Steamworld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

Genre: Turn-Based Card RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

Steamworld Quest is a Turn-Based Card RPG set at least tangentially in the same universe as Steamworld Heist and the Steamworld Dig games. While usually these games feature a cartoony post-apocalyptic world where steampunk-style robots have colonized the galaxy, Steamworld Quest takes place within the story a robot tells to his… er, child? Anyway, it is a story that puts these robots in an anachronistic medieval fantasy setting, making for a unique spin on the genre.

As you might expect with that sort of setup, the game’s story and presentation are pretty tongue-in-cheek, with amusing takes on genre tropes. This is done with the Steamworld series’ usual appealing art style and endearing characters, and this is much of what will drive players to keep playing and see more of the game.

That’s not to say the gameplay here is bad. I feel it’d be more appropriate to say that this game’s gameplay is decent, even if it’s nothing that truly breaks the mold for the genre. Players must select cards to form a deck with specific limits and requirements, with each character having cards that correspond to them and their attacks. More minor attacks and simpler moves store energy, while stronger attacks and moves require a surplus of energy to use. Beyond this, the game offers special bonuses for combining characters’ attacks in certain ways, or having the same character attack consecutively. Players must keep these elements in mind when designing their deck.

If I had to point to complaints, it would be that the battles themselves are a bit slow-paced for my liking, and once you get bast the game’s novelty, much of it feels like just going through the motions. The combat is clever, but I never felt truly engaged by it. The story is cute, but not terribly engrossing. And the game’s maps feel too limited to deliver on the scope of what many might hope for in a truly epic story in the rich Steamworld universe.

Still, fans of earlier Steamworld games won’t be disappointed with Steamworld Quest, nor will fans of card RPGs, and this delivers a decent enough experience that both groups will enjoy it. It’s just not an experience that truly stands out in either its genre or its franchise. It’s fine, it does what it sets out to do, but little more than that.

tl;dr – Steamworld Quest is a Turn-Based Card RPG set loosely in the Steamworld universe, taking the franchise into the realm of pseudo-medieval fantasy. It is a decent take on its genre that does a good job of incorporating the franchise’s charm, but it doesn’t really excel in any area or take full advantage of the potential the rich setting has to offer. However, it’s still a decent game fans of the genre should enjoy.

Grade: B

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