Crossovers are fairly common in games. Some can be perfect for the games they are featuring, such as the Kingdom Hearts series which is one of the best crossovers of all time, while others can feel like the crossover is simply shoehorned in just because of some contract or deal that the game developers couldn’t refuse, leaving fans of the game with a bad taste in their mouths.

Now, if there is ever a way for Curious Expedition 2 and SteamWorld Heist, both published by Thunderful Publishing, to collaborate, the Robots of Lux DLC is definitely the perfect place to do so.

A little exposition for those who are unfamiliar with SteamWorld Heist: It’s a highly-rated, turn-based strategy-RPG title, featuring steam-powered robot pirates, that’s set in the SteamWorld universe, which includes equally popular titles like SteamWorld Dig 1 and 2 as well as their well-received card game spinoff, SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech.

In this DLC, Lux Labs has somehow managed to tear through the fabric of space, reached into SteamWorld’s universe, and drew in perhaps the hardiest explorers of all, the beloved steambot pirate, Captain Piper Faraday, and her crew. She can serve as your new expedition leader in your… well, expedition.

Back in Paris, the previous derelict Old Theatre is now reopened, albeit not for its original purpose of providing entertainment. You can now visit this place to recruit new robotic teammates, like Billy Gill & Valentine Butterbolt from SteamWorld Heist, and some cool new equipment. You can also freeze a character here and save them for later use, which is useful for swapping out old explorers with new ones.

That’s not all, as befitting with the kind of experimental technologies that are churned out of Lux Labs on a fairly constant basis, the DLC also includes a new recruitable and mountable “animal”, the robot chameleon; as well as a host of advanced gadgets like the Shield Belt, Plasma Spider, and the PR3-S5, along with items like the EdiBot Map, Prototype Remote Control, Battery, Field Kitchen, and more. Pack animals aren’t forgotten here either. The DLC adds two new pieces of equipment for them, namely the Tesla Coil and the Buzz Saw.

Of course, it’s not all metal and bolts in this DLC. You can recruit the Yeti itself to join your hardy band of explorers. However, the highlight of the DLC, besides the crossover stuff, is likely the new Expedition Leader, the Naturalist. This leader has the ability to tame almost any animal in the game, using a special tool produced by EdiBot, the Luxballs… Pokeball reference, anyone? The game isn’t kidding about the “any animal” part either, allowing you to tame the ferocious Giant Crab as well!

As with all its other DLCs, once it’s purchased, the new features will instantly be applied in both Campaign and Director Mode. However, unlike the Shores of Taishi or the Highlands of Avalon, there’s no new island for you to visit here. The DLC already contains a whole lot of features that justify its price, but it would have been even more awesome had it included say… a steampunk floating “island” (it’s actually a ship) that has multiple levels accessible via some kind of massive pneumatic tubes or tunnels. Yes I know, they should just hire me as their game designer *wink, call me!*

Jokes aside, associating the steamboat pirates from SteamWorld Heist with Lux Labs from Curious Expedition 2 is just a match made in heaven in this DLC. Not only does it feature a ton of brand-new and exciting content, but the DLC also adds into the game the kind of steam-powered mechanical wonders that Lux Labs is famous for to a game that predominantly features the living and the undead.