SteamWorld Heist 2 is a sequel to the acclaimed first entry in Thunderful's turn-based tactics series, announced last month for both PS5 and PS4. While the follow-up shares much in common with the original, it looks to be making some interesting changes to the strategic gameplay, most notably coming down to the introduction of a job system.

If you're unfamiliar, these games are turn-based, side-scrolling adventures in which you control a team of bots looking to steal loot from each stage. Each robot can move and shoot on their turn, and a ricochet system means bullets will bounce off surfaces, allowing you to make some tactical plays using the environment.

What SteamWorld Heist 2 is bringing to the table is a job system. Each bot you recruit to your team can be equipped with different weaponry, and it's this that decides what role they have. Jobs utilise different weapons and abilities; the engineer can fire twice during a turn, for instance, while flankers have increased mobility and carry shotguns.

As you use specific jobs in missions, you'll steadily unlock new abilities for them. Crucially, though, if you change a character to something else, that progress is kept. What this means is you can create combined builds that exploit the strengths of multiple jobs. To use one of the video's examples, you can have a powerful hammer-wielding brawler with the speed of a flanker. Add in various weapons and other items, and it makes for what sounds like a pretty flexible system.

The video also outlines some of the enemy factions you'll be up against, each of which behaves differently in battle.

It seems there's some depth here to sink your teeth into. We'll be able to check it out when the game arrives on 8th August, 2024. Are you excited for SteamWorld Heist 2? Take turns in the comments section below.