SteamWorld Quest review: Exuberant and fun, but nothing special

A wonderfully created world with beautiful characters, but this is the weakest entry in the storied series

Charming steampunk setting? Check. Quirky characters? Check. A wonderful hand-drawn world? Check. It couldn’t be anything else but a new SteamWorld title.

SteamWorld Quest is the latest release in a unique and storied history of games by company Image & Form. What began as a humble series in 2010 with the release of SteamWorld: Tower Defence, Quest is a special take on the typical fantasy role-playing game formula: using actions called Punch Cards for their turn-based combat encounters.

Enter Armilly and Copernica. You meet these two protagonists wandering through a picturesque forest in search of a special mushroom. After an exchange of some masterfully-crafted dialogue, the ensuing adventure that’s kickstarted is the beginning of a hilariously charming romp. Rest assured, you're going to be meet a whole host of engaging characters and no small amount of charm akin to a Terry Pratchett novel. With no prior knowledge of the other games needed, you’ll feel quite at ease to jump right in, owing of course to the inviting nature of these games.

As you’re thrust into the story, you’ll immediately notice how Quest proudly flaunts all the tell-tale signs of the SteamWorld brand that’s created such endearing games. Like before, you take control of unbearably beautiful robotic characters in a steam-punk setting. But the similarities in this iteration stop there in turns of combat and exploration.

Quest plays out like you’d expect a game of Dungeons and Dragons would, just with robots. It obviously relies on a formulaic good against evil story, but the addition of SteamWorld’s robotic twist on all the medieval fantasy tropes you love to hate, Quest distinguishes itself as a precociously clever pastiche early on.

The main draw of Quest is the card-based combat system, and while it’s fun to begin with, the novelty can wear thin. The balance between combat and gameplay is nothing special and if anything, the exploration is far too drawn out. Encounters and re-used bosses will play out in largely the same way which borders on the mundane after you hit the game’s latter acts.

Boss battle in SteamWorld Quest (Image & Form) (Image & Form)

The game lets you customise how all the party members play. You’re given a basic, bare-bones deck for each member when they join your quest but it’s where you can pick and choose which Punch Cards to use where the system shines through the most.

Having complete control over the cards you draw in battle is the best thing about the combat, while the random way in which they're drawn is simultaneously a pain at times if you haven't prepared a functioning deck. This is why taking the time to learn the cards and have a well-built stack of Punch Cards can be the difference between heart-pounding encounters and breezing through the entire game without a struggle.

As a bonus, crafting decks lets you challenge yourself by making the game more difficult. For example, you can completely leave out support cards which can buff your characters with more strength, defence or heal damage taken. The freedom offered is certainly something more hardcore gamers or card-game fanatics will be interested in.

Is the game fun? Yes. Does the fun last? Not really. Once you hit the latter parts of the game the cracks begin to show. And after 10 or so hours you don’t see much else than what they’ve shown you from the start.

Armilly exploring a section of the map (Image & Form) (Image & Form)

Other titles in the franchise like SteamWorld: Dig offers a wholly cathartic experience in its unabashed mining simulation. This satisfying loop of looting the mines and selling at the town above is damn-near perfect and rewarding.

It’s the key component lacking in Quest as you’re very much lead on a linear adventure. Gone are the procedurally generated mines and areas of Dig, instead you travel from page-to-page of this storybook world which, after exploring in each chapter you’ll find that despite it’s overwhelming charm becomes tedious as the game progresses.

Overall, the game is formulaic and rather repetitive. Quest, however, never overstays its welcome and the magical allure of the game lasts just long enough as the curtain falls on the final act. Owing to the insightful writing and exuberant hand-drawn setting typical to the franchise, SteamWorld Quest is completely exuberant and fun, but ultimately offers nothing special.

While it struggles to retain any sort of long-term attention, you’ll find yourself always going back to it at some point as it offers you no more and no less than an aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable game, perfectly suited for the Nintendo Switch and the freedom offered by the console.