Steamworld Quest Review

Steamworld Quest is a turn-based role playing game from Image and Form, the creators of Steamworld Heist and Steamworld Dig 1 and 2. Image and Form love playing around with different genres and gameplay styles. Steamworld Dig was an action/adventure, Dig 2 was a Metroidvania, and Steamworld Heist was a strategy rpg. All of them are excellent games! So how does Steamworld Quest stack up? Is it another winner from Image and Form?

Steamworld Quest’s storyline is complex and very interesting. Image and Form frame the game as a story being told to a little kid. The story isn’t just a fairytale though. There is a deep mythology to Steamworld Quest’s world and each of its characters are unique. The dialogue in this game is funny too! The story is really linear though, but its never dull. You won’t want to skip a cutscene!

Players will be interested in Steamworld Quest’s storyline, dialogue, and cutscenes. What about its gameplay though? What kind of turn-based rpg is Steamworld Quest?

There are all kinds of rpgs. There are the kinds that are non-linear and have a huge open world to explore, then there are the ones that have a big world and a linear story, and there are ones that are completely  linear and don’t provide too much exploration.

Steamworld Quest ends up in that last category. It is a very straightforward, linear rpg. The game does have some exploration and hidden areas, but mostly you’ll be going from one corridor to another. Steamworld Quest is a 2D sidescrolling rpg. This game isn’t Final Fantasy whatsoever.

There are good points to the way Steamworld Quest is setup and bad points. Steamworld Quest is not padded with fetch quests or annoying NPCs. It has cutscenes but they don’t drag on forever. And if turn-based action is what you love, Steamworld Quest proves that in spades.

However because of its linear 2D setup, you don’t get to stop awhile in towns, there are very little in the way of sidequests, and not too many interesting NPCs. The enemies are cool and shopkeeper is good, but thats it.

I wish that you could explore the towns you see more or meet some interesting NPCs, but thats not the kind of game that Steamworld Quest is.

That said, what is in this game isn’t lackluster. The dungeons are fun to explore, you see the enemies wandering around (no random battles!), the battle system is fantastic, and the cutscenes are funny.

Let me backtrack to the battle system though. I love Steamworld Quest’s battle system. If there is a Steamworld Quest 2, I really want Image and Form to keep the battle system. I think less linear, more open areas to explore would be great, but that battle system needs to stay! The card battle system in Steamworld Quest is so well done.

With the cards you buy and find, you can customize your characters moves. You are in command of what attacks and healing abilities each of your characters have in battle. There are a lot of options. Its pretty impressive. The cards are very easy to use in battle. You choose what cards you want and use them. Its so simple, yet its provides you with more options then just attack or defend options like a traditional rpg.

Steamworld Quest’s controls are very straightforward too. I think anyone could pick up and play this game. The control scheme is not complex at all. The menu system is well laid out too.

I do wish, however, that the Nintendo Switch’s touch screen had been used for selecting cards in battle, moving your character and navigating the menu system. It seems like a no brainer, but Steamworld Quest only has analog and button controls. Its a bit disappointing.

Overall, Steamworld Quest is an excellent game. I could sit here and nitpick it to death, but in the end, if you love turn-based rpgs, then you need Steamworld Quest in your life. Oh and its a very good looking game also.

Steamworld Quest has wonderful graphics. All of the characters, backgrounds, items, and battle cards are well designed. This is a great looking game!

Meanwhile, the sound effects in this game are perfect. Voice acting makes an appearance in this game. There’s a narrator who actually speaks, sets up the game and tells you each chapter’s name. The robot’s have “voice acting” like what we seen in previous Steamworld games. Its kind of gibberish but it works. This is why we have subtitles!

Steamworld Quest is a fantastic game.

If you’re expecting a traditional turn-based rpg experiance with Steamworld Quest, you’ll be disappointed in this game. Image and Form created a very streamlined, linear, chapter based rpg. The game is pretty much one dungeon after another.

However, Steamworld Quest is never boring. If you go into this game expecting a very good story, cool characters, and an amazing battle system then you’ll love this game.

Steamworld Quest gets a 9.5 out of 10!

Thanks to Image and Form for providing a review code of this game. Steamworld Quest will be available this Thursday, April 25, 2019 on the Nintendo Switch eshop!