I was a huge fan of Image & Form’s first eShop game, SteamWorld Dig. That title provided players with a strange, but ultimately fantastic, gameplay mash up that was somewhere between Mega Man X, Super Metroid, and Dig Dug. It was extremely addictive and after playing that game countless times, I couldn’t wait to see what the developer would do next. Enter SteamWorld Heist, which has quickly become my favorite 3DS game of 2015.

SteamWorld Heist is almost nothing like Dig. For starters, the exploration platforming and digging of that game have been replaced with 2D side-scrolling, turn-based strategy gameplay. Rather than taking place in an abandoned mine somewhere in the Wild West, Heist takes SteamWorld far into the future and out into space after a cataclysmic event shattered Earth into pieces. Heist allows the player to take control of a ragtag and ever-expanding group of Steambots who are just trying to survive and find their place in a galaxy that doesn’t seem to have one for them. The story is surprisingly fun and deeper than you might expect, but it’s really the satisfying gameplay and humorous banter between the characters that will keep bringing the player back for more.

There haven’t been many moments more satisfying for me than hitting an opponent with a well-placed shot or grenade in SteamWorld Heist. Each scenario that you fight your way through, while also collecting treasure, is equally challenging and fun. You can’t just rush in with guns blazing in every fight and expect to win. This is a well-thought strategy game that keeps the player on their toes, and ensures that every decision counts. And while there are several difficulty settings to play on, you’ll find that even the easier ones will still put you through the paces. However, the challenge here only serves to make the victories that much more satisfying.

I absolutely love SteamWorld Heist. This is a game that I will continue going back to, much like I did with SteamWorld Dig before it. It’s a testament to how solid and fun the gameplay is and the amount of love and effort that the developers put into it can really be seen. SteamWorld Heist is a necessary game for any 3DS owner’s digital library, so go and download it and see for yourself why it’s one of the games we loved here at NWR!