505 to publish Steambot

Having tied up Sony Japan's Rule of Rose earlier this week, 505 Gamestreet has announced that it will publish IREM's Steambot Chronicles for PS2 in the UK this September.

Reviewed recently around here, Steambot Chronicles is a non-linear RPG where much of the game's style and story is left up to the player.

Over to our review for explanation: it's "GTA meets Harvest Moon" apparently.

"The titular Steambots, or Trotmobiles as they're called in game, are essentially two-legged, armed-to-the-jaws mechas (although curiously powered by petrol and not steam). The chronicles are what unfold as you steadily build up your adventure from the layers of in-game choices the game throws at you."

"Despite what Atlus/Irem [and now 505] might like to tell you, it's far from being really non-linear, but the abundance of side-quests, mini-games, behavioural choices and world inhabitants-with-problems-that-only-you-can-help-iron-out certainly give a pleasant illusion of freedom as you trace your own story through the game's various diverging pathways."

And it's not half-bad either. Read the full review for more on it.