Resource Management in Code Name S.T.E.A.M.

Strategy games, whether turn-based or otherwise, are a huge time commitment. The momentum present is largely based on proficiency and awareness, and even then, players can have lengthy amounts of downtime and planning, especially in systems-rich titles. This is partially why finding the right entry point for the genre is a difficult task, and also why real-time strategy is more inviting- it is far more active and challenging, not to mention spectator friendly. But real time strategy often involves resource management on a larger scale than that of more traditional strategy games, as unit production is a major aspect of thoughtful strategy and execution. While some strategy games utilize weapon durability and unit movement as "resources" to manage, very few games are able to neatly and straightforwardly communicate the importance of this kind of gameplay, let alone implement it so that it takes a central focus.

This is why Code Name S.T.E.A.M., Intelligent System's third-person turn-based strategy shooter, is such a fascinating subject. While I have mixed feelings on a number of Intelligent Systems' intellectual properties, I can safely say with confidence that I find the most enjoyable of their titles have an intense focus on resource management in a way that is deeply tied to the motifs and systems of their games. The way that their games simplify the presentation of these systems not only heightens their ease of access, but it makes for titles with a greater sense of momentum and pacing. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. (henceforth STEAM) executes this idea perfectly with its two central currencies, turning the game into an intense series of skirmishes that encourage exploration and tight resource management. While there are some fundamental aspects of the game's design that may impede player satisfaction, it baffles me that this game was not accepted as a stellar example of entry-level strategy, let alone one of the better 3DS titles.

Aesthetic Integration
There's a great deal of "stuff" going on in STEAM's aesthetic design. The game attempts to give homage to the character design of silver-age comic books with a steampunk world and costume design, and that's atop the fact that each character (save for the magnificently Honest Abe himself) comes from famous western literature and Americana. Each of its engagements is backed by an intense power metal scoring, dimming to subtler tones during exploration. If there is one aspect of this hodgepodge of elements that takes center stage, however, it is the steampunk setting, as it contributes to one of the most important and satisfying elements of gameplay.

Steam is the method of movement and attack in-game, represented by small "puffs" within each playable character's boiler. While each tile on the scenario maps has a bit of wiggle room, moving to another requires one puff of steam, while each character's weapon consumes certain amounts in order to fire. A saving grace and potential risk of travel is that each movement is not permanent- a player can retrace their steps to regain their steam and scout ahead in multiple directions before committing to an attack. This freedom of movement is encouraged by the lack of an overhead perspective or map of each scenario, meaning that the player is only aware of what they have seen. The risk, however, is that enemies can perform Overwatch attacks during the player's turn, and being caught by one of these attacks locks that specific character into the route they have chosen. In contrast, saving a character's steam also allows them to perform Overwatch attacks during the enemy turn, impeding their movement and keeping them from encroaching on player territory.

The way steam is used as a universal unit is contextual and clever, and the amount that each of the four members of a player's team possesses often dictates what sort of role they can play. Additionally, certain characters use their STEAM in drastically different ways, thanks to their primary weaponry and passive abilities that largely dictate their class. The Tin Man in particular is an incredible support unit that can transfer his steam to other party members, lengthening their turns and potential damage output. The only unfortunate caveat is that the opposing alien force does not use the same resource, meaning players cannot sap it from them and open up more possibilities for complexity.

Banking Turns
Steam is the primary resource utilized, but it is only one of two that greatly contributes to the strategies required to fully grasp and appreciate the gameplay. The other resource is simultaneously its means of currency: medals that drop from fallen enemies, destructible pieces and parts of the environment, or accrued via scenario completion bonuses. While this currency is important for obtaining the various weapons in the game, it also has a dual purpose- expendable within scenarios at specific towers. Upon reaching these towers, a unit can save the game for a future reload, replenish their health and steam for ten medals, or revive and replenish the entire team for one-hundred. If another unit should attempt to do the same after one of these towers has been utilized, the cost for the currency revives doubles from the base price, and then triples in case of a third instance. Medals can be picked up on the battlefield with relatively little over-extension, as players can retrace their steps to regain steam even after they have picked up a bundle of currency.

While many reviewers and players bemoaned the continuously respawning enemy units that feature on almost every map, these creatures also serve as a method of grinding medals and ensuring that the player has a chance to potentially utilize these save towers multiple times, although they are a one-time use and a finite resource. What this does allow, however, is the chance for a particularly clever player to exploit these towers to their fullest potential, extending turns far beyond their normal limit by chaining these towers together. Likewise, because of how each scenario has a turn limit and a full party bonus objective, utilizing these resources becomes a priority if attempting to maximize your profits.

While STEAM's later unlocks are far more powerful than the weaponry available at the start of the game, there is a logical loot cycle to follow here, one that makes continued revisits to scenarios and experimentation with different characters and strategies engaging and rewarding in more than a few ways. Because of its reasonably numbered and well-telegraphed resource management, the elements of STEAMs combat, movement and currency blend together and click as players begin to see each unit as a specific kind of resource. Each needs to be utilized to its fullest extent in order to create a state of flow and momentum, and almost every other mechanic in the game layers atop these fundamentals. Although STEAM had something of a shaky release and mixed reviews thanks to its lack of squad placement at the start of each scenario, admittedly long turns, and unconventional design that led to punishing skirmishes, it is well-worth a look, if only because it sold so poorly that it will likely never see a sequel. In spite of all of this, STEAM is truly a rare, magical, and horrifying title, one that strips away much of the complexities of its contemporaries in favor of a more active and easily understandable series of systems based around resource management.

Did you ever get the chance to try out Code Name S.T.E.A.M.'s multiplayer mode? Do you love this game as much as I do? Have any examples of titles that balance resource management in a similar fashion, or use a single system to solve multiple problems? Feel free to share out in the comments section, and subscribe to the site for future articles.