Explore the wonders of SteamWorld Build, the latest addition to the renowned SteamWorld series. SteamWorld games are a series of high-quality indie titles. each in a different genre, and all taking place in the same steampunk-inspired universe. This time, the team has put together a city-builder game where you’re tasked with not only building a bustling settlement from scratch but also with mining precious technology below the world’s crust. Your end goal is to excavate ancient technology from down below in an effort to eventually take it to the stars and leave the dying planet behind. This game offers a seamless experience for both newcomers and seasoned players in the world of indie gaming.
User-Friendly Design: Navigating SteamWorld Build with Ease
There are a few characters with funny voices, but by and large, the heart of this game’s story is in the gameplay itself. The developer team makes this game super controller-friendly. I was kind of nervous about having to deal with the type of game that uses a cursor, but everything worked effortlessly on my DualSense.
The triggers zoom in and out without any problem. The UI is very easy to navigate, carefully folding in all the things you need into easily found categories. It feels like your menu is one big tech tree. Most of the time, I didn’t have any problems finding what I needed and placing it in the world. I would say this user accessibility also extends to the general design of the game.
Essentially, there are three major types of things that you’ll be building.
- Houses for residents: Who provides money in the form of taxes and labor for your other buildings.
- Services: which make your residents happier.
- Facilities: That farm and generate resources.
Everything feeds into itself. But you have to be careful to provide yourself with enough space, as everything has to be connected by roads, and sometimes it’s hard to keep all of your residents happy enough so they can be upgraded into higher classes, such as aristobots and scientists.
Digging Deeper: The Unique Gameplay of the SteamWorld Build
There are some great in-game guides to refer back to if you find yourself losing money or running into roadblocks. Even if you skip these tutorials too fast, you can always find these guides available in the tutorial section. The city building is solid, but SteamWorld Build’s biggest twist on the genre is digging. This is where the game really shines. The thing about most city builders is that usually the end goal is just to grow your town into a big resource generator. While that’s still the case in the SteamWorld Build, you also have the end goal of finding several ancient tech parts deep in the mine.
You have to create grids of quarters to summon little miners to help excavate precious metals and machines, to help protect yourself from creatures that attack you from the depths. In a way, it’s kind of like tower defense as well as a survival game. These two major styles of gameplay create a lovely loop where you discover resources in the mine that can be used by the service buildings up above, which can help you upgrade your citizens and get more income, which can be used to build specific buildings that allow you to dig into tougher materials and get deeper in the mine, as well as create turrets and machines to protect yourself from monsters.
It was really kind of an adventure element of trying to get deeper and deeper into the mine. You would really like there to be even more to discover in the mines and spend more time down there. It was very fun to switch back and forth between city building and resource management to exploration and tower defense.
Final Verdict
SteamWorld Build is an excellent game, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. Its various systems can be a little overwhelming at times, and it does have a slow burn of accumulating resources to grow your city. It’s not really a pick-up-and-play kind of experience. But if the gameplay looks intriguing to you, if you’re the type that really likes to optimize, to max out your tech tree, or if you generally like survival games and city builders, you sure will like SteamWorld Build.
This game is one of the most accessible entries in its genre, and it does an exceptional job streamlining certain elements and providing some well-needed objectives through its story and digging mechanics. I still really enjoyed my time with Build. SteamWorld Build is available on all major platforms, including Game Pass.
FAQs for the SteamWorld Build Review
Q1: What genre does SteamWorld Build belong to, and what is the gameplay like?
A1: SteamWorld Build is a city-builder game set in a steampunk-inspired universe. The gameplay involves building a settlement, mining technology below the world’s surface, and excavating ancient tech to build a rocket and eventually leave the dying planet.
Q2: How is the user-friendly design of SteamWorld Build, and what platforms is it available on?
A2: The game is praised for its user-friendly design. The UI is easy to navigate. SteamWorld Build is available on all major platforms, including Game Pass.
Q3: What are the main elements players build in SteamWorld Build, and how do they interact?
A3: Players build houses for residents, services to make residents happier, and facilities that farm and generate resources. Everything is interconnected, and careful planning is required to keep residents happy and upgrade them to higher classes. The game emphasizes space management and road connections.
Q4: How does SteamWorld Build incorporate digging into the gameplay, and what makes it unique?
A4: SteamWorld Build’s twist on the city-building genre involves digging. Players must create grids of quarters to summon miners who excavate precious metals and machines in the mine. The mine exploration adds an adventure element to the game, combining resource management with exploration and tower defense against creatures.
Q5: What is the final verdict on SteamWorld Build, and who would enjoy playing it?
A5: SteamWorld Build is an excellent game with various systems that might be overwhelming for some players. It has a slow burn of accumulating resources to grow the city, making it not a pick-up-and-play experience. However, if players enjoy optimizing and maximizing the tech tree, like survival games and city builders, they will likely enjoy SteamWorld Build. The game is considered accessible and well-designed, streamlining certain elements and providing objectives through its story and digging mechanics.
