A Card-Tastic Quest

I've wrapped up my initial playthrough of SteamWorld Quest:  Hand of Gilgamech.  If you want to read more about the basics of the story and gameplay, please read my intro post (here) where I lay it out.  Now, straight to the reviewing!

Pros:
+ 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.

A Quest With Your Robot Friends

Armilly, Copernica, and Galleo are a great squad.

Last month it was announced that the new game from Image & Form Games (makers of the SteamWorld series) would be released on PC.  SteamWorld Quest:  Hand of Gilgamech was initially released on consoles and I had anticipated a somewhat long wait before it made the magical trip to the land of the PC.  I decided to grab it at full price (something I rarely do, but I have greatly enjoyed the other games in the series) and have been enjoying my new adventure with my steambot friends.

If you're unfamiliar with the SteamWorld series, I would highly encourage you to check them out.  They are indies, so there's a good chance that you might have missed them.  One particular aspect of the games that I personally enjoy is the fact that they are technically in the same "universe" but that the way the games play is vastly different from game to game.  The "universe" I am describing is filled with cute robots powered by steam and their adventures vary greatly.  The first two games in the series are the SteamWorld Dig games (2).  These games are reminiscent of the classic arcade game Dig Dug but are much deeper than simply digging a bunch of holes.  They have RPG elements and a fun little story.  The next game in the series is SteamWorld Heist which is more of a turn-based strategy game that takes place in space.  All three games are relaxing and fun--they would be great games for younger audiences (definitely very kid friendly) or older games looking for a more casual game that is still challenging and fun.

The fourth, and newest game in the series, is SteamWorld Quest:  Hand of Gilgamech.  The characters in the game are steambots from an earlier, more medieval inspired era (in fact, the character telling the "story" is actually from SteamWorld Heist).  Armilly, the main protagonist, is a steambot who desperately wants to join the ranks of the local chapter of the Heroes Guild.  Unfortunately, the guild has mostly ignored her pleas and don't seem all that interested in allowing her to join.  Her sidekick is a magically inclined steambot named Copernica.  The story follows Armilly and Copernica as they find themselves pulled into greater adventures thanks to a mysterious attack on their hometown.

Gameplay in SteamWorld Quest is in the style of a card game/deck builder.  As Armilly and Copernica explore the world, they are confronted by various enemies.  The gameplay consists of "turns" where your squad can play three cards from your deck and then the enemy squad can play three.  Strategizing during your turn is mandatory--basic attacks build a power known as "steam" which is indicated by little gears at the top of the screen; more advanced attacks require a certain amount of "steam" to play--you have to plan out your attacks based on how much "steam" you have.  Things get much more complicated as you find and craft more cards for your deck--some cards are more powerful if used in combination with cards from different characters; there are cards for offensive and defensive buffs/debuffs--you gotta plan and strategize!

As you explore the map you fight various groups of lesser enemies which reward gold and crafting materials.  Exploration is a simple matter of point and click through a grid-like map.  Scattered around the map are various treasure chests which can contain equippable accessories which grant special buffs (like greater health, attack power, etc.) or new cards for your deck.  There is some strategy involved in exploring due to the fact that your heroes don't automatically regenerate health between fights--you start your next bout of combat with the health remaining from your last bout.  The only place available to save and restore the health of your heroes is a "hero statue" which is usually located directly before the end of an area, which directly precedes a "boss" fight.  The downside of using these statues is that whenever you save, all the enemies in an area will respawn.  There is some strategy involved in deciding when or if to save and restore health.  (There are also items that you can use to restore health--on top of certain character abilities that heal--but those items are fairly rare or can be purchased which costs some of your precious gold).

The deckbuilding aspect of the game is novel.  Each character in your party has a deck which contains 8 cards.  As you explore you can find new cards or you can craft them at a merchant wagon.  The next challenge is figuring out the best cards to stick in a deck or to build a deck that is the best option for the enemies that you are currently facing.  You have to make sure that you're keeping enough basic attack cards or buff cards that build steam as well as cards that do damage.  "Boss" enemies provide an extra challenging fight that might require tweaking your decks to accommodate their special abilities.

I've played several hours of SteamWorld Quest and I've been having fun.  Like the other games in the series, the combat seems deceptively simple, but actually has quite a bit of depth.  You really have to pay attention to enemy weaknesses and the best way to utilize your three cards.  Playing three cards with abilities from one character will unleash a special ability unique to that hero.

Don't be deceived by the seeming simplicity of the series--it's absolutely great for gamers of all skills and backgrounds.