It’s 1899 and the heat is on as the world is in Turmoil over liquid gold!

Gamious’ tongue-in-cheek simulator has been a cult hit ever since it launched back in 2016 with it’s procedurally generated levels and ridiculously addictive gameplay.

Now with brand new expansion – The Heat Is On – Turmoil has received some significant upgrades, a few of them game-changing.

What’s new, pardner?

The big difference – as the title suggests – is the addition of magma. At first, your pipes won’t be able to pierce through the molten substance, so you’ll need to visit new man in town, Jack, to make sure you’re kitted out.

But what does magma do, you ask? Apart from frazzle your fringe, it also speeds up the flow of oil through your pipes. Oh, oh, not those pipes. I just mean….

…Ahem! Anyway, if your rig is connected to both a flow of magma and oil, and you have conductivity, you will drain the pool more quickly, enabling you to dig around elsewhere and look for other sources. Dammit…

As you can imagine, that has both positive and negative connotations. For instance, if your field has limited resources, then you might drain away one of a few pools you have and be left with nothing.

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Positively, though, if you’re rich with resources and the timer is ticking down, then you can make lots of money and get through an area faster than ever. In that regard, this is a gamechanger.

And it’s a decent sized campaign, too with a three seperate areas to work through, each one providing you with new upgrades to add to your collection.

However, Gamious have taken the opportunity to fundamentally tweak the Turmoil experience as well. For instance, the Mayor in The Heat is On doesn’t charge you for tips, you can just ask and he’ll provide. I always thought this was an unusual decision choice, so it’s nice to see Gamious agree, though they still haven’t changed things in the base game.

The entry point for natural gas is also available to you immediately. You don’t have to buy upgrades any more or reach a certain point in the game, you can just start reaping the rewards of connecting Left or Right Inc and watching as oil prices fly up. Again, a really nice touch, though one expert players might bemoan.

And there’s also a brand new treasure system through Anthony’s Undeground. Now you have to hunt for 9 very limited and rare underground treasures which can then be sold for money and additional in-game rewards to improve your output.

Treasures are layered into tiers, so, for example, in Tier 1 you need to find a golden nugget, silver ore and a quartz. The reward for doing this is a ‘juicy plot’ at the start of the next area.

Pretty jam-packed then?

I wasn’t even done! There’s also a new saloon to check out called Maeve’s and in addition to getting the same benefits of lower interest rates and stable oil prices, you can also win money by playing cards.

A simple Higher or Lower game where you can win $2,000 by deciding whether the next card in a row is higher or lower than the one with the face up. Simple, but effective, and a nice way to break things up while in town.

A tweaked Auction system has also been slotted in which lets you outbid your rivals with wads of cash, or you can play the strategic game and watch as they burn holes in their wallets with a decline into bankruptcy.

You can even strike up exclusivity deals with the Left or Right Oil Business to get cash boosts. There’s even some features I haven’t highlighted in here as it might ruin a surprise. But suffice it to say, The Heat Is On is more than just your average expansion.

Gamious have even added some new musical numbers and a wandering cat to mix things up a little bit. At £3.99, this not only gives you more Turmoil for your buck, but you’ll also get quite a different gaming experience with some excellent additions to keep you playing.

Conclusion

Ultimately, yes, this is just more of the same Turmoil. You still need to cart oil from rigs, earn lots of money, invest shares in the town on your path to becoming Mayor, and outlast your competition.

But some of the design choices have made this a more polished and interesting experience that adds greater playability for completionists, while also providing a more welcoming entry point for newcomers.

The Heat Is On isn’t going to change your mind about Turmoil, but it does tweak the game in various interesting and exciting new ways which makes it unmissable for existing fans.