SteamWorld Heist (Nintendo 3DS) Preview

The guys at Image & Form are no slouches, not merely wanting to rest on their laurels after the immense success of SteamWorld Dig. After polishing the diamond until it could shine no brighter, launching its magnum opus across any format able to run it, instead of jumping onto a sequel, SteamWorld Heist was borne. Just a follow-up under another name? Nope! Imagine a careful fusing of 2D action with turn-based Fire Emblem-esque tactical gameplay, and a huge dose of that Image & Form charm. From the mannerisms of characters mid-conversation, and the sarcastic quips, through to the smooth gameplay and razor-sharp physics when skeletal remains are scattered, this is a true spectacle. 3DS eShop may be the lead platform again, but it does not mean the team has scrimped on its meticulous attention to detail.

More enemies, time limits, racing to reach the end before energy levels go beyond critical - the pace may have been almost sedentary in the early build tested, yet that was purely because being a rookie, the main man, Brjann of Image & Form, was being generous and showing off what basically acted as a tutorial mode. The difficulty can be adjusted to suit any level of gamer, so there is no need to be concerned about this being either too hardcore or a walk in the park.

It is also a streamlined experience, for instance, sometimes in strategy titles there is a frustration of moving too far along the permitted path and then not being able to nudge back a bit to fire at enemies due to the designated amount of moves per turn being exhausted. Here, the solution is to try to fire bullets to ricochet off certain objects at clever angles. Equally, when too near to a foe, rather than not being able to attack, full stop, a fist fight can ensue. It is cute, charming, smart, easy to get to grips with, and has plenty of story unfolding as play goes on to ensure interest levels are kept high.