Game Information
Game Title: SteamWorld Build
Platforms:
- PC (Dec 1, 2023)
- Nintendo Switch (Dec 1, 2023)
- Xbox Series X/S (Dec 1, 2023)
- PlayStation 5 (Dec 1, 2023)
- Xbox One (Dec 1, 2023)
- PlayStation 4 (Dec 1, 2023)
Trailers:
Developer: The Station
Publisher: Thunderful Publishing
Review Aggregator:
OpenCritic - 80 average - 82% recommended - 23 reviews
Critic Reviews
AnaitGames - Víctor Manuel Martínez García - Spanish - 5 / 10
The “steamification” of city management ends up having a shorter fuse than necessary, losing the medium-term interest that seems natural in its genre.
Checkpoint Gaming - Victor Tan - 7.5 / 10
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.
Game Informer - Kenneth Seward Jr. - 7 / 10
SteamWorld 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.
GamesRadar+ - Sam Loveridge - 4 / 5
SteamWorld 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.
GamingBolt - Ravi Sinha - 8 / 10
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.
Gert Lush Gaming - Jim Smale - 9 / 10
They have effortlessly gone into a new genre and smashed it out of the park so much that it is just as accessible and addictive and a real treat as all the previous Steamworld games.
God is a Geek - Chris White - 9 / 10
SteamWorld Build is a deeply compelling city management title that adds new mechanics all the time, keeping you hooked throughout.
IGN Italy - Stefano Castelli - Italian - 8 / 10
An interesting blend of two game mechanics that lacks a bit of creativity typical of the series yet overall works very well.
Kakuchopurei - Xandria Morden - 90 / 100
Every aspect of Steamworld Build feels meticulously designed. The goals are clearly emphasized so you don’t get lost. Even dragging and dropping units is satisfying, and arranging paths or placing mining equipment functions perfectly well. The interaction between the above-ground and below-ground elements feels well-paced and thoughtfully designed. The familiar art style of the series shines through in every little detail, with its bright and eye-catching colours that make every aspect of the game absolutely loveable.
La Orden del Pixel - Franco Borgogna - Spanish - Yes
The SteamWorld universe expands with SteamWorld Build, a title that tackles city building in a very accessible way and adds mechanics that suit the genre very well. Those looking for something new within the franchise will hardly be disappointed and, for those who do not know it, it can be an interesting gateway.
LadiesGamers.com - Paula Moore - Loved
SteamWorld Build is a delightful game where you always work towards interesting goals. The combination of city building and mining work in tandem together extremely well. It’s a brilliant pairing of opposites, from the bright sunshine on the surface to popping into the mine, which is dank and dark, with the SteamWorld aesthetic tying it all together.
New Game Network - Alex Varankou - 70 / 100
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.
Nintendo Life - Alex Olney - 8 / 10
SteamWorld Build is a beautifully crafted game that seamlessly blends genres and ideas into a polished and premium package. There’s not another management sim like it, but despite it running surprisingly well on Nintendo’s system, it does leave us wanting for more reason to return to it. You’re all but guaranteed to adore your first time through, but subsequent playthroughs may not carry the same magic. Still, with all that being said, this is undeniably a triumph of mechanical marvellousness.
Press Start - Kieron Verbrugge - 8 / 10
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.
Pure Xbox - PJ O’Reilly - 9 / 10
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.
Push Square - Jenny Jones - 8 / 10
SteamWorld Build is a delightful and very satisfying foray into the city-building genre. The two gameplay modes complement each other well, offering two very different but equally pleasing ways to gain resources. While we do wish the story could’ve lasted a little bit longer, the addictive gameplay and slick presentation makes it very easy to recommend.
Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Katharine Castle - Unscored
Its focus on balancing your economy’s scales rather than turning a profit means the stakes are never that high in SteamWorld Build, but this is still a strong and distinctive twist on the upstairs/downstairs loop that made SteamWorld Dig so enticing a decade ago.
SECTOR.sk - Branislav Kohút - Slovak - 8.5 / 10
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.
Siliconera - Elliot Gostick - 6 / 10
SteamWorld Build is a charming city builder with some fun ideas that just fails to capture what makes the genre compelling. PC version reviewed.
TechRaptor - Rutledge Daugette - 9.5 / 10
Great for both Citybuilder Noobs and Experts, SteamWorld Build offers a highly-replayable game with multiple maps and difficulties for players to take on.
TheGamer - Branden Lizardi - 4 / 5
All in all, Steamworld 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.
TheSixthAxis - Aran Suddi - 8 / 10
SteamWorld Build will scratch that itch of town builder and dungeon crawler alike. It’s an easy game to pick up and play, gradually introducing each layer of society and underground mining at a steady pace. A few elements could be improved to help levels flow better, but overall it’s a very good experience that digs up yet another new genre for the SteamWorld franchise.
SteamWorld Build is an excellent addition to the franchise. The management isn’t too hard for you to learn and doesn’t go out of its way to become challenging. This is thanks to SteamWorld Build not punishing the player with endless tabs, unlike other management sims. The cast of characters’ voices and designs are delightful and well-made for the game. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. The story isn’t complex, which makes a nice change as I find too many games are trying to make their story too philosophical or so complicated that I end up looking at a wiki to grasp some understanding.
The mining aspect of SteamWorld Build is where I spent most of my time, as it felt more engaging than the city-building. Building up small teams to drill and explore the depth below was great, and it reminded me of the Dungeon franchise.