imageform

@nkarafo Hi, it took me 22-23 hours on Regular (there are different difficulty settings). But mind you that wasn't the very, very final build. Some elements may have been rebalanced after my last playthrough. Also, I love strategy and spent quite a bit of time "perfecting" my crew's decks. No matter how you play it, I think the story is wonderful and getting to the end was great. I finished up at 3:30 am, cried a bit and went to sleep.

@KlaooKun Haha yep! And thanks to everyone else here as well for your positivity. I just love hanging around here!

@KlaooKun Hi, Brjann of Image & Form here! Thanks for noticing, but the game is actually cooler than the pic shown here. In the game, each card has its own sequence of ones and zeroes = unique and consistent punch-card patterns. (The cards shown here are from an earlier version, where all cards had the same pattern.) Super nerdy and overly detailed perhaps - but we're super nerds and we obsess over details!

@icebear80 That's a really good question, and since we know that the answer isn't exactly "No", then: "No comments". Please don't ask any tricky follow-up questions on this please.

@mr12calvin We'll have more info on that soon. Also check - and perhaps subscribe to? - our Youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/imageform as well. We will post Engine Room videos frequently in the near future to explain about the game. We also answer many of your questions there. <3

@McDerbert It's our main project at the time but we've been listening to requests since forever. Stay tuned and in the meantime I hope you enjoy Quest!

@Dezzy Plenty of it! It's a very large game with many places and characters to meet. Very story-focused

Thanks for the love, everyone!

Thanks for the hype, everyone! Also, thanks for sharing our video, Ryan! We hope that you'll like whatever it is

@EasyDaRon If you know your measurements you can check the sizing info sheet that's available on all the t-shirt store pages! Just click "Sizing info" right above the size selection Worked for us!

@NEStalgia and the rest of you awesome peeps:

Thanks for seeing both sides of this! Always reassuring when somebody takes a moment to consider why things are the way they are. As a way of thanks, here's a bit of insight on how things work for us: we rarely plan physical releases before we are done developing our games. If we had to take physical into account and release digital and physical simultaneously, we'd have to wait for the physical versions to be manufactured, transported and stocked on shelves. With SWD2, we were done in August and could release digitally in September = in time for the holidays (typically a clever move, looking at consumer behaviour). Starting on the "physical process" then would have pushed release to January (stores don't like to buy inventory in Nov-Dec). We could have been done sooner, which would have meant that we'd have to (a) spend less time making the games = they wouldn't be as good, (b) spend less time testing the games = they wouldn't be as reliable.

We also could have promised a physical version in September, which not only would have presented us with both (a) and (b) above, but also a huge commitment and risk. Why are so many publishers in trouble when their games come out? Why aren't games perfect from the start? Publishers typically commit to a lot of things long before the games are ready. We like to make sure our games are nothing short of fantastic before we release them. Much like Nintendo. The small difference between us and Big N is that while they've got a mountain of cash in the bank, we pour all our money back into making the next game. We need to release when the games are done. We could instead try to hike our prices significantly to give ourselves more elbow room, but that's a whole different type of source for irritation...

We make a living from making great games, regardless of distribution medium. Hope we can agree that the quality of the games takes precedence. We'll always release digitally, and if we can, we'll also release boxed versions. But now you know why we can't promise to do it simultaneously. Thanks for reading all of this, I think it's a very interesting topic and will gladly discuss it more, so feel free to send more questions here as well. /Brjann

@holygeez03 Yeah, we're not going anywhere. In fact, a small bird whispered in our ears (all at the same time) that both @imageform and @zoinkgames are releasing some prrrrretty awesome stuff in 2018. It's all about... oh no, gotta go. See ya all later. <3

Tom, our darling! Since Circle/Flyhigh is THE publisher for Image & Form in Asia, you're not getting away from us. That said, thanks for a few absolutely wonderful years together here; reading your stuff on NL has always been a delight. Now we'll get to read your estimates and sales projections instead... it'll be twice as fun. <3 /Brjann

As always, thank you guys and gals for your love and support! Yep, it's $20/€20 etc, a bargain considering it's the best strategy game ever and all the DLCs have been baked into the Ultimate Edition. THIS is the way it was meant to be played!

@icebear80 A complete mistake - that icon did not belong in the Switch build to begin with! But now it's been uploaded, so the best we can do is upload a new one as soon as we can - which we've already done. Now we'll see how long it takes to be updated.

WOW, thanks! OK, here we go:

@Dayton311: Do you have any plans on post release content at all (new characters, items, or proper DLC)?
No concrete plans for SWD2 (yet). There's plenty of more gameplay in SWD2 - a game in itself - for 100% completionists.

@Nincompoop: The download file size is smaller than the first game, why? Isn't there more content than the first game?
There is WAY more content in SWD2. This'll sound pompous, but we're (a) way better at making games now, and (b) the graphics don't need huge sprite maps anymore as our animation system is completely revamped. Some games are bloated because devs don't optimize properly. This too sounds pompous, but we think that's important. Especially on the Switch where real estate comes at a premium.

@ieatdragonz: While playing the original Dig I was a little annoyed that materials could be crushed by rocks, especially since there is a limited amount. Is that feature still in Dig 2 [and will you be able to get all upgrades even if rocks crush all resources]?
Yes, I really think so.

@otterskateboard: Any chance of a physical release someday?
Yes - but it's not imminent. Get the digital version first!

Almost late to the party as usual, but seems some of you are still here! Thanks for all the kind words, and thanks to Nintendo Life for a mighty fine review! Go ahead and ask me ANYTHING about SWD2 - I'll answer as soon as I've slept a couple of hours. The game currently sits at 93/100 at OpenCritic = 3rd best game of 2017 after BotW and Persona 5, which feels good and right. And to clarify a couple of things:
1. @rjejr/@ThomasBW84 - thanks, the € price in the box is wrong, it should be €19.99. Too cheap, yeah, I know.
2. You can finish the game in 6.5 hours (speedrunners will shave lots off that too) if you're under time pressure, but SWD2 is really a game about exploration. Finding the easy third of the secrets in that time means you've got A LOT left to discover - and only a cool 100% unlocks the (unmentioned and) surprising post-game content that we've got in store for completionists. Cheers!

@A01 It's a much, MUCH bigger game, so the price is more than fair we think

Thanks for the love everyone! Can't wait to let you play

@Vulpern TD is the first game in the series. We developed it for DSi You rock!

Thanks for the love everyone! Happy Holidays ❤🎁🌲🤖

@Stu13 That's the PC Collectors Editon from IndieBox. Thanks for the support!

@rjejr Nintendo confirmed it was HD when they announced Switch: http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/first-look-at-nintendos-new-home-gaming-system

@biscuitsandtea Happy gaming!

@A01 did you count the words and square the cosine value of that number?

@Lina-MG Hope you can forgive me /Julius

@A01 It's just the right size! When Nintendo is ready we'll be there with more info, as usual!

@biscuitsandtea It is!

@A01 When we're ready we'll share EVERYTHING Trust us!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Probably because it's late in America and it's already out in Europe

@H_Hunter We encountered a few last minute troubles with the US version of the game right before launch. We're aiming to have the game out in America in early October

@Peace-Boy we're thinking two weeks.

@Captain_Gonru and @Tyranexx - the physical disc, SteamWorld Collection, is also coming to the Americas. It's Rising Star Games doing the distribution for us there, not NOA.

Hi all! @SLIGEACH_EIRE, I'm glad we can all have different opinions on DLC and still be friends. I'm not joking about the dev cost for The Outsider. It's simply brilliant and cost a fortune to make. @huxxny, about launch discounts etc: There is more info coming here on Nintendo Life in an article later this week, but rest assured there's going to be a very pleasant launch discount AND cross-buy benefits when Heist launches on the Wii U eShop! There have been some technical hoops to jump through to get it in place, but there's a nice surprise for our existing fans. About the physical/digital price differences: we can't really influence retail prices, and we can't sell DLC separately to retail customers, so we included The Outsider in SteamWorld Collection. At the same time it would be strange to include The Outsider in the digital Wii U release, since "3DS Heist owners" couldn't get the same. Anyhow, with the tasty two-week eShop launch offer our "digital customers" will not end up with the short end of the stick. /Brjann, I&F

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Glad I could help!

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Thanks for your feedback! I understand you're point of view, definitely. I have nothing to add other than agreeing with what @KoopaTheGamer wrote. That's our stance on launch day DLC.

I'm glad to hear you're considering the physical version of SteamWorld Heist. It comes with The Outsider included.

Let me know if you have any further questions! /Julius Guldbog, community manager at Image & Form Games

Everyone <3

@andrea987 It's available in the theme shop Just go to your already purchased themes and download it

@Rainbowgazelle Sorry to hear about that! Email me (Julius) at [email protected] and I'll help you

You're awesome, peeps! Humble thanks from all of us at Image & Form! /Julius

@andyrob_24_7 : Thanks for a delightful little chat! To you and everyone, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I think we've got 2016 cut out for us, with lots of interesting directions. <3 /Brjann

@cleveland124 Kudos, nice answer! <3 Not meant as marketing talk here, but since there were multiple comments on the price: SteamWorld Heist is actually $17 until Dec 31. After that it's $20.
@Tokujo The hats are not lost forever. I guess the cowbots must be finding out how to reproduce them back at the ship once they're collected. That also explains how all members can wear the same type of hat once you have it.

@Undead_terror Thanks! Yes, sadly that's a side effect from the download codes that we've distributed to Ambassadors and reviewers - they don't come with the theme. We didn't find out about that until after the fact. Sorry!

Everyone, thank you very much for your very kind comments. You've been around, you know who we are and what we have set out to do: bring excellent games to the world, and to bring them TO THE 3DS FIRST.

To @cleveland124 and potential others who don't know us as well, I (Brjann) feel I have to say something here, because your comment is uninformed and you're coming across as rude.

"This marketing drivel", as you deign to call it, is my - perhaps clumsy - way of thanking our Nintendo community. Two years ago this community MADE us, and as I wrote: no, you CAN'T imagine what that's like. We've reacted by working our butts off to make something extraordinary for THEM again. And so, at this point in time and for a good while forward, Heist is only available to this community. Yes, Heist is more expensive than Dig, and yes, I thought that needed a bit of explanation - like I wrote, some people tend to think indie games should simply be cheap, which makes it hard to take games all the way. But guess what? Heist is so much more magnificent a game than its predecessor, and better product costs more. And guess what again? The people of the 3DS community can take care of themselves: THEY will decide what's reasonably priced for them and what's not.

Your comment is not only cynical; you're also wrong, although you can't know that. This letter to the community wasn't the pre-conceived spiel that you make it out to be - at 3 am last night it replaced a very run-of-the-mill press release, when I was deliriously happy with the critical reception of Heist and decided to write something completely different: a letter of thanks.

I'm glad you feel ready to "tip a hard working waiter/waitress trying to support their family." But that doesn't relate to Heist and what we do. If the word "support" doesn't fit, then hey, I'm Swedish and try my best at English. Let me put it more plainly:

The Nintendo community likes our games. We love them for it, and want to make more games for them. If it offends you that we do this as a business, then let me remind you of why you tip that waiter/waitress: because in the process, they bring you something that you want. And you only tip them if they do it well. That, in a nutshell, is the true meaning of support. And as you can see, it goes both ways.

Sorry if this also comes across as "drivel". I'm a bit offended, it's late, I haven't really slept for days, and I didn't write this either when we decided on the price.

Sincere thanks for your wonderful words, everybody! We hope that you enjoy the game when it launches tomorrow

@Undead_terror Yup! Ambassadors will get the theme, too

@MasterWario Yeah, quite a bit longer than Dig - and since there's pretty clever New Game+ in Heist (which Dig didn't really have), you're looking at even more playtime. Just a comment about the 20-25 hours: if you're skipping through all the dialog and don't explore a single bit outside the story line, you'll probably finish a bit faster. But we really hope you'll check out the witty [sic] exchanges, upgrades and side missions - at least the first time around! And the five different difficulty levels also gives you something to chew - how high can you go? xD

@andrea987 New Game + is in there Aside from a campaign lasting about 20 to 25 hours

@sinalefa Yep, 10 times better would make it a 90/10 game... Let's make that "really a lot better". Cheers!

Good luck to all of you!

@Spoony_Tech It's gonna be as early as possible!

@Parkatron Thanks for the love! Good luck

@Konda yo! Thanks for the love. I'll reply in English so more people can read it. I hope that's OK

No demo. It would mean delaying the game for us to make a separate demo/preview release. We might consider it for future titles, though. But not this time.

The game has five different difficulty settings ranging from casual to extremely challenging. The higher difficulty levels require a lot of strategic thinking. Especially when it comes to building your team, equipping them with weapons and upgrades, using their unique abilities in battle as well as analyzing your opponents' weaknesses.

Playtime is ranging between 20 to 25 hours on a normal playthrough. But you can easily play for 30+ hours if you want to experience everything the game has to offer

Just wanted to send all of you our warmest regards! Thanks for supporting us! /The entire Image & Form team