In 2018, Indie developer 11 Bit Studios released Frostpunk, a PC city-builder with a dark twist. While most city-builders allow players to forge the town of their dreams at a leisurely pace, Frostpunk forces players to make lightning-quick moral decisions that always mean the difference between life and death. It's this brutal and bleak approach that set Frostpunk apart from its competition back in 2018, and now, Frostpunk 2 is carrying forward that same approach.
Set 30 years after the first game, Frostpunk 2's world is still a snow-covered nightmare, and it's up to the player once again to herd the last dregs of humanity through the everlasting winter. But while seasoned Frostpunk fans might think they already know all the strategies and tricks to survive, Frostpunk 2 quickly shows them just how mistaken they are.
Frostpunk 2 Wants Fans to Forget Everything They Think They Know
Frostpunk 2 Carries Forward Many of The First Game's Mechanics
The general gameplay loop of the original Frostpunk remains very much intact in the sequel. From the moment players start Frostpunk 2's campaign or Utopia Builder mode, they'll be thrown immediately into a never-ending state of emergency. Just like the first game, Frostpunk 2's gameplay loop has players fueling their city's heat-producing generator with vital but scarce resources, ensuring they have enough food to keep starvation at bay, and researching technology that keeps these processes running as efficiently as possible in the Frostlands' ever-changing landscape.
Frostpunk's moral choice system also returns in full force in the sequel. Throughout the game, players will be approached by a member of their unstable society, frequently asking them to make some kind of difficult decision. These decisions often determine which faction the player sides with, which in turn determines the type of society they end up creating. The player needs to carefully balance each faction's trust with the needs of the wider community, and those decisions aren't light.
Every Old Mechanic Has a New Twist in Frostpunk 2
But while long-time Frostpunk fans will recognize this gameplay loop well, Frostpunk 2 is quick to pull the rug out from underneath them, twisting each familiar gameplay mechanic in a subtle but significant way. For instance, in the first Frostpunk, players could simply place buildings around their central generator if there was enough space to do so. In Frostpunk 2, players now need to first construct a District, expand that District to ensure there's enough space for a building, and then build their desired structure.
Another key example of these changes is Frostpunk 2's resources. In the 2018 original, players needed to collect coal, wood, and steel to fuel the generator and build structures. Frosptunk 2 trades these in for oil, materials, prefabs, and goods, with the latter being a new resource required to satisfy the needs of the colony's survivors.
These mechanical changes aren't too drastic, but they do require even the most seasoned Frostpunk veterans to relearn everything they thought they knew about the game. And while some fans will find this challenge new and exciting, others might find all of the changes a bit overwhelming, and possibly even unnecessary given how complex the original game's systems already were.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- September 20, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Frostpunk
- PC Release Date
- September 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Survival, City Builder
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
