SteamWorld Build Review (PC)

The robots are thirsty in more ways than one. I’ve neglected to cap all the sources of dirty underground water and to build enough purifiers for my growing population. So, I expanded the workshops of my mine and then built the devices I need to bring up extra water to the surface. I also upgrade some worker homes to engineer ones, to get the required extra workforce. The robots now have the water they need.

They also want moonshine and providing that is more complicated. There’s nothing to bring up from underground but the statistics screen tells me I lack the glassware for all the distilled cactus juice I produce. The city is already sprawling, making it a little difficult to find the space needed for another sand sifter. I destroy some buildings and find a good spot in the end. I still have a glass deficit, but the moonshine now reaches anyone who wants it.

Meanwhile, my miners have dug too greedily and too deep and they are swarmed by enemies. I have enough space to put down a big guard quarter and arm them with both flamethrowers and rifles. They will clear the area, allowing me to bring in prospectors and mechanics to extract more oil and gas, which the surface also needs.

SteamWorld Build is developed by The Station, with publishing handled by Thunderful Publishing. I played the PC version using Steam. The game is also on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, as well as older consoles from Microsoft and Sony. The title uses some classic city building ideas but adds mine management to the mix.

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The story starts off with a group of robots worried about their planet dying. Don’t get too depressed because they have a solution: exploit the resources of an old abandoned mine and, while there, discover and extract pieces of a rocket that will take them to space. It’s not an easy task given that the robots, despite the impending doom, insist on being provided with a lot of creature comforts.

SteamWorld Build is, mechanically, a city builder with a twist. On the surface, gamers will put down houses, create resource processing chains, deliver amenities for their citizens, upgrade their dwellings, and generally create a thriving robot town. Players have to keep an eye on their resources and reach certain milestones to unlock new population tiers and buildings.

The twist is that the above ground cannot exist and evolve without the work of miners, who dig quickly and deeply underground to find unique resources. It all starts with scrap, which the robots need to find in veins, initially digging it out by hand and then creating devices to extract it. Water, though dirty, is only found in the mines. Ironium is also there. As the mine expands, gamers need to worry about structural integrity and constantly expand their workforce to hover resources and get them to processing factories. Don’t forget to click on chests for extra rewards.

Rocket parts are also down there and require more effort to excavate. And once that’s done, it’s time to move down a level and open up another area. This one features insectoid opponents who are more than a match for simple miners. Guards (givem them the flamethrowers they need) and turrets will clear them out. There’s even fertile soil down here to grow mushrooms on, while extractors can also bring up gas and oil.

Deeper down, special vectron scraps and another set of enemies appear. It also gets harder to find the space to put down quarters for miners, technicians, prospectors, and guards, while also creating workshops and armories. Teleporters and jumping pads help to cover more space, while conveyors get resources to the surface faster, although they are pricey. It’s important to expand relatively slowly, dig out a zone, destroy enemies, put extractors on all resources, and build a few turrets.

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Expanding mine operations takes money and plenty of refined resources, like plastic and special drill tips. Many of them are also required for consumer goods that the surface robots require to stay satisfied. And there’s a significant monetary investment involved in turning engineers into aristocrats and then scientists. Gamers can supplement income and secure rarer resources by trading with the train, which comes around at set intervals. The station also offers items that boost buildings, which become important once a city moves toward 2,000 robot citizens.

Above ground, I very much like the idea of manually upgrading dwellings to move between citizen classes. I do think that the costs associated with scientists are kind of high. Underground, another way to stabilize galleries other than wooden supports is needed. The game also needs a higher speed for those moments when both the mine and the city are running relatively smoothly.

SteamWorld Build doesn’t aim for any sort of realism. Graphically, it mixes classic cowboy Western elements with a cartoon-tinged look. It’s easy on the eyes and information is delivered efficiently, especially on the above ground layer that players will probably spend most of their time looking at. The underground can be a little harder to read, especially once players have a big extraction industry going.

The sound design matches the graphics. I love the sounds that the robot guards armed with flamethrowers make when they clear critters to pave the way for my miners. The city itself sounds industrious and mechanical. The soundtrack matches the theme, although at times it feels too gentle given the impending planetary doom.

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The Good

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Conclusion