Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Lewis Packwood

SteamWorld Build review – tinker with a tiny township full of robots in hats

Characteristic quirkiness … SteamWorld Build video game artwork.
Characteristic quirkiness … SteamWorld Build. Photograph: Thunderful Games

I’m building a farm for robocows, which will be made into roboburgers to feed a population of steam-powered humanoid robots. None of this makes sense, but who cares. Games in this charming robopunk series have always placed characterful quirkiness above realism, and they’re all the better for it.

SteamWorld has a history of swapping genres, with the steambots going from space shootouts in one game to fantasy role-playing in the next. This time around we’re served a hybrid of city-builder and dungeon-crawler. Initially you’re tasked with building a settlement for your steambots in a wild west-style desert, setting up production chains in a style reminiscent of The Settlers. A forester produces logs, which are processed by a lumber mill to make boards, which are then used to make buildings, and so on.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.