Frostpunk 2

Frostpunk 2 does exactly what a sequel should do. It excels in all the ways the original game did while increasing the scale and adding even more. It is an excellent expansion on everything we loved about Frostpunk and delivers a new, utterly unique experience and story, and one that fans of the original, as well as newcomers to the franchise, are sure to love.

Frostpunk 2 showed an entirely new side, partially becoming a simulator of political struggle in a post-apocalyptic world. The scale of the game became much larger, and, while it lost that personal touch of the first game, it brought the global problems of society to the fore. The big moral choices in the game are weighty, and the consequences can be terrifying.

Frostpunk 2 lives up to - and in most ways - surpasses the original. A chilling, intense game about human survival and conflict - that will leave you questioning your own sense of morality for many hours.

Frostpunk 2 has gorgeous graphics and an immersive experience that goes beyond city building. Challenging even on low difficulty, it's a worthy evolution of the original with a good tutorial for beginners.

Where Frostpunk was painfully intimate, the sequel takes a bird's-eye view, but this distance serves it just as well. [Issue#403, p.100]

A slower, more calculated era of Frostpunk. Frostpunk 2 preserves the storyteller aspect, though the lean into more classical city building may put off those looking for drama. Personally, I enjoyed the glimpse into what happens when people conquer extinction.

Expanding on the original's vision in almost every conceivable way, Frostpunk 2 is a city-building triumph of a sequel. The intense challenge remains while the experience is bigger, bolder and yet streamlined and far more intuitive. In spite of the horrendous conditions and hostile environment, Frostpunk 2 is a joy to play, even when you're enforcing child labour and exiling a faction for daring to request you listen to their reasonable demands. Even if the end of the world is nigh, New London beckons to have you as its steward, and you'd be foolish not to heed its call.

Frostpunk 2 is a fantastic sequel to the original game. The shift to a wider focus rather than staying at the macro level might not be to everyone’s tastes, but I rather enjoyed the push to bigger and more expansive lands.

With its unique blend of strategy, survival, and city building, Frostpunk 2 stands as one of the best titles of 2024.

Frostpunk 2 is much more ambitious than the original, which may dissuade some fans. Nevertheless, it's a brutal experience that reminds one of humanity's illogical yet endearing social turmoils.

A fantastic sequel that refuses to be just the previous game but with more options, although in terms of scale and ambition it is most certainly bigger and better.

Frostpunk 2 has evolved to be an ultimate city-building simulation with a focus on survival, massively improving on its predecessor by introducing tons of new elements such as social classes, city council and voting systems, and giving players full control when it comes to making vital decisions to make sure the survival of the people in the brutally cold universe of the game.

Cold, bleak and unforgiving, just like its predecessor. It may stray even further from the "traditional" City Builders genre, but when experiencing what it has to offer, Frostpunk 2 is in many ways the ideal sequel.

Frostpunk 2 is a brutal city builder with a marvelous political system.

Frostpunk 2 is a worthy successor to the original Frostpunk in every single way. It keeps the systems that made the original great while further expanding on the concept by including new governance mechanics that make the game feel fresh and new. It's a must-play for existing Frostpunk fans and a good entry point into the series for newcomers to the franchise.

Frostpunk 2 is not just an ordinary sequel. It is a strategy game with fresh ideas, sophisticated mechanics and a gorgeous look that give the Frostland a whole new facet.

11 bit studios’ game should appeal not only to building and planning enthusiasts but also to people who appreciate a serious narrative and a more profound treatment of the factions and characters present in the game. If the campaign isn't enough for us, we have an extra game mode available with fewer restrictions and less hand-holding. Most people will probably find this sufficient for the premiere.

What 11 Bit Studios has crafted here is truly special, as it lives up to its city-building survival name. Those looking to test their mettle in a different type of city-builder may want to take this one for a spin. However, those that may be looking for something a bit calmer will not find it here. Because although there are calmer points, this will keep even city-builder experts constantly moving, especially if they increase the difficulty. And if the first one is anything to go by, then that adventure is only just getting started.

Frostpunk 2 successfully expands on everything that the original brutal city builder had, and its larger scale, great story campaign, and new faction system are as "fun" as a calamity reduction simulator can get.

What is most impressive about Frostpunk 2 is how well it blends its emotional narratives with its gameplay mechanics. It challenges the player on an emotional and moral level while also challenging them to grapple with some of the most intricately linked and well-refined gameplay the strategy genre has seen in years.

Frostpunk 2 trades intimacy and the plight of individual survivors for the challenges of growth and sustainability. The threat of extinction is mixed with economic challenges and the vaguely hopeful promise of long-term survival. Frostpunk 2 broadens the scope and deepens the mechanics of the first game, adding even greater complexity to puzzle-like city building that remains addictive and unique in the genre.

If you liked Frostpunk, I think you'll like Frostpunk 2. It's a bigger and grander sequel.

Frostpunk 2 requires your patience and ability to make tough decisions, but rewards you for sticking with it and respecting its systems.

Frostpunk 2 is pretty much everything you could want from a sequel. The game expands upon the foundation laid down by the original while introducing fresh systems and mechanics. There’s nothing particularly innovative to look forward to here, but that’s to be expected and isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Frostpunk 2 is the exact move this frozen franchise needed; in fact, it’s the only logical path it could have followed. Scaling up from individuals to factions may have kept some aspects of the original at arm’s length, but the feelings of desperation, urgency, and enervation not only remain, but are dramatically heightened. If you’ve ever wanted to be completely and utterly drained by a game that feels much larger than itself, Frostpunk 2 beckons.

The new political dimension of Frostpunk 2 redefines gameplay, and the player's own ethics become an integral part of the game. A fascinating experience, and a real challenge for achievers.

With Frostpunk 2, 11 bit studios once again tests our resolve with a city builder where failure is part of the experience, and weaving a political web involving multiple factions is just as crucial as surviving the apocalypse.

Every single decision you make in Frostpunk 2 is like taking a step out onto a frozen lake. You might shift your weight onto a foot, only to see a tiny crack race out ahead of you. Is this the decision that will lead to your downfall? Even something as benign as placing down buildings comes with the weight of resource management, societal impact, and just a little bit more strain on the delicate system you’ve tried to establish. It’s a brilliant sequel that will leave you frozen with indecision as the icy disposition of the factions rivals the chill from a whiteout.

Frostpunk 2 is a brutal but beautiful city builder that laughs with you as you try and fail to survive in a treacherous, icy purgatory.

Frostpunk 2 combines the solidity of the mechanics of the first chapter, with some excellent additions to make the game truly one of a kind. Not just an excellent management software, but a real gaming experience.

Frostpunk 2 has shaped up to be a hefty sequel that built intelligently on the bones of its already excellent predecessor, capturing all the most compelling parts of the first game while exploring human nature and morality with deftness. I’ve already played it multiple times, but I expect I’ll be playing it many more in the months to come.

Frostpunk 2 brings excellent gameplay additions and also elevates its predecessor visually and in terms of immersion, although this is expected due to the migration to Unreal Engine 5. Overall, 11 Bit Studios does an excellent job with the new entry in the franchise, taking everything that brought it success six years ago and expanding it to new heights.

Frostpunk is an excellent-looking, excellent sounding, and great playing organic growth and succession from the original. Spreading further along the wasteland, you have to balance more as you deal with politics, resources, factions, and ever more challenges, often including settling and building in new areas. Still a challenge, but more approachable, this is yet another city builder that will shine out amongst others.

With grander scope and scale than its predecessor, Frostpunk 2 asks players to not only survive but thrive. You're not trying to make it just one more night, you're actively building for the future, either with the cooperation of or in opposition to the communities that you're protecting. It's a huge leap, and one that 11 bit studios (mostly) handles with aplomb.

A visually stunning survival construction mix to warm your freezing hands.

This new installment is full of promise and expectations, seeking not only to improve the original formula, but to completely reinvent it.

The announcement of an official modding tool alone is likely to bring tears of joy to the eyes of "Frostpunk" fans. The setting remains attractive, the artwork and gameplay are equally clever, even if the novelty value has worn off a bit. But everything is now bigger, more complex and more impressive, and it is remarkable how smoothly 11 bit has interlocked the various elements and made them shine. There is always something to do in "Frostpunk 2", even if the feeling of a living game world, as one is used to from "Anno 1800", is missing here simply because of the thematic requirements. Anyone who wants an extraordinary experience and some real gaming challenges will feel at home in the eternal ice.

When faction conflicts become the central theme of the era, the narrative focus of Frostpunk 2 also shifts. You will witness how societal changes affect the lives of ordinary people as humanity seeks progress to stave off decline. The relatively simplified building system allows players to focus more on legislation and balancing relationships between factions, ultimately guiding the city toward prosperity under your leadership. However, while the system is good, it lacks the depth and modes that would allow players to fully flex their strategic skills. The story ends somewhat abruptly, and the sandbox mode offers limited replayability. Since there are clearly optimal solutions in terms of decrees and research, your experience won't vary much across playthroughs. If Frostpunk 2 continues to offer more content to players, as its predecessor did, it has the potential to become an even more remarkable game than it already is.

Quotation forthcoming.

Frostpunk 2 is a great experience, with solid graphics, interface improvements and an enviable strategic depth. The transition from the role of Captain to that of Steward introduces a completely new dimension in the management of the city, where power is no longer unilateral, but distributed, which calls the player to face crises, challenges and political games. However, the situations in which you have to deal with a myriad of emergencies at the same time, which are created in ways that are sometimes artificial, end up being oppressive, to the detriment of a feeling of healthy involvement that fortunately the production of 11 Bit Studios knows how to generate very well.

Frostpunk 2 is a vividly different game from its predecessor that functions as a fully fledged sequel, and that narratively follows its change of mechanics. It is more of a social simulator than a survival city builder, but it still poses as a great and decision heavy experience that will test your moral values at every step.

The risk of too much-simulated suffering is that the most challenging decisions can leave you feeling emotionally detached, as the end often justifies the means. This dynamic makes Frostpunk 2 a unique experience where you can never truly be the ‘good guy,’ only ‘less bad.’ It’s better to play this in short bursts, as it will keep you from becoming emotionally numb to all the suffering in Frostpunk 2.

An ambitious sequel that doesn't just offer more of the same old Frostpunk experience but brings the series in a new direction. If you are a veteran of the first game, you may initially feel disoriented by the new gameplay formula, but give it time, and you'll find that Frostpunk 2 is another excellent game from 11 bit Studios.

The original Frostpunk presented players with a simple puzzle: what are you willing to do as a society to survive the apocalypse? Its mechanics explored this magnificently, presenting us with challenges and ideas that made us second-guess what we’d do at the end of the world. Frostpunk 2 furthers that struggle by asking, “What are we willing to do to thrive?” Will we rely wholly on technology to save us, or adapt to the brutal cold and make nature our guide? Will we be the same leader we started as at the launch of the campaign? Every player will be faced with that moral conundrum, and will have to decide what it is they value most to reach the end of that journey.

Frostpunk 2 is frustrating, complex, merciless, puts your morals to the test and is relentlessly unforgiving. In short: Frostpunk 2 is exactly the game that fans of the predecessor were waiting for.

If you're looking for complex challenges and moral choices, Frostpunk 2 won't disappoint. Hours of entertainment are almost guaranteed.

Frostpunk 2 puts its gameplay at the service of storytelling and, through relatively simple game mechanics, manages to make the player experience strong emotions and a constant moral dilemma. From a gameplay perspective, it is a fairly straightforward city builder, but the political and social dynamics are where the essence of the game created by 11 Bit Studios truly lies. Frostpunk 2 dismantles any notion of social utopia and shows how humans are inherently irrational beings, ready to self-destruct. The limitations imposed on the player’s decision-making power work perfectly within this framework, forcing the player to make difficult and uncomfortable decisions, offering a much more satisfying and refined level of strategy compared to traditional management games.

Not as satisfying a city builder as the original, but the society simulation is still on point.

As was the case with its predecessor, Frostpunk 2's city-building and society management layers aren't particularly deep on their own but fuse into a cohesive whole that grips you soon after you arrive in its frozen wasteland…Although it's a bit harder to care as deeply about the people whose lives you're responsible for, Frostpunk 2's crises sent me scrambling for makeshift backup plans while its tamer moments encouraged me to stop and ponder about the path I chose for the city; and, when all was said and done, I couldn't help but also wonder where the series might go next.

A post-apocalyptic world with an eternal winter will once again entrust us with the fight for the survival of the survivors, whose fate will this time be strongly influenced by civil factions. A complex system of voting and negotiation is involved, which makes the game unique, but also challenging and sometimes frustrating.

Frostpunk 2 brilliantly continues the legacy of the first game by deepening moral dilemmas and adding complex political mechanisms. Every decision matters, whether it’s to satisfy a faction or meet the immediate needs of the city. The game asks a fundamental question: how far are you willing to go for your society to thrive in a frozen world? If you enjoyed the first Frostpunk or appreciate games that blend strategy with moral reflection, Frostpunk 2 is a must-play.

Frostpunk 2 is a very atmospheric and deep strategy game. Choices are meaningful and the constant time pressure makes it feel like everything can go terribly wrong at any moment. Sometimes the game is a bit heavy-handed because of that. It could have used some humor to contrast all the icy misery. The risk of too much simulated suffering is that the toughest decisions sometimes leave you cold on a personal level. Because the end almost always justifies the means. This makes Frostpunk 2 one of those unique games where you can never really be the ‘good guy’, only ‘less bad’. And that makes for a valuable and well-made experience.

Frostpunk 2 is a worthy enough survival city builder sequel. Like the original, it is absolutely stunning to play, though I do recommend against Steam Deck. It just doesn’t run as well and the input controls aren’t the best here. If you have a beefy PC or modern console, this is a real looker to play. With the complicated decisions, larger scope, and new Council Hall decisions, Frostpunk 2 is one of the most elaborate and complex sim games available.

While it doesn’t always nail pacing, it makes up for it with false security, tricky choices, and enough elements to keep you fully invested in the storyline or the well-being of the city’s patrons. Ultimately, whether you’re a Frostpunk veteran or new to the chilly city-builder, this sequel will prove how ill-equipped we actually are if a winter like this one comes along.

Frostpunk 2 dishes up engaging strategy challenges that will have you balancing multiple resources, faction demands, and production all throughout a playthrough. While it may be challenging for first-time players for this reason, the game also makes it worth your while with an impressive level of overall depth. Frostpunk 2 feels like it’s suffused with story in every possible way, and it’s clear that the developers have made the effort to create an authentic world that comes with difficult and impactful choices. If you’re a seasoned strategy buff with a penchant for story and you’re not put off by difficult decisions in a dystopian world, Frostpunk 2 is sure to be a worthy addition to your library.

Frostpunk 2 introduces expanded social dynamics, larger city management, and deeper decision-making with factions and laws. It shifts from basic survival to improving quality of life, offering potential for world-building and colonization. The game maintains emotional depth, with difficult laws provoking strong reactions. While streamlined mechanics reduce some of the original's immersion and complexity, Frostpunk 2 is definitely worth trying out for its new experience and larger population scale.

Ultimately, Frostpunk 2 is something very rare: A sequel that manages to substantially reinvent itself and innovate on the foundation of its predecessor without losing what made it great in the first place – in itself, this boldness is deserving of applause.

Frostpunk 2 takes the already excellent original and improves on it in some suitably satisfying ways. It's an excellent city-builder, especially if you're prepared to take lessons from failure.

Frostpunk 2 has an irreplaceable charm. The distinct feelings of bleakness, solitude, and the desperate struggle for survival remain unparalleled, just as in its predecessor. The larger scale of the city, the conflicts arising between communities within, and the weighty decisions required to manage and mediate these tensions create a unique and engaging experience.

Although the gameplay was based mostly on the concepts of the first installment, there was also plenty of room for successful experiments. Thanks to this, Frostpunk 2 gained its own identity and became something more than just a bigger and more complex Frostpunk 1. Although you may not see it at first glance, these are two vastly different games that I will be returning to regularly.

Frostpunk 2 doesn't replace the first game. Instead, it elevates its rawest themes of human nature to towering heights. It offers a significantly different challenge in its city-building that allows both games to exist in separate sectors of the genre, and it's better for it.

Thanks to a ground-up rethinking of its ice-age city builder mechanics, Frostpunk 2's larger scale is less intimate but more socially and politically complex than the original.

11 Bit Studios offers a powerful dive into a depressive swamp, very elegantly designed and designed in such a way that you don’t want to put it down until the very end. But remember, it’s better not to start this game in a sad or melancholy mood, because it can get worse.

A well-crafted post-apocalyptic strategy that initially feels a bit clunky, but over time reveals its stronger aspects. Once it hits its stride, the odd menus and slow start become forgivable.

Somewhat straightforward, but exciting and elegantly presented urban development against the constant scarcity of resources.

Frostpunk 2 expands on what made the original so fresh. While a harsh difficulty might turn some players off, forging through is the name of the game in Frostpunk 2.

Frostpunk 2 scales up the drama with a bigger, more strategic sequel that's easy to get lost in.

Frostpunk 2 offers an engaging and rewarding overall package for city-building fans able to accept harsh punishment and willing to give up and start again from scratch.

Frostpunk 2 offers a solid survival city-building experience, with a strong focus on social and political elements. Newcomers and fans can enjoy it as a standalone game, but longtime Frostpunk players may have mixed feelings about it's larger scale. As the game moves away from the personal connection with individual citizens which reduces the emotional impact.

Frostpunk 2 combines a city builder with complex management, politics and storytelling, giving weight to every decision. Even though we are often overwhelmed at times due to unclear communication, we want to get our end-time civilization through the winter at all costs.

Frostpunk 2 makes clever reconsiderations of, and expansions on, the first game’s design, offering a better rounded, even harsher follow-up to the original’s concept.

The story the game tells is engaging, with choices that feel meaningful. Though it can be quite difficult and feel pretty hopeless sometimes, this is counteracted by satisfying moments of victory; or, if not that, at least failure levels that are amusingly bad - seeing the Council screen very matter-of-factly say, “You are reviled,” gave me a good laugh at my desk in a way only games like Frostpunk 2 can.

While it might not be the most approachable city builder in the world, Frostpunk 2 is still an exemplary entry in the genre. Its challenge leads to some really rewarding moments of triumph, and the sheer number of options for how you can help your band of survivors thrive is a great selling point for anyone who wants their day to day decisions to matter. I'll be braving the icy wastes of this game for months and years to come, and I doubt I'll be the only one.

Frostpunk 2 is a worthy sequel that ramps up the grit and immersion, but sheds some of the original's magic in the pursuit of innovation.

11 bit studios were trying to improve core mechanics and expand the scope of the game, but ended up with a completely different gameplay formula. The number 2 in the title probably hurts the game more than helps. [Issue#265, p.76]

As it stands, Frostpunk 2 is a good second step that fans of the franchise and the genre will enjoy, but there’s plenty of room for improvement here.

Frostpunk II has lovely and intimate details, but the big picture is chilly and rigid. The promise of pioneering a new culture becomes yet another tale of survival at all costs.

Frostpunk 2 is a great city builder. Complicated, offering plenty of possibilities, beautiful looking. Unfortunately, the spirit of the previous installment got lost somewhere in all this complexity, while the moral dilemmas got blurred in a flurry of gameplay mechanics and sliders.

Frostpunk 2 is different from its predecessor. It too experiments with gameplay and tries to create a thrilling system of making difficult decisions, but the bigger scale of governing an entire region looks a bit unfinished. Great potential to create a giant world was squandered, and the thing that generates the most fun is the political system, not building your city.

Frostpunk 2 isn't afraid to shake things up and bring a different kind of experience to the franchise, although that new design philosophy leaves a bit more to be desired in mechanics, UI and narrative elements.

Frostpunk 2 aims to deepen its gameplay elements but this proves to be a double-edged sword. While the world is larger and the gameplay loop more intricate, these additions don't prevent it from feeling repetitive. The expanded world may sound intriguing, but it ultimately creates a more impersonal experience. Fans of the original will find plenty to enjoy, though they may feel this entry is more of a sidestep than a step forward.

Frostpunk 2 offers a great survival builder experience in terms of gameplay, but falls short in other areas due to limited content, unfinished aspects, and a lack of a compelling story.