As someone who’s usually not playing strategy games of any kind, including city builder games, I wasn’t initially planning to check SteamWorld Build. Even though I do find the universe of SteamWorld adorable, I’ve never cared about any of the titles apart from the fantastic metroidvanias of SteamWorld Dig and its even better sequel. But the demo of the game got me hooked – it felt like a perfect “introduction to the genre” kind of game. As it happens, it’s not really perfect anything, but it’s kinda nice anyway.
The main gimmick of SteamWorld Build is that it’s two strategy games in one. It starts as a typical (if very simple and welcoming) city builder with resource management and planning the placement of things. But after a bit it enables the second layer, which plays like a very simple Dungeon Keeper map. I found the overall balance and mix of ideas really nice and for someone like me, who rarely ever plays these kinds of games (well, there’s not a lot like Dungeon Keeper nowadays anyway…), this was a welcoming and not very challenging experience. Paired with a very simple story that seems to be happening at the same time as the SteamWorld Dig 2.
But even with my layman understanding of the genre, I could tell that the game was a bit too primitive. Things never evolve that much, neither as a challenge for those searching for it, nor for some fun variety if you’re just having a chill time with the game. At the launch of the game you can select one of the maps, for example, but it’s just a choice of a theme for the town that, upon completion, will unlock a permanent bonus building for you to use upon replaying. But I don’t know how many people will want to play the game again because of this lack of genuine engagement.
I like my time with it. And the fact that it got me, someone who rarely ever touches this genre, hooked until the relatively short end is impressive. But I can also say that the completion of the title didn’t have any real lasting effect on me. It was just “nice”, nothing more. I think it can be worth playing, especially on a discount, if you like simpler city builder games or want an easy introduction into the genre. But for people who love it, I’m not sure the game would provide much fun.