists you can develop the city even more. Having access to the most advanced buildings is a must for your city. An early example of this is that you need engineers to repair the mine so you can start digging for technology. Much of your time will be spent compensating for the loss of residents in specialist roles. When you upgrade a citizen, it disappears from its existing category, and you then have to compensate by building more houses to get the citizens back, and these also have different needs to be satisfied.

If you want to upgrade the citizens, they must be happy in their current situation. To do that you need to build certain buildings which in turn need certain resources. Just like in The Settlers, it is not enough to build one building for one resource, you have to build several buildings one after the other. If the town needs lumber, you build both a sawmill and a building that cuts down trees, and then you need a building to store the resources near the workplace. It’s rarely difficult to set up these chains if you’ve played similar titles before, because you recognize them. The user interface makes it easy to find the buildings you need in the menus. They are categorized in a structured way and I never felt like I had to work against the UI, which in my eyes is one of the most important things about a game.

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In your city, there is always a railway where trains pass regularly. Using it, you can buy and sell items. These can be used in buildings to increase production and other interesting things, and the items you buy vary in function and price. I didn’t feel they were a necessity for my city to succeed.

The story gives you context for everything you do, and it’s both slightly different and charming (you can turn it off in the main menu when you start a new map if you want). You don’t control humans, but robots that play the wild west, and they speak with an accent and use typical words we associate with this theme. Their whole worldview is one big stereotype of that time period, and I thought it gave the robots a little more humanity. If you’ve played a SteamWorld adventure before, you know exactly what to expect.

The most interesting part of the project is neither the history nor the construction above ground. I thought it was under the ground that the title really took off. Taking a Dungeon Keeper inspired approach, I built mine tunnels and dug for gold. You mark walls for your workers to dig, and by creating surfaces you can build resting places for the miners or other buildings. The underground is not always stable and collapses can happen, so to protect your workers you can build pillars to strengthen the walls and reduce the risk of collapse. You have to be careful, because it’s not just land and treasures down there. There are enemies and other dangers you must protect yourself from. This means that battles are taking place underground.

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I feel satisfied after digging my last mine. There is very little to complain about. Switching between the underground and your city is seamless. The graphics are appealing, and the layout is entertaining. You won’t find an advanced city builder, but a cheerful, narrative-driven experience with tight game mechanics. All the characters do a good job and the gameplay is simple but works. I don’t even mind that the music is barely a factor. Sometimes that’s enough for me, especially when what’s on offer is otherwise good. Although one can criticize that you only get five maps, they are varied enough to keep you busy for at least 10-15 hours. It can be anything from a dry prairie to an area full of dinosaur bones, and the maps are very quick to complete if you know what you’re doing.

Although it lacks the complexity you find in Anno or The Settlers, it stands on its own with a unique setting and well-developed game mechanics. While the music doesn’t shine, the visuals look inviting and the humor is enjoyable, but in its current state it can’t offer the same replay value as the competition. It is nevertheless a pleasant and well-made city builder. Should you get tired of the somewhat meager content, you’ve probably still gotten enough hours out of it. I can recommend it to those new to the genre or looking for something a little different, but you won’t stay long if you’re looking for complexity and challenges.