GameUX – SteamWorld Heist – The Little Joy In Opening Your Loot

We see and do this almost every day in all the free to play(and other) games we play, but still, as obvious as it might be, there is so much joy in doing this one small thing that whole games are designed around it. In SteamWorld Heist, as you play, you encounter epic swags of loot that you can pick up, along with other more common swag bags. As your focus will be on finishing your objectives and working your way around enemies, you don’t have access to this loot till after each level is complete.

After the level is done and you are back to the safety of your ship, you review your loot – bags of items that hold unknown treasure. As you open bag after bag, your expectation goes up till you open your largest swag for the final reveal. Of course, you can always open the biggest one first, but the way the items are arranged facilitates to you opening the first low value bag than the last. Bags usually contain water or weapons – with water being the more common of the lot. Items emit a faint glow and particles, making them feel more precious and enticing, while they wait to be opened.

Opening each item is a ritual in itself – each item scales up onto the foreground and as you open them, the item vanishes in a tiny cloud of smoke and the screen flashes with a poof; as the smoke clears and the tiny cloud disappears, your swag is revealed in all its glory along with the current item description updated in the information box.