SteamWorld Build Reviews
A triumphant combination of SimCity and Dungeon Keeper-style gameplay makes SteamWorld Build not only an excellent game, but a comfortable and immediately gratifying experience that should be savoured.
Whether you're a fan of the series or looking for a well-made city-builder, SteamWorld Build has much to offer, even with the odd annoyance or two.
SteamWorld Build is another feather in the series' cap and another great distillation of genres into a friendly and wholly addictive package. The city building and mining halves come together effortlessly thanks to a pitch-perfect campaign, though with just a single scenario there's not a heap of longevity. The console version's awfully-small text also threatens to undo the good done by its superb controls, but in the end it remains another banger SteamWorld game.
SteamWorld Build sets up a fantastic environment for Wild West robot capitalism to thrive. You must create workers to build enough resources that support your mining operations, which in turn helps develop your city. Expand your operations above and below ground to get more workers and new resources. While there isn't anything ground-breaking in this game and it can be repetitive, it still offers good fun for people who enjoy city builders. If you are looking for a strategic challenge that makes you balance two types of city building, SteamWorld Build is a great game to try out.
A charming city-building simulator that is spoiled by the short duration and excessive simplicity of the gameplay.
Review in Russian | Read full review
And with each one of these you'll be picking up buildings and moving them from one part of the city to another to meet that unit's specific needs. Once you make it underground, SteamWorld Build is a delight, but any time spent on the surface is filled with mild frustrations that slowly add up and leave me yearning for the mines. It should come as no surprise, I suppose, that SteamWorld is at its best when you're digging.
I enjoyed SteamWorld Build a lot, but it’s not essential. Perhaps that’s why, 13 years later, this overall property is still searching for that breakout hit that will elevate it from indie charmer to a major property. The elements are all there: the theme, the quality aesthetics, and the maverick ability to move between genres while interpreting them in an accessible and engaging manner. But the developer really needs to figure out how to tell a compelling, deep and purposeful narrative with all these components. It’s the glue that’s missing from making SteamWorld memorable.
Despite its shortcomings, SteamWorld Build is a delightful foray into the world of robot cowboys, and there’s a bit of fun to be had with the building and dungeon crawling, even if the tinge of innovation is a little muted.
SteamWorld Build is yet another triumph from the maestros at Thunderful. Here we have a slick and addictive addition to a wonderful steampunk franchise that manages to meld elements from across the entire series into one cohesive whole. You've got wonderfully detailed city-building, addictive mining action and intense tower-defense aspects all in the mix here, and it tells you everything you need to know about this one that all of these elements work in harmony. Xbox Game Pass just netted itself another banger.
The new game from the steampunk universe with robots is city building spiced up with Dungeon Keeper-style mining. It works well. If you like to tinker with houses and resources, fun is guaranteed.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
SteamWorld Build is a sufficiently well-designed management game that is initially engaging with a good blend of underground exploration, but it eventually becomes a bit repetitive and is over rather quickly, without much motivation to start up another town.
SteamWorld Build is a relaxing simulation game that may lack challenge but it has plenty of heart. Watching your town and mine facilities expand to a bustling interconnected industry is satisfying stuff although once you reach the end, you'll likely never pick it up again. 🏜️
SteamWorld Build is yet another success for the intellectual property created by Image & Form. The sparkling liveliness of the series has brought us this time a curious hybrid of city building and dungeon crawling, elements that taken individually would not be particularly original, but that combined give rise to something peculiar. The presence of an ultimate goal to pursue and the need to cope with two different ludic realities make Build a decidedly interesting product, even net of a few too many levity and facilitation. Precisely in this sense, lovers of the aforementioned genres might be most critical of the production. For everyone else and for fans of the post-apocalyptic world of steam-powered robots, there will be bread for your teeth this time as well.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Whilst far from being a massive game, Steamworld Build is undeniably likable. Its genre mixing is ambitious and well-executed. It is an interesting settlement builder and a quirky Dungeon Keeper-like. But combined, it’s a unique and deeply enjoyable experience; although one that also feels like it’s lacking long-term goals to make the sandbox mode feel worthwhile. Despite this, the game as a whole is worth playing for fans of the Steamworld franchise, and anyone who enjoys a laid-back town-building game with minimal stress.
Steamworld Build is the very first game in the franchise, which spans multiple games across multiple genres, to be made by a different studio, and it’s unfortunate that it also happens to be, in my opinion, the weakest of the bunch. That doesn’t mean it’s not still a pretty good time though, and certainly a good addition to the Game Pass catalogue. Maps that pushed you to build a bit more creatively and a slightly less stiff progression system could have elevated this one up to a four, I reckon. Still, it’s well worth playing if you already have Game Pass or if you’re maybe a grizzled city-building veteran who fancies something a tad simpler before they delve back into spreadsheets and optimal street layouts.
SteamWorld Build is still a lovely merger of streamlined city-builder and dungeon delver.
SteamWorld Build fulfills its mission and delivers a fun construction game with the undeniable charm of the versatile and long-running SteamWorld franchise. A little more depth or challenge would be welcome, of course, but there will always be room for polished experiences that value fun and are capable of welcoming new players with excellence. Recommended.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Its early hours are a delightful exploration into a well-executed city-building mechanic, complemented by engaging underground mining operations.
SteamWorld Build is a city-builder with heart that successfully mixes various genres. It is also accessible to players who don’t put hundreds of hours into Cities Skylines and for players who have played many games in the genre it is a cute palate cleanser that can be played through in one weekend. The game offers various maps, but the replayability is what’s going to hold this title back.