SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 82 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 82
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 82
  3. Negative: 10 out of 82
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  1. dugan
    Jun 4, 2019
    10
    If you like image and form's steamworld games, and you like RPGs, then this game is for you. The writing and game design is excellent. The RPG mechanics are well done. It is not overly complicated as some JRPGs can be, and that is a good thing. There is enough upgrade and tactics to make this very engaging experience.

    I was tentative playing at first, by halfway through I was hooked    If you like image and form's steamworld games, and you like RPGs, then this game is for you. The writing and game design is excellent. The RPG mechanics are well done. It is not overly complicated as some JRPGs can be, and that is a good thing. There is enough upgrade and tactics to make this very engaging experience.

    I was tentative playing at first, by halfway through I was hooked to the story and game play, and then at the end I was so happy to experience this great game. I highly recommend this game!    … Expand
  2. Welkinz
    Aug 31, 2019
    8
    It is fun when playing the first time, as you can try different combos, but I feel it doesn't have much "replayability"
  3. TurboK
    Apr 30, 2019
    10
    Steam World Quest is an amazing mix of Baten Kaitos, Paper Mario and Slay the Spire with a big dash of Image & Form special sauce in it. If you are a fan of RPGs or card games try this game out, very hard to put down.
  4. GamerGuysNGals
    May 3, 2019
    8
    Steamworld Quest, Hand of Gilgamech is a steampunk, RPG, card fighting game. It follows the journey of an adventurer by the name of Armilly, who wishes to join the local Hero Guild. Shes inexperienced with low quality armor so no one actually takes her seriously at first. But after the Hero Guild is attacked and the village is ransacked, Armilly and her friends set out to find out why. YouSteamworld Quest, Hand of Gilgamech is a steampunk, RPG, card fighting game. It follows the journey of an adventurer by the name of Armilly, who wishes to join the local Hero Guild. Shes inexperienced with low quality armor so no one actually takes her seriously at first. But after the Hero Guild is attacked and the village is ransacked, Armilly and her friends set out to find out why. You lead the heroes through an incredible hand drawn world with a very story book feel, where you play out battles with nothing but your wits and a handful of cards. You must craft your deck from a choosing of over 100 unique cards. In this game of heroes you will find gold, dragons, indepth worlds, magic, knights, turn based battles and all the best thing RPG’s have to offer. The game has a great mix of traditional fantasy, steampunk robots and a great, humorous narrative.

    Pros: Amazing graphics, engaging storyline, and lot of cards to choose from and use.

    Cons: For a card game, it feels more like a full on RPG, such as Final fantasy. Limited to 6 cards at a time during battle.

    Overall: 8. While the storyline premise with the heroes going off to fight evil is sorely overused, the combination of RPG and card fighting is done really well, and the steampunk art style is done amazingly. A lot of choices to make, humorous dialogue and amazing visuals.    … Expand
  5. Fireantus
    Apr 30, 2019
    9
    A brilliantly fun little RPG with a very well done, fluid and entertaining combat mechanic. It's simple, it's quick, it's charming! For fans of SteamWorld it might be a bit of a mixed bag - sure the art style is there and it's as whimsical and charming as ever, but the characters acts less like robots and machines and even slip it into their language, making it feel a little strange?A brilliantly fun little RPG with a very well done, fluid and entertaining combat mechanic. It's simple, it's quick, it's charming! For fans of SteamWorld it might be a bit of a mixed bag - sure the art style is there and it's as whimsical and charming as ever, but the characters acts less like robots and machines and even slip it into their language, making it feel a little strange? Otherwise though, the writing is often quite funny, characters have clearly defined personalities and the story is developing nicely and with quite a swift pace.

    The biggest plus for me is the Combat system. The cards are astonishing and building a tight, 8 card deck that works and combo well with other characters kit is quite a fun mini-game of its own. I read some previous reviews and while I don't want to negate their experience, I am not sure if perhaps something was skipped and omitted in their playthrough?

    On merely chapter 5 I have quite a lot of different cards crafted and quite a collection to pick from for all characters but Orik (since he just joined the party). They are already enough to shift the characters into different roles - I can make Copernica into a fierce fire mage, supported by Armilly who damage herself for more damage and decrease fire resist to foes with a heavy tank Gallo kitted entirely for regen, healing and shielding. The fact that it's editable on the fly between battles means also that you can and should outfit your team to match the enemies in the location (For example caves are choked with Redcaps who have some resist to fire damage, to fire mage Copernica is not as effective as kiting her with Ice and Electiricy).

    I have no idea why Healing/Shielding is a waste of time and cards? Perhaps it is later in the game, it is entirely possible and will see, but up until now it's my bread and butter - getting the regular expendable health every few turns is great in shaving enemy damage down by a major degree, limiting my time on healing and using items between combats to keep the team healthy.

    If there are any minuses in my sight, well, there will be two:

    - Battles are a bit repetitive. Every area is seeded with like 3-4 enemy types and you will encounter them in various combinations. Later on they remain the same, just with different color scheme and perhaps 1-2 extra cards with new moves to keep you on your toes. That would be passable but... Bosses I encountered are also reskins of regular enemies, which is not acceptable (not always, but it happens!).

    - Navigating the map is a bit tedious and require some solid backwalking to get all the juicy chests. This is important, because if you don't explore the area to its 100%, you will feel lack of resources, money and cards which are hidden in the chests across the maps. In the first map alone (the town) you can get, if I recall well, 2-3 new card types for Gallo alone! If you don't explore and miss them I can see how you can feel like your options do not expands at all. Therefore the game force your hand and you must explore fully to get the fullest experience with minimum frustrations.

    All in all it's a fun, charming game that completely sucked me in. It's funny, it's dynamic and have surprising amount of flexibility behind its systems. 9/10, strong recommend for this low price.    … Expand
  6. Kaprawiec
    Oct 29, 2019
    10
    If You like card games, this is one of the best out there. Only competition comes from Slay the spire, but its so different, this one is story driven, that focuses only on combat. Optimally buy both because they offer totally different gameplay and overall experience.
  7. Siafni
    May 14, 2019
    10
    Best indie game currently on Switch for me and in my top 3 Switch games right now. Interesting world and characters/foes. 8 cards per character makes it easy enough to deck build strategically whilst keeping the game from being shallow or too complex. Good replay value, but I would have liked a NG+ (unless I missed something). I completed the game in 22 hours.
  8. jeffbizloc
    May 21, 2019
    9
    Steamworld Quest is a card based tactical game that I really enjoyed. I beat it on Legend difficulty and outside of a couple battles didn't find it overall too tough.

    Game(s) like: Thronebreaker Pros: - Steamworld games are just awesome in general - the setting and characters are enjoyable - Gameplay was creative with the play 3 + bonus system - Card collection/upgrade system was    Steamworld Quest is a card based tactical game that I really enjoyed. I beat it on Legend difficulty and outside of a couple battles didn't find it overall too tough.

    Game(s) like: Thronebreaker

    Pros:
    - Steamworld games are just awesome in general - the setting and characters are enjoyable
    - Gameplay was creative with the play 3 + bonus system
    - Card collection/upgrade system was well done though about halfway through I had about the same characters and cards

    Cons:
    - You could play with 3 chars but had 5 in the end. Would of liked the game to force you to use all versus use the same tactics/cards throughout most of the later journey    … Expand
  9. richardc
    Jun 11, 2019
    10
    I loved this game. I really like the "deckbuilding" type games and this was right up my alley. Fun to build decks, try out different decks and characters, etc.
  10. Nintendopost24
    Jun 2, 2019
    8
    Difficile de trouver beaucoup de défauts à SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. À chaque fois que le studio Image & Form entreprend de revisiter un style de jeu il s’en donne clairement les moyens. SteamWorld Quest est l’exemple parfais du RPG conte de fée. Ici pas de conflits politiques à portée philosophiques. Non, ici tout est simple, mignon et charmant.Le jeu est accessible maisDifficile de trouver beaucoup de défauts à SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech. À chaque fois que le studio Image & Form entreprend de revisiter un style de jeu il s’en donne clairement les moyens. SteamWorld Quest est l’exemple parfais du RPG conte de fée. Ici pas de conflits politiques à portée philosophiques. Non, ici tout est simple, mignon et charmant.Le jeu est accessible mais demandera une certaine maîtrise stratégique pour certains combats.On se demande bien ce que nous prépare le studio pour la suite, mais dans tous les cas on est impatient :).… Expand
  11. LegendOfStewart
    Dec 4, 2019
    8
    SteamWorld Quest is a wonderful fantasy RPG from a company who continues to put out consistently solid games. This game has a wonderfully complex yet simple battle system that keeps you coming back for more, even when the story sometimes shows how threadbare it can be, especially for a fantasy RPG. However, the great turn-based combat, beautiful graphics, and excellent soundtrack allSteamWorld Quest is a wonderful fantasy RPG from a company who continues to put out consistently solid games. This game has a wonderfully complex yet simple battle system that keeps you coming back for more, even when the story sometimes shows how threadbare it can be, especially for a fantasy RPG. However, the great turn-based combat, beautiful graphics, and excellent soundtrack all contribute to another wonderful experience within the SteamWorld Universe.… Expand
  12. LazyLoad08
    Dec 19, 2020
    8
    Another very good entry into the Steamworld franchise. Challenging enough but not frustratingly impossible - have to redo some fights and rethink your approach. I've finished the story and don't feel like playing again, but that's not necessarily a fault.
  13. abrus
    Mar 26, 2022
    10
    It's so much fun spending time in this game! The combat is really satisfying, the characters are distinctive and well developed, the graphics are gorgeous and the experience is engaging right through till the end. I finished this game 18 months ago and came back for another playthrough! Mechanically it is reasonably similar to Slay the Spire, but the big difference is that this is a storyIt's so much fun spending time in this game! The combat is really satisfying, the characters are distinctive and well developed, the graphics are gorgeous and the experience is engaging right through till the end. I finished this game 18 months ago and came back for another playthrough! Mechanically it is reasonably similar to Slay the Spire, but the big difference is that this is a story where you level up of your deck and your characters as you progress. Each character plays quite differently from the others and it's fun experimenting with different card combinations between battles. The one minor gripe I have with this game is that some of the boss battles seem unnecessarily long and grindy, but otherwise this is a really enjoyable 15 hour playthrough. Highly recommended!… Expand
  14. purpleninja39
    Feb 21, 2022
    9
    It's been a long time since a game and its mechanics have clicked with me this much. This game has simple, yet engaging card-based gameplay, which I'm hard-pressed to dislike, and a cast of enjoyable characters I found surprisingly interesting. The only real weakness is the story, it's nothing special. I would reccomend with zero hesitation if you're a fan of this type of game!

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best Switch Game of 2019
83
#83 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2019
49
#49 Most Shared Switch Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 53 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 41 out of 53
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 53
  3. Negative: 0 out of 53
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Feb 27, 2020
    95
    The SteamWorld just keeps on picking up more and more steam. I can't wait for what's next! [Issue #40 – July/August 2019, p. 29]
  2. Eurogamer Italy
    Jul 18, 2019
    80
    A card-based RPG with a steampunk twist, rewarding gameplay and the usual, delightful Steamworld style.
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  3. PLAY! Zine
    Jul 8, 2019
    90
    We are yet to witness a bad Image & Form game, as the latest SteamWorld instalment is amazing as usual! Great turn-based combat, likeable characters, story, and graphics, are just a fragment of a magic formula, that can obviously summon an awesome and entertaining title with ease. Do not miss it.
    Read full review
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