Heist has a story and preset levels. Each level is usually a different ship you have to board and clear. They’re all connected by a sort of star map. The objectives for each level are preset. Though, the level layouts may be generated. I’ve rerun a couple and I remember the layouts being a bit different.

SteamWorld Dig 1&2 are platformers. I really enjoyed them. The gameplay for Heist is different but it still feels like the same quality.