Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Revealed by Nintendo at E3

Written by Brandon Hofer on June 16, 2014

News: Nintendo reveals a new IP that they are bringing out in 2015 and talk about it briefly during an E3 roundtable.

Last week at E3 Nintendo made a number of announcements regarding existing IP as well as brand new franchises. One of those new franchises was Code Name S.T.E.A.M.. Code Name S.T.E.A.M. is a new turn-based action strategy game that comes from Intelligent Systems, the developer of Fire Emblem and the Advance War series. Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is a new take on strategy games inspired by third-person shooters. Like the Fire Emblem and Advance Wars games before it, Code Name S.T.E.A.M. tasks players with planning out strategic moves using a team of soldiers to do battle with enemy forces. But this game throws a wrench into many of the conventions familiar to the genre.

For starters, the game takes place in a vibrant steampunk world, weaving its globe-spanning tale in the art style of a classic comic book. The title refers to an elite team of steam-powered special-forces soldiers composed of absolutely wild and wholly unexpected characters who must battle an extraterrestrial menace. To establish a connection to the main playable characters and to emphasize the verticality and depth of the level design, the perspective of Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. uses a behind-the-shoulder perspective at the level of the players’ squad. Players outflank and out shoot the enemy in a fully 3D battlefield with a customizable four-member team. To defeat aliens, they have to take cover, set up ambushes and unleash crossfires and counter-attacks. For every move taken or action performed, a steam gauge is slowly depleted, forcing players to use strategy to achieve their objectives. Along the way, players will acquire new items and weapons that give them more strategic options and firepower.

Take a look at the Code Name: Steam Roundtable from E3 and tell us what you think. Does this sound like a game you would be interested in?