I got to try out SteamWorld Build at GDC before the title was made public. I am extremely excited about this cute entry into the SteamWorld universe. I love city builders, and with my limited exposure to the title, I already know Build is taking all of my free time. If you are a fan of the genre, go wishlist SteamWorld Build.
Build takes place after the events of Dig 2. The planet is dying, and you must make a final push to escape it. With the help of your citizens, you must gather resources, build your town, and fight off the wildlife that endangers our town. Can you escape before it is too late?
At first glance, Build can seem overwhelming with how much there is to manage. You have to build a city, keep your workers happy, mine resources, and defend your base all at once. The game does a fantastic job at easing the player into its mechanics, and once you get used to them, the management isn’t bad The pacing of this game can be stressful if you aren’t actively planning your moves, but the pacing of the game was rather relaxing. You will have plenty of time to maneuver between your tasks, and the game does a great job of alerting the players about what needs to be done.
There is a story to this game, but it acts more as a tutorial as it guides you through the different mechanics. Each section of the story will have you unlock and repair buildings that will open up more of the game. The main draw of this game will be its sandbox mode, where you will have the freedom to build and establish your base without restrictions. I recommend going through the story to at least get a basic understanding of its fundamentals.
The game is all about managing your base. Your base is split into different levels. At the top, you have a town of your design where you will recruit your workers. Below the town, you will mine for resources and defend against monsters. You will spend most of your time moving between levels to make sure all your worker’s needs are met while advancing your base.
My favorite thing about this game is the art. The steampunk western aesthetic is adorable. I love the art in the SteamWorld games, and the translation from 2D to 3D art was done beautifully. The art for this game was done by the same people that did the costumes for Little Big Planet, and they did a fantastic job. I spent most of my session admiring all the little details that went into the design. The world reminds me a lot of the Ork aesthetic in 40k where everything is made from recycled metal, except here it’s cute. I loved watching the little robots complete their chores or interact with buildings. The small details make me see the passion there is for this game and have me excited to see a finished product.
I didn’t get to play SteamWorld Build enough to have a fleshed-out opinion, but I am very excited by what I experienced. If you like city builders or are looking to get into one, Build is worth looking into. The game will be available on all consoles and PC. Go try out the demo on Steam or Epic Games. There is no release date yet, but you can wishlist it on Steam, Epic Games, GOG, and Playstation.
Shoutout to the devs that took the time to show me the game and answer all my questions. Keep up the good work!
Make sure you join the official SteamWorld Build Discord server to stay up-to-date on all the news. It is a very active server that occasionally has giveaways. You can also follow them on Twitter
*All pictures and gifs were taken from the press kit