Code Name S.T.E.A.M. UK Review

Team up with Henry Fleming and other pop culture characters in a brand new IP for the Nintendo 3DS. But hold on to your steampunk top hats as the alien menace gets into gear to terrorise innocent bystanders between London and America. With its comic-book style aesthetics, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. may look remarkable but its lack of substance derails gameplay entirely – ironically running out of steam.

From the developers behind such notable game series as Fire Emblem and Paper Mario, Intelligent Systems has teamed up with Nintendo to produce an entirely new and heavily stylised IP, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Taking its inspiration from H.P. Lovecraft’s works, the turn-based strategy title features many pop culture and literary references in its superbly crafted and visually appealing Steampunk world. Set between distinguished areas in London and America, players will get to grips with the story basics in campaign mode, alongside introductions from the game’s main characters Henry Fleming, John Henry and president Abraham Lincoln. After a brief encounter with the aliens, aid comes from the airship Lady Liberty and you’ll receive a new mission as Code Name S.T.E.A.M. members – a handy acronym for Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace – to defeat all alien forces and save the world from complete obliteration.

Throughout campaign mode, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. introduces a number of playable characters with special weaponry, attacks and quirks for a memorable gaming experience. Popular characters from The Wizard of Oz – such as Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man – make an appearance, as well as featuring characters from H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional works like Professor Randolph Carter, and Tiger Lily from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. With intriguing voice acting, catchy musical tracks, and an artistic style that breathes life into the storyline – which is only amplified by the stereoscopic 3D effects – the third-person strategy shooter has all the super slick elements to allure handheld owners with the making of an incredible new IP. But it unfortunately falls short in its often tiresome and mundane gameplay.

Players must choose four playable characters for all main campaign missions, with up to 13 unlockable. Each map encountered throughout the story has its own hidden routes with subtle twists to vary your attack mode, layouts for stealth enemy takeouts, and a number of scattered collectibles such as gears and medals. All characters are equipped with a staple weapon, as well as an additional sub weapon, which can be switched out to newer artillery with the more medals you collect. As its environment suggests, all characters are limited in movement and offensive attacks by the amount of steam carried. And although this gives ample challenge for players strategically, steam shortage becomes particularly frustrating in the earlier levels when higher boiler upgrades have yet to be unlocked. Essentially, it’s this slow moving process that boils all enthusiasm up into a dried and scorched river bed.

From the beginning of Code Name S.T.E.A.M., players will be able to perform what are known as overwatch attacks. If you’ve saved up enough steam during your previous turn, playable characters will automatically fire at enemies who step within their ranged attack. It’s a neat twist that works both for and against you, since enemies can also launch their own individual overwatch attacks, too. And though there are many enemy types within the game, they are never truly distinguished from one another, all seemingly moulding into one big enemy to pulverise.

Having played the game both with and without Nintendo’s fast-forward enemy update, it’s quite clear there’s a considerable difference. Beforehand, the time-consuming alien attacks were egregious and superfluous – I even had time to boil a kettle and make a coffee in the time it took for all alien movements to reach a conclusion. But now, players can double the speed on a regular 3DS and triple it on a New 3DS with the new fast-forward function, so you never have to forcibly watch the action take place. It’s still missing a skip button, however, particularly when enemy forces are redundant – or out of the firing zone – and you’re simply searching for collectibles. It’s a real disappointment from Intelligent Systems, especially since the choice to skip turns is utilised within the Fire Emblem franchise. Nevertheless, the update makes enemy scenarios bearable instead of a mundane chore.

With no overview map in missions, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is certainly a challenge. There’s a real thrill and sense of freedom when going in blind to a new area, but it may leave some misguided. I’ve often restarted certain maps in order to find the most effective path, but this can be terribly time-consuming especially with those infuriating eyestalkers watching your every move. The best and most satisfying moments, however, arrive when up against large alien gunners or in a one-versus-one death match in A.B.E – the Anthropomorphized Battle Engine as it’s also known. These stages disrupt the monotony of the sluggish forward march to the green-lit goal and indulge players with light-hearted, action-packed segments that excel in the steampunk aesthetics and comic-book style.

Outside of the main storyline, players will be able to access local or online versus missions with three different modes available. Pilot A.B.E to victory, battle to the death or go for gold with medal battles on a range of easy to difficult maps. Like campaign mode, you’ll control four playable characters but will be restricted to planning your movements and attacks in just 60 seconds. Careful, stealthy decisions are thrown out the window here as focusing on all four proves difficult in the allotted time. Perhaps, focusing on one character in online versus mode would have produced cat-and-mouse styled results instead of oddly disjointed battles.

Though it has its drawbacks and features a largely hit and miss storyline, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is worth taking the 3DS plunge on its artistic merits alone. But sadly the game lacks depth on many levels, much like those wispy steam clouds. A few short puffs and it’s game over for enthusiasm.

7/10

Based on the PAL Version.