The story follows The Queen from the previous game, fallen from grace and now going by Aleksandra. Joined by Fortune, they must navigate Mare the Knight’s Black Die and try to escape. There are four different weapons and over 100 Relics for players to utilize. The four worlds are randomly generated with over 30 enemy types and bosses to fight.

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die also has a Premium Edition, discounted to $24.64 until June 17th, which offers four days of early access. You can also avail a digital art book, cosmetic DLC, and a soundtrack. Stay tuned for more details en route to its launch.

Taking centerstage in Lost in Random: The Eternal Die are former queen Aleksandra and her companion Fortune. Trapped in the Eternal Die, they have to fight their way through randomly generated gauntlets, with the nefarious antagonist known as the Storyteller plotting the end of their stories. 

Thunderful says The Eternal Die will feature dungeons inspired by board games, with “encounter themed rooms based on classic tabletop games”, challenge rooms, and more. Check out the game’s announcement trailer below. 

Lost in Random: The Eternal Die will launch at some point in 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. It will also be available for Game Pass at launch.

A return to platforming goodness seemed a given, and thus, we got SteamWorld Dig 2, a massively improved follow-up that offered a much tighter experience. However, lo and behold, the developer was off again in another genre, this time a deck-building turn-based RPG with a medieval fantasy twist in SteamWorld Quest. Why is this all relevant? Because SteamWorld Build once again ventures into a relatively untapped genre for the series – a city-builder with a twist.

"The world of SteamWorld has seen better days, and it’s only a matter of time before it dies out. Leading a group of robotic settlers, Jack Clutchsprocket and his daughter, Astrid, look to the stars for hope."

This time, The Station of, er, The Station fame is the developer. I admittedly had concerns that SteamWorld Build was aiming for a completely different vibe that eschewed the older games’ quirky, space-western atmosphere. However, it capably delivers a SteamWorld experience through the guise of a city builder instead of simply plastering quirky robots into the genre and calling it a day.

The world of SteamWorld has seen better days, and it’s only a matter of time before it dies out. Leading a group of robotic settlers, Jack Clutchsprocket and his daughter, Astrid, look to the stars for hope. With the help of the mysterious Core, they set about building a town and investigating the mine for Old Tech, which turns out to be pieces of a rocket.

However, it’s clear that Core has some less-than-noble intentions, and with Astrid capable of hearing the Old Signal, which she describes as a sad song, there’s more going on than meets the eye.

Along with Jack, Astrid and Core are a motley cast of robots, from the greedy Gunn-Britt Gildenwire to the precarious Trader. My favorite is probably Clark Piston, an enforcer who says “Yep” to anything and everything, regardless of the situation.

"What starts as a quaint town quickly grows into a sprawling city, and suddenly, the Aristobots are moving in, demanding Waxing Shops, Diesel, Robo Cuisine and Hats, of all things."

Each character brings something unique, but given the nature of the game, I missed that central protagonist who could serve as a narrative anchor for the experience. A believable robot that grew into an extraordinary hero you could embody and whose struggles become your own.

In SteamWorld Build, it feels like watching other characters’ stories unfold instead of actively experiencing them – which isn’t bad, given the strong voice acting. The characterization could be more nuanced, but the writing maintains a humorous, easy-going tone without losing the plot.

When starting, you only have a few wooden planks, a rundown train station and a shoddy mine entrance. Setting up several Worker residential houses generates income, and you can set about repairing the train station. You will need more Workers, which means more wooden planks, which means constructing a Forester to chop down nearby trees and a Lumber Mill to make planks. A General Store and Service Shop are also required to satisfy the needs of your workers, and from there, it’s one big spiral of upgrades, resource management and town planning.

The Workers also require Cactus Water and Charcoal to keep going, necessitating a farm and kiln. Eventually, you’ll want to upgrade them to Engineers, who can construct Tools for better Pickaxes. Their needs are even more complex, as they’ll require Spare Parts, purified Water, a Surveyor Office, a Saloon, a Burger Meister and much more.

"The mines offer more direct control to the player as you instruct miners where to dig, but you have to construct pillars to prevent cave-ins and bridges for crossing gaps."

Everyone needs access to the train station, and Warehouses must be in place to manage the influx of deliveries for different establishments. What starts as a quaint town quickly grows into a sprawling city, and suddenly, the Aristobots are moving in, demanding Waxing Shops, Diesel, Robo Cuisine and Hats, of all things. Even they have their uses, though, helping to invest in Carbide Drills for digging tougher rocks in the mines and Steam Furnaces to boost the efficiency of nearby refineries.

From the outset, SteamWorld Build sounds like a robust but streamlined city-builder, but that’s only one part of the gameplay loop. After fixing the mine, you can switch to a randomized location with materials to mine and walls to knock down.

It’s a different dynamic, as you need to build quarters for Miners to dig through walls while adding Prospectors to manage materials like Scrap and Ironium. Mechanics are necessary for setting up machines that can automatically mine Scrap and Ironium, along with Dirty Water and Oil, for the needs of those up top.

The mines offer more direct control to the player as you instruct miners where to dig, but you have to construct pillars to prevent cave-ins and bridges for crossing gaps. Mined resources like Ironium and Scrap are returned to the surface, while Gold Nuggets can be used to hire more Miners, Prospectors and Mechanics. Of course, you also want to set up a Surveillance Station and a Radio Tower to search for rocket parts. Blueprints for new technology and chests with materials and buffs for the mining crew are also discovered if you look around enough.

"The station does allow for setting up trades and offloading any excess materials you have for money (or even trading for resources you’re short on)."

It’s very reminiscent of SteamWorld Dig 2, where you would return to the surface after mining materials and acquire upgrades to delve even further. In this case, the resources are a key part of the town’s progress, allowing for the development of Sheet Metal and Plastics. New facilities emerge as you complete milestones and the needs of your populace become more complex.

The train will also periodically arrive in town, bringing three new items to purchase. They offer benefits for buildings like levying more service tax at restaurants and saloons, expanding on a Warehouse’s simultaneous deliveries and much more (though you can only equip these items on one building at a time). You’ll often need Rubies, which you can discover in the mine, and heaps of cash to purchase them.

As appealing as this is, the offers can get pricey. It’s sometimes a toss-up between investing in your town and mine or delaying those upgrades to afford an item. Sometimes, an absurdly expensive item appears and it’s completely out of your reach.

The station does allow for setting up trades and offloading any excess materials you have for money (or even trading for resources you’re short on). Clicking on the random metal tumbleweeds that pop up periodically can also help, as they randomly disperse money, Tools, Rubies and other goodies. Still, some tuning to the item prices would be nice.

"Perhaps because of how streamlined the game can be, some quality-of-life features are sorely missed. Seeing how many types of a certain building you have is a little iffy."

Of course, when you have a handle on everything SteamWorld Build throws at you, it goes all Dungeon Keeper. The second floor of the mine introduces enemies, from creeps that emerge when mining certain sections to giant worms that can eat your miners and mechanics. You’ll need to invest in an Armory for traps and turrets, hire Guards to protect your miners and much more. It’s a brilliant wrinkle to everything you achieved on the first floor, adding some hazards and obstacles now that you know how to find rocket parts.

You may think that SteamWorld Build gets overwhelming, what with a multi-faceted town and several floors of a mine to manage. Not only is it easy to pick up, but the overall pacing is very tight, gradually rolling out new features and mechanics before increasing the challenge or throwing something else into the mix.

On Balanced difficulty, while rearranging buildings to facilitate the ever-increasing population or exploiting other resources to make up for deficiencies, I rarely faced any problems. Sure, I immediately pushed to pause and swap over to a mine floor when the cave-in notification popped up, but more due to general paranoia than any immediate danger (don’t ignore potential cave-in threats, by the way).

Perhaps because of how streamlined the game can be, some quality-of-life features are sorely missed. Seeing how many types of a certain building you have is a little iffy. Instead of quickly highlighting them on the map or tracking them in a separate window, you click on, say, an Engineer Residential. This will highlight the buildings it has access to, allowing you to single out specific types. Problem solved, right?

"In terms of performance, SteamWorld Build is simply impeccable. The highest settings pose no slowdown as the city grows, the mine expands, and you switch between them with gusto."

But what if you click on an Engineer Residential that doesn’t reach the Surveyor Office? Then you won’t know where the latter is. You can alternate between resource nodes like Ironium, Dirty Water, Oil and whatnot in the mines before placing a machine by hitting Tab, but can’t jump to the next building of the same type in town using a similar method.

Granted, it’s just another click on a building having its needs met, but a way to view a building type and how many of it exists, especially given how important coverage can be, would be appreciated. Hotkeys for different functions would also be appreciated. What if I want to immediately place some Worker Residentials down and upgrade them to Engineers? Or quickly select and cycle through different decoration types to spruce to place them around town?

Something as simple as independently selecting game speed and pausing instead of cycling between the three options feels rudimentary for a game like this. How much these omissions will matter depends on you – they amounted to minor annoyances instead of major hurdles during my playtime. At least when placing buildings, you can see their relative distance to the required needs and the coverage provided. The interface is also good at notifying you about issues without overloading the player with information.

In terms of performance, SteamWorld Build is simply impeccable. The highest settings pose no slowdown as the city grows, the mine expands, and you switch between them with gusto. Zooming in is also smooth and seamless, and while your various robot denizens don’t have teeth, they boast distinct animations and mannerisms. Your average Worker moseys down the street while the Delivery bots rush about, resulting in a constant buzz of activity.

"There aren’t many tracks that stand out on their own, like SteamWorld Dig 2. However, the soundtrack is still enjoyable enough, complementing the experience without wearing on you after extended sessions."

The buildings are also beautifully animated, whether you’re watching a Cactus Water farm or the making of plastics, complete with unique sound effects. The complexity in architecture and character models isn’t going to rival the genre’s titans, but it’s in line with the franchise’s aesthetics while looking unique and appealing in its own right.

There are five different maps in SteamWorld Build, each offering some interesting details and themes. Depending on the points of interest, you often need to build around them, getting creative with the city planning, especially when the rocket construction site opens up. Still, I appreciate the dilapidated Drive-Thru with the big screen and the rollercoaster ride surrounding the monument with some very familiar faces.

As for the music, it has that Wild West twinge to it with mostly relaxed tones that don’t overpower the experience. Meanwhile, in the mines, there’s a buzz, a feeling that something is waiting past the next rock, and the music reflects that. There aren’t many tracks that stand out on their own, like SteamWorld Dig 2. However, the soundtrack is still enjoyable enough, complementing the experience without wearing on you after extended sessions.

"Despite some mild annoyances with the lack of hotkeys and the interface, SteamWorld Build is a worthwhile addition to the franchise and a pretty good city-builder in its own right."

SteamWorld Build may not get as much attention with the year winding down. It probably doesn’t do anything you haven’t seen before, but it combines several interesting strategy planning sub-genres into a compelling whole.

The sheer robustness of the experience will appeal to different kinds of city-building fans, whether you want to challenge yourself and manage resources (especially since the toughest difficulty doesn’t refund materials on destroying buildings) or chill out and vibe to the story. It’s ideal for those who get a kick out of min-maxing and perfecting their cities and those who want to watch their residents go about their day, admiring their little quirks.

Despite some mild annoyances with the lack of hotkeys and the interface, SteamWorld Build is a worthwhile addition to the franchise and a pretty good city-builder in its own right. There were times I planned to sit down for an hour and progress steadily, and ended up immersed for several hours at a time, managing different needs and guiding Miners on their next expedition. Its action may not offer the same thrills as SteamWorld Dig or Heist, but the atmosphere and charm more than make up for it.

This game was reviewed on PC.

The company has also announced that SteamWorld Build will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one of its release. Players who have previously purchased the SteamWorld Complete Bundle on PC will also get a 20 percent discount on SteamWorld Build.

SteamWorld Build was originally announced back in January. The game takes place in the same setting as other SteamWorld titles like SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Heist, only this time around it’s a city builder.

Players are put in charge of building up and managing a mining town. By gathering resources above ground, players can research technologies and dig deeper underground in an abandoned mine filled with ancient technology. This, in turn, leads to the ability to build new buildings that attract new steamfolk to your town.

Participants include Frontier Developments, Thunderful Games, Nacon, Crunching Koalas and Raw Fury, with eight world premieres planned. You can also expect the usual demos to download after the show. Stay tuned for more details leading up to the show.

Gamescom 2023 runs from August 23rd to 27th, with Xbox, NetEase, Bethesda, Nintendo and Bandai Namco confirmed to attend. To its credit, Xbox is hosting its biggest booth yet, with over 30 playable titles, including S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Forza Motorsport, Ara: History Untold, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHOu84ENFeo

Unlike previous games, which leaned towards Metroidvania and turn-based tactical combat gameplay, SteamWorld Build sees you as the architect for a mining town. Your job is to expand and grow, providing electricity and other essentials. Doing this allows for venturing into the abandoned mine and finding more materials for upgrades.

The latest trailer features trains, Ferris wheels, roller-coasters and even old-school drive-through movie theaters across various maps. The mines are a different story, thanks to various pus-like nodules and roots to burn to progress. Hostile bugs and zombie robots also wander around, hinting at diabolical secrets underground.

SteamWorld Build has a demo available now on PC. Stay tuned for more details on its release date in the coming months.

As an architect of a mining town, your job is to expand. By gathering resources above ground and using ores from the mines, you dig deeper into an abandoned mine with ancient technology. With growth comes new steamfolk, who will move in with more complex demands, and you’ll need to maintain commerce, provide electricity and more.

Promising five SteamWorld-inspired maps “littered with secrets,” SteamWorld Build offers three difficulty levels. You can play on a controller or mouse and keyboard, though the experience will be the same across all platforms. A demo is available on PC, so it’s possible to dive in today. Stay tuned for more gameplay and details in the future.

Thunderful already announced SteamWorld: Headhunter, a 3D co-op title set in what seems to be a Wild West setting, last year. However, it later confirmed that three more SteamWorld titles were in development, including codename “Caramel,” a turn-based tactical strategy shooter for PC, consoles and mobiles, which could be a sequel to SteamWorld Heist.

The other titles include codename “Strawberry,” a puzzle game for mobile devices, and “Coffee,” a city builder for PC and consoles. Perhaps we’ll finally learn more about each and see the first gameplay footage for SteamWorld: Headhunter.

Stay tuned in the coming days for more details. Of course, this isn’t the only showcase next week, as Xbox and Bethesda are hosting the first Developer_Direct on January 25th. Head here for more details.

Folks, you're hereby invited to the SteamWorld Telegraph: Special Broadcast. Come see what's comin' up next for SteamWorld.

Mark your calendars for January 23rd, 6:30 PM CET / 9:30 AM PST. pic.twitter.com/9JSNFUEw7w

— SteamWorld Games (@SteamWorldGames) January 18, 2023

As for what the announcement could be, there’s SteamWorld Headhunter, a 3D, third-person co-op adventure, which appears to have a Wild West motif. Publisher Thunderful Games revealed last year that four SteamWorld games, including Headhunter, were in development. A few months later, it teased “Caramel”, a turn-based strategy shooter for PC, which may be a sequel to SteamWorld Heist.

Perhaps we’ll learn more about the other titles in development. Thankfully, it won’t be a long wait, so stay tuned for more details. The last major SteamWorld title was SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech, a turn-based RPG with deck-building mechanics for Nintendo Switch and PC.

Jumpship will continue to create “top-class story-driven narrative games” and retain creative autonomy. Studio co-founder Dino Patti (previously at Playdead) remains and will also become a strategic advisor for Thunderful. In a press release, Patti said, “I feel really good about the partnership with Thunderful and what it will do for Jumpship. I have known Agostino for a very long time and we have built a strong relationship of trust.

“We’ve been talking about this possibility for around a year, and over that time, I have only become more convinced that this is a great opportunity for Jumpship and Thunderful alike.”

Thunderful Games chief gaming officer Agostino Simonetta added, “The level of intrigue that Jumpship has managed to generate for its debut title shows you that this is a team with a deep artistic vision. Adding to our already diverse and accomplished roster of talent under the Thunderful Studios’ umbrella is an important part of our strategy to build strong internal IPs.

“We look forward to supporting the team at Jumpship to harness their skill for building impactful narrative-driven experiences as they continue to create fantastic titles within the Thunderful family.”

Jumpship studio director Claire Boissiere also said, “Thunderful is pushing the boundaries by forming a family of game studios who will work under an umbrella of services that supports autonomy and creative vision. Our team sets its own course, and it’s great to find a partner that not only understands that but can truly support us. Thunderful’s established relationships with key platform holders and expertise in putting games into the hands of players give us an infrastructure where we can focus on what we do best: crafting games that challenge our audience, both emotionally and intellectually.”

Based on an original IP by game director Chris Olsen, Somerville begins after a massive catastrophe affects humanity. The player must make their family whole while seemingly dealing with an extraterrestrial presence. Despite being a 2.5D side-scrolling title, Somerville isn’t a puzzle platformer, though it contains “some of that DNA,” according to Olsen. Stay tuned for more details and updates on the title in the coming days.