SteamWorld Heist 2, the sequel to Image and Form's 2016 sci-fi strategy game about putting bullets in hunky robots, will be released on PC on August 8.

The surprise sequel, announced during a recent Nintendo Direct, has been changed from the original's motley crew of space pirates to regular water pirates. You'll take on the role of the villainous Captain Leeway and gather a crew of bionic buccaneers as you explore the Caribbean-like oceans.

This setting also forms an open-ended overworld (or over-sea), which seems to be the main new feature of the game. In this overworld, players are free to sail around in their mechanical ships, searching for loot and engaging in real-time naval battles with other ships. This seems rather simplistic compared to the game's turn-based combat, but the trailer released only gives a small glimpse of the sequel's maritime encounters.

In any case, the main focus remains the series' signature turn-based battle, with crew members manually aiming their weapons and bouncing bullets off walls and objects. It is not only bullets that ricochet. The trailer released shows trick shots with grenades, laser bolts, and even blasts. This is apparently only a small part of the main game, as the game's web page boasts "over 150 different guns, utility items, and ship equipment" that players can tinker with.

The original SteamWorld Heist is generally considered the best of the SteamWorld series, receiving "overwhelmingly positive reviews" out of approximately 2,500 reviews on Steam.

The series also includes the platform-specific (and equally excellent) SteamWorld Dig and the city-building game SteamWorld Build, which was released last year. The latter was developed by a different team than its predecessor, and the previously consistent level of quality has declined slightly. Robin wrote in his review, "The central genre mashup concept is great, but it doesn't feel as innovative and gleefully experimental as the Image & Form work." Though very pleasant and in some ways very clever, Build is the first game in SteamWorld that I can't recommend unconditionally."

According to the trailer, SteamWorld Heist 2 is the work of the original "creators" but now under the name Thunderful Development; according to SteamWorld's website, between now and the August launch SteamWorld's website says it plans to "share more news and insights" between now and the August launch.