Wednesday, December 07, 2016

Prepare for Boreding

I did say that I was going to post about this after I was finished, and I did. I just kinda held off on doing so until I played all of those other video games for my October post. Also, I'm not sure if I actually posted I would blog about this after I was finished. I don't believe I did. What I do know is that I held off on it longer by fooling around with notebook drawings and more video games throughout November. No one is eagerly awaiting my next post anyhow (not even me).

I loved Steamworld Dig. Blogged about it nearly a year ago. Nobody else read it. Nobody reads anything. (Fuck you people.) So, now there's Steamworld Heist and it's so much more amazing than Dig that I'm going to blog about it. Nobody else will read it, because nobody else reads anything. (Fuck you people.)
For starters, Piper's a female robot. You Steam users wouldn't know this, however, because, apparently, she doesn't qualify for the tag of Female Protagonist. Then again, nor does Space Channel 5, and, if you combine the ladies of both games, you're left with Piper from Fallout 4, because the logic in that conclusion is sound and unquestionable. SOUND AND UNQUESTIONABLE! Ahem, to further derail this nonsense, Piper Faraday is the only one of the three currently not affected by Rule 34, but Arcee is, so don't think robots are excluded from that part of the Internet. I checked. Twice. Don't judge me!

Steamworld Heist takes place in the lots-of-years-after-Steamworld-Dig future, where the sci-fi western theme of the series has turned into a sci-fi sci-fi series involving fictional science, like that of space travel, aliens, laser weapons, non-laser weapons, non-aliens wielding laser weapons, and fly-lookin' hats.
But no roads. They weren't needed.
As captain of this small group of pirate smugglers, it is your job to slowly recruit a diverse team of teenagers with machines to ensure equality within the workplace. This mindset is most definitely not shared by the enemy forces, as bots are discriminated by their fuel consumption.
Some of your crew mates will, first, need to be rescued, while others must be convinced, but my favorite of the bunch is pay-to-play. Hell, it's even in his name!
(Yeah, I'm not all that good with drawing on a tablet.) 
It's worth the hassle to set up a proper team before each stage, because most of them will be randomized, and there are plenty of situations best handled by the unique abilities each member brings to the party. For example, if you find yourself constantly being swarmed, let Sally run Mad Dog for a turn or two. That butterfaced bot is the only one capable of clearing a room on her own. Meanwhile, Ivanski not only makes full use of heavy firepower, but he also tanks far better than any other. Granted, some items provide similar abilities, however, you're only allowed to carry two on each character, and with that strict limitation, why rely upon second-rate strategies?

The big deal surrounding this game is that it's a turn-based strategy that relies upon the player's ability to properly aim. Unlike Fire Emblem, Advance Wars, and, my personal favorite, Shining Force, Steamworld Heist doesn't hit your target for you. That's your job, and rightfully so!
The weapon's damage is provided, of course, but if you're not using a sharpshooter, there's a strong chance for something to go wrong. You might ricochet a bullet into an environmental hazard, or, as I've done numerous times, mistakenly blast one of your allies to pieces, and, boy, will they explode when you do!
It's extremely satisfying when an opponent goes all over the place, and those pieces don't just disappear a moment later, either. I once opened a hatch to reach a better aiming position and some of the parts from a defeated enemy just fell past my crew mate as he was climbing the ladder. Zero fucks given by the guy. I mean, it was beautiful. I'll recommend this game just for that reason alone!

Thanks to New Game +, along with a Casual setting, it's fairly easy to obtain most of the achievements. Then, there's the ones involving hat combinations.
Look at those percentages!
If you're an achievement completionist, you're going to absolutely hate collecting those hats. There's a lot of them, and it's far more enjoyable to swap them out between battles than doing so has any right to be, but several of them are only obtainable IF an enemy is wearing one, and only IF you can effectively shoot it off the bot's noggin without killing him in the process. Then, you gotta remember to pick it up before leaving. I've actually failed missions, because I allowed an enemy to score numerous unanswered shots against my team while I was struggling to retrieve one of those things. Still, if you're interested in obtaining them, Woudo currently provides a decent guide on Steam. Good luck to you!

Lastly, I would like to call attention to the game's soundtrack. It is significantly better than SW Dig's and this is primarily thanks to the talented bunch known as Steam Powered Giraffe, whom you might remember from Battleborn, because they're also responsible for Montana's theme song. Actually, that's a crock of shit, because nobody has played that fucking game ever, so no one has a flippin' clue as to who the fuck Montana even is! Still, they did that, so maybe give it a listen, along with some of their other albums. 
The band is also featured several times throughout the game.
Image & Form is a socially-friendly indie developer with a bunch of dorks for employees.
There's absolutely no subtlety in these references.
The CEO himself, Brjann Sigurgeirsson, frequently participates in announcements, contests, and Q&A videos on Youtube in a similar fashion to how Iwata used to host Nintendo Directs, though I doubt I&F can afford to create videos that grandiose. Still, I'm a subscriber, because I'll support anyone who believes in running a company by making an effort to reach out to his consumers on a personal level. As for recent Nintendo Directs...
They still have their moments.
I can't wait for the next project Image & Form has planned for the Nintendo Switch. They haven't provided any details as of yet, outside of there being a major project for the upcoming device. I'm sure it will be impressive. Maybe it'll bring back Rusty from the previous game. Why not, right? Until then, go get yourself a copy of Heist. It's frequently on sale, and I bet it will be again during the next major Steam event. Don't forget to add the The Outsider DLC to that, because I've played it, and Fen is just a really neat addition to the crew. Also, there's more hats and levels. Once you get into it, you're going to want more of all that anyhow, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was also reduced in price during the winter sale. Once you've finished playing, I hope you'll provide better fan art, because that Payroll I drew is kinda sorta most definitely... sad. It's sad.
Anyhow, thanks for reading... as if anyone does.
(Fuck you people.)