- Publisher: Thunderful
- Release Date: Dec 1, 2023
- Also On: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
-
Nov 29, 2023Ultimately, SteamWorld Build was a lot of what I like about the original IP and city simulations. It smartly mixes concepts from throughout the SteamWorld series into your management such as mining and monster control. Between overseeing the mines below and the town above, you’ll have a lot on your plate trying to make sure all the robots are happy and safe as you dig deeper and deeper to find the tech you need to escape the planet. That said, it’s a good blend, fit to please anyone who likes SteamWorld and city builders alike. Make sure your robots are oiled and happy and they’ll gladly venture into the unknown where mysterious discoveries await in this unique city sim.
-
Dec 13, 2023SteamWorld Build will not push you up against the wall and leave you shaken like Frostpunk or grip you for hundreds of hours like Anno. Its ambitions are smaller, but it’s a beautiful, easy-to-digest and highly polished little simulation that will keep you captivated from the beginning to the slightly hollow end.
-
Dec 4, 2023SteamWorld Build initially looks like a classic city builder with a cute theme and robots instead of humans. But the mine management, especially when they reach the third underground level, has solid new ideas, especially during the frantic moments when you’re dealing with a big enemy assault. Finding and getting all the rocket parts is not easy, mainly because the scientist class gobbles up so many hard to produce products. I like the gradual ramp up in complexity that SteamWorld Build delivers and the game provides an engaging experience for both fans of the franchise and newcomers.
-
Nov 27, 2023The 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.
-
Dec 8, 2023SteamWorld Build is a pleasant and exciting gaming adventure, calm and capable of captivating the player on the screen and transporting him to a fascinating world in a masterfully thought out hybrid. Even if more could have been done in terms of plot, the game design, the heart of the work, enriches it with notable nuances and approaches.
-
LEVEL (Czech Republic)Jan 12, 2024From the start, the game doesn't surprise experienced builders with anything and guides the inexperienced ones nicely. It's an unconventional builder, it knows how to overdo it, but at the same time it easily keeps you deep in the realm of fun. [Issue#332]
-
Nov 29, 2023But it’s all just so damn charming. The animations are superb, and zooming right down into the city to watch your robot citizens go about their business never seems to grow old. The move tool means that the perfect city is always within your grasp, inviting endless adjustments in the quest for maximum efficiency. It’s easy to lose hours in reverie, tending to your steambots’ needs. Who else is going to keep them supplied with roboburgers?
-
Nov 29, 2023A charming city builder with polished gameplay and fun, approachable mechanics. If you are new to the genre, this would be a great entry point, even though the game is rather short and offers not much replay value.
-
Nov 28, 2023A joyous and relaxing city builder that will make you think.
-
Nov 27, 2023An interesting blend of two game mechanics that lacks a bit of creativity typical of the series yet overall works very well.
-
Nov 27, 2023Whether 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.
-
Nov 27, 2023Steamworld Build is a great addition to the series, providing a unique but refined take on the city builder genre. Anyone looking for a more complicated, hardcore experience might find it a touch underwhelming, at least until the game really starts to find its feet. Even so, its forgiving nature and slow but consistent feed of gameplay mechanics make it especially appealing to more casual players or folks new to the genre.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld Build is proof that the SteamWorld formula can be applied to almost any genre with its mix of city building and dungeon mining combining for quite the treat.
-
Dec 1, 2023Cozy building strategy game with a unique robot wild west look that combines elements of Anno, mine construction and battles against underground creatures.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld Build is a good game overall, But its hybrid nature sometimes holds it back a bit.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld 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.
-
Dec 13, 2023SteamWorld Build blends Sim City-style building with Dungeon Keeper-style protection. Unlike some of its peers, the game is delightfully laid back- at least on the lower difficulty level, making for an enjoyable outing as a civil engineer. But don’t expect much longevity. However, the developers’ resourcefulness doesn’t extend across the game’s five settings, making for a fun, but tragically fleeting career.
-
Dec 10, 2023The Station’s first city builder is a fun and graphically attractive game that offers an interesting experience for fans of the genre, with a fast-paced gameplay and a charming steampunk aesthetic. However, it also suffers from being too repetitive and easy, as well as lacking more variety and challenge in its underground exploration.
-
Nov 29, 2023What I mean to say is that if an extremely rigid city-builder doesn’t sound like a problem to you, or even if it sounds appealing, then SteamWorld Build is worth trying. I can honestly say that I didn’t hate the time I spent with it, even on the second playthrough. It just feels empty when I think back on it. I don’t think it’s going to stick with me. But there are far worse problems for a game to have than being too robotic.
-
Nov 28, 2023Although it lacks the complexity you find in Anno or The Settlers, it stands on its own with a unique setting and well-crafted game mechanics.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld Build is a simple but fun city builder cleverly combined with a dungeon-constructing miner that keeps things quick and casual.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld 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.
-
Nov 27, 2023Despite these missing quality of life features, SteamWorld Build still manages to be fairly addicting. Sense of progress is consistent enough even with occasional moments of waiting, and making discoveries feels rewarding enough to keep things engaging. The varied environments found throughout the game all feel uniquely designed, and accompanied by the blend of ambient sounds and satisfying soundtrack, the world as a whole comes off as intriguingly charming. Though it may not feel absolutely complete in its systems, SteamWorld Build is still a worthwhile venture for players looking for a creative new management sim.
-
Nov 27, 2023SteamWorld Build is a unique hybrid that entertains for a time. Its early hours are fun, thanks to how well it uses simplified genre staples to create a more arcade-friendly gameplay loop, a sentiment bolstered by a solid tutorial and intuitive control scheme. Regrettably, SteamWorld Build's campaign overstays its welcome. The lackluster story and rigid final objectives turn what was initially an engaging experience into a tedious grind.
-
Nov 28, 2023Relaxing and brisk, but lacking in the substance needed to please genre fans and live up to the SteamWorld name.
-
Nov 28, 2023Despite 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.
-
Edge MagazineNov 30, 2023You can't just mine your inspirations; ideally, you should build on them. [Issue#392, p.120]
-
Nov 27, 2023It’s a shame, because SteamWorld Build has such a solid foundation, but it ends up not feeling that compelling to play. I’m usually the type to spend hours in any kind of base-building game trying to make a perfect, aesthetically pleasing layout, but this is one of the few games where I haven’t felt that urge past the first few hours. That said, there’s still a lot to love from the designs to the concept, so if you like the SteamWorld setting at all it’s likely worth checking out on Game Pass.
-
Nov 27, 2023Steamworld Build delivers an entertaining blend of city building and dungeon crawling, but the two pillars don’t completely gel and myriad annoyances taint the experience.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
-
Dec 14, 2023SteamWorld Build is a fun and original building simulator with a satisfactory sense of progression and challenge.[Recommended]
-
Nov 27, 2023For a series that's always excelled at feeding players' imaginations - from sniping off hats in SteamWorld Heist, mixing magic cards in SteamWorld Quest, or speedrunning its platform challenges in Dig 2 - Build just lacks that spark of creativity to launch it into SteamWorld stardom.