SteamWorld Quest
A steampunk deck-building RPG with generally positive reviews.
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech blends turn-based role-playing and deck-building mechanics within the SteamWorld series. Developed by Image & Form and published by Thunderful Publishing, it follows a party of sentient steam-powered robots through a steampunk fantasy realm. The game earned generally favorable reviews, with praise for its visuals and gameplay.
The story is framed as a fairy tale from the science-fiction universe of *SteamWorld Heist*, with no direct narrative ties to earlier titles. It centers on two friends, Armilly and Copernica, whose journey expands into a larger adventure.
Gameplay is side-scrolling, with small areas to explore and loot. Battles occur when enemies are encountered. Attacks use collectible punch cards that robots execute as programs. Steam pressure serves as mana, and players build custom decks from character-specific cards.
On Metacritic, the game holds an aggregate score of 81. Matt Masem of RPGamer rated it 4.5/5, calling it an "excellent adventure" with "beautiful" animation and a "wonderfully executed" story, despite being "standard RPG fare." Tom Marks of IGN gave it 8.6/10, highlighting the combat system's "insane amount of choice." Nadia Oxford of USgamer rated it 4/5, noting it is "light on character and worldbuilding" but remains a "fun, airy RPG."
- Developer
- Image & Form
- Publisher
- Thunderful Publishing
- Release dates
- Nintendo Switch: April 25, 2019; Windows, macOS, Linux: May 31, 2019; Stadia: March 3, 2020; Amazon Luna: October 20, 2020
- Genre
- Turn-based role-playing game and deck-building game hybrid
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux, Stadia, Amazon Luna
- Metacritic score
- 81
Lore & Background
SteamWorld Quest is presented as a fairy tale told within the otherwise science fiction universe of SteamWorld Heist and is not directly linked story-wise to the previous games. It follows Armilly and Copernica, two friends who set out on a journey that spirals into a much larger one. The game is a side-scrolling video game separated into small explorable areas that the player is encouraged to loot for treasure, with enemies encountered leading to battles.
Reader's Guide
SteamWorld Quest is significant as a hybrid of turn-based role-playing and deck-building mechanics within the SteamWorld series, expanding the franchise beyond its earlier action and strategy titles. Critics praised the graphics and gameplay, with Matt Masem of RPGamer calling it an 'excellent adventure' with 'beautiful' animation and a 'wonderfully executed' story, while Tom Marks of IGN highlighted the combat system's 'insane amount of choice'. Nadia Oxford of USgamer rated it 4/5, noting it was 'light on character and worldbuilding' but a 'fun, airy RPG'. The game's release across multiple platforms—Nintendo Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux, Stadia, and Amazon Luna—helped it reach a broad audience. Its legacy lies in demonstrating how deck-building mechanics can be integrated into a narrative-driven RPG, though its story remains standalone within the SteamWorld universe.
Did You Know?
- SteamWorld Quest is presented as a fairy tale within the science fiction universe of SteamWorld Heist.
- The game uses steam pressure as a mana system for attacks.
- It was released for Stadia on March 3, 2020, and for Amazon Luna on October 20, 2020.
- Critics cited the graphics and gameplay as strong points.
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