I’ve always appreciated the SteamWorld franchise from a distance, and despite trying out multiple titles, I could never play them for more than a few hours. This changed with Steamworld Build, especially because of its excellent demo that does a great job of introducing its mechanics. Now that I’ve played the full release, I’ll talk about why I think Steamworld Build should be on your radar, especially if you’re new to city builders, like me.
Gameplay and Story
Like other Steamworld titles, there is a story here, and while this is still a gameplay-focused title, the story elements punctuate appropriately to realign your motivations for further progression. Essentially, you have to set up a mining city to gather resources in hopes of leaving your dying planet. You’re accompanied by multiple characters and a “Core” that guides you through this endeavor.
All the main characters are voice-acted, and there are brief story snippets that trigger once you’ve completed a significant task. It has the same charm we’ve come to expect from the franchise, and there’s always a sense of unyielding wonder and hope in the main characters that make the quest feel worth it.
On the gameplay side, this is a pretty accessible city-builder, and the tutorial does a fantastic job of guiding you through its mechanics. The closest comparison I can make is something like Anno. Essentially, you need to build a thriving city that is primarily comprised of workers. They take part in different services and pay taxes which serves as the main income. Eventually, you can upgrade them to Engineers, and so on.
Each resident has a satisfaction level that impacts how much income they generate. To keep that in check, you make services accessible to them like a general store. These needs increase as more services are unlocked. The primary building that has to connect to every other building is the Station, and a train will stop at it periodically giving you the ability to trade or buy modifiers and even resources. You form these connections using roads, and you’ll eventually have a thriving city where every single building is somehow connected to the road.
Personally, I had a lot of luck with just building tons of foresters which meant I always had surplus boards that I could trade for money. Even when my actual income was low, I’d make a lot of money by simply trading. Decisions like this make the depth of the game more obvious, and there is a lot of it. Neatly organizing your buildings will help you in the long run when you have to place supplementary buildings to strengthen your resource production and economy. I restarted the campaign early on because I wasn’t happy with the way my residential buildings were lined up.
This is just the ground part, and there’s a lot more literally going on under the hood. The other aspect of SteamWorld Build is the mines where you need to gather ancient machinery. This section is a bit like Dungeon Keeper, where you’ll deploy miners, prospectors, and mechanics to do different tasks. You’ll gather resources manually, set up extractors, and even engage in light combat.
I enjoyed this part, and switching between the ground and mine is seamless. Sometimes it's better to not focus on the main objective, and explore as much as you can to strengthen your presence. This might actually put off people looking for a more challenging experience because if you’re a few steps ahead of the game, you aren’t going to have a hard time dealing with the few enemies that eventually show up.
I enjoyed this relaxed progression, and appreciate how flexible the game can be by leaving room for expansion without ever feeling discouraged. Again, the reason I restarted wasn’t because the game was difficult, it was because I wasn’t personally satisfied with how my city looked. Every time I thought I had seen the end of what the game had to offer, SteamWorld Build would reveal another layer filled with more possibilities, and interesting things to build and mine.
Graphics and Sound
SteamWorld Build’s main aesthetics are still consistent with the previous titles. The steambots have charming designs with plenty of details on them to differentiate them based on their roles, and social status. I love seeing all the little bots go about their day, delivering goods from one service building to another. Their animation work is superb, and you get a real sense of a living city. The same goes for everyone in the mines, all with their unique animations, tools, and activities.
It’s a lovely game to look at that easily stands out from other management titles thanks to the now iconic SteamWorld aesthetic that the developers have improved upon since 2010.
Feedback
While I don’t have any major complaints, I do think a few quality-of-life features can further improve the experience. In the mines, you’ll often have to move on from a certain area to focus your efforts further down below. Some work continues on the floor above, but I’d love if players can check which bots are free so those can be let go. I had to take a guess based on their animations, but a menu that would show activity would go a long way.
An even faster setting could also come in handy because right now the faster mode doesn’t feel fast enough.
Verdict
Overall, SteamWorld build is another fantastic addition to the universe, and the developers continue to put their spin on existing genres with a lot of charm, addictive gameplay, and some excellent progression. Managing your city and watching it grow from a simple station to a bustling mining operation is extremely satisfying, and there is a lot to love here, especially if you’re new to the city-building genre.
