+ Cute robot cast. One of the mainstays of SteamWorld is the cast of unique SteamBot characters. SteamWorld Quest introduces Armilly, the wannabe hero/knight; Copernica, alchemist/mage of knowledge and sidekick; and Galleo, homebody/healer, who decided to leave his Mom's basement and join in on the action. Each SteamBot has a unique look that reflects their personality.
+ Additional companions that are found throughout the story allow for very customizable gameplay. You can choose which characters are in your active party and then customize each deck for the abilities you want or need for specific encounters.
+ Gameplay that is deceptively simple, but has depth. While exploring the world your party encounters various enemies. Combat takes place in "turns" which consists of your party playing three (or more depending on the cards you play) and then the enemy party playing three. There are a variety of offensive and defensive cards to choose from as well as "combo" cards which allow for special abilities if played between two specific characters. Picking the right three cards is very situational and does require strategizing. Decks need to contain a balance of cards that build steam and cards that spend steam.
+ A wide variety of enemies which require frequently adjustment of your party/strategy.
+ Unlockable cards. One of the main goals of exploration is the find the many treasure chests spread throughout each area. Treasure chests can contain gold, recovery items, weapons, accessories, or new cards. Cards can be crafted using materials you loot from defeated enemies (at the merchant who is present in each area). Cards can also be upgraded using those same materials.
+ Deckbuilding options. Each character in your party can have 8 cards in their deck and you can customize decks at any time while you're exploring. The nice thing about the cards you unlock is that there are multiple options for the skills and types of damage for each character. You can craft a deck that's mostly physical damage or one that's more magically based.
+ Kid friendly. The story is very positive and has a nice message. I think I remember one swear word (hell) in the entire game. This would be the type of game you could feel comfortable letting your kids play. Some of the mechanics might be deep for younger kids, but I think older kids would enjoy the challenge.
+ Replayability. At the end of each chapter the game tells you the percentage of chests that you've found for each area. The nice part is that there is a chapter selection option that allows you to go back and replay each chapter to try to find those chests you missed.
+ Equippable weapons and accessories for each character allow for even more customization. Like cards, weapons and accessories can be found throughout the game in treasure chests or purchased from the merchant. Each character can choose from multiple varieties of weapons which have a unique "chain" ability which occurs anytime you play three cards from one character.
+ Colosseum offers up special challenges. Once you've reached a certain point in the game you unlock the wave-based challenge area. Each battle consists of five rounds against your chosen party (you can't swap out characters during the rounds, so picking the correct party for the situation is key) and each battle has a theme. Some battles present specific challenges like increased damage or certain debuffs present throughout. Defeating each round unlocks rewards like gold or recovery items, but the real pay off is unlocking special weapons and accessories.
+ Nice soundtrack that fits the game very well.
+ Fun and challenging boss fights (mostly).
+ Multiple difficulty levels.
Cons:
- Retreating from battle is only possible against lesser enemies and you can't retreat from bosses--this means that you have to either quit and reload your last save or let your party die to reload. I can somewhat understand the thinking behind this, but it's annoying when you've picked completely the wrong party/cards and can't just simply reload and fix it.
- The last boss in the game took me a ridiculous amount of time to defeat (the battle itself was annoyingly long--this could be mostly due to my poor selection of cards or understanding of its mechanics). I gave up once because I had been going at it for like 45 minutes and really didn't seem to be getting much closer to winning.
Recommended for:
+ Fans of SteamWorld games. Another great entry!
+ Fans of card games who want a nice, relaxing, and semi-casual experience.
+Parents who want a kid-friendly game.
Not Recommended for:
-Hardcore card gamers. There's depth, but you probably want something more serious.
-People who don't like cute robots.
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