Frozen Synapse 2

Frozen Synapse 2's tactical core remains solid and fascinating, but the lack of a sufficiently detailed tutorial makes learning the new depths of the game a frustrating experience.

Frozen Synapse 2 is an average attempt at bettering a masterpiece. It actually makes few things worst introducing a bland open world and filling it with bugs and glitches a ton. Still good fun in multiplayer though.

There might be some faults throughout but they don't stop Frozen Synapse 2 from being a solid sequel that is worth your time.

The friction between precision and imprecision is what makes the game unique. [December 2018, p.112]

An underwhelming campaign mode doesn't ruin what is still a solid tactical strategy game. [Nov 2018, p.68]

As the first work of Mode 7, it's an entirely satisfying tactics game.

Though Frozen Synapse 2 struggles to effectively convey its new ideas, especially in the ambitious but ultimately disappointing offline campaign, the multiplayer remains a unique and engaging challenge for aspiring tacticians.

If you have a strategy itch, Frozen Synapse 2 is a great way to scratch it. There are some obvious comparisons to be made to the excellent XCom series, and that is great company to be keeping, but Frozen Synapse 2 still manages to to be its own unique experience as well.

A tale of two games, Frozen Synapse 2 is best when you’re battling it out like you did in the original. Thankfully, that’s a large portion of what you’re doing in this game. It just feels like the strategic layer could have been so much more.

The second chapter of Frozen Synapse is deeper and more complex, but too many technical problems keep it away from real greatness.

Frozen Synapse 2 effectively builds onto the first game with new weapons and a deeper sense of action and anticipation. The single player is unfortunately tepid compared the multiplayer, but the game is nevertheless an essential strategy addition.

While the single-player campaign is a little lackluster, the core of the game in both single and multiplayer is the tactical combat, and Mode 7 has hit a home run with this piece of the game.

Frozen Synapse 2 dual-wields nail-biting gameplay and engaging narratives. Despite its minor issues, it is one of the most engaging gaming experiences you can have.

As it stands, Frozen Synapse 2 is truly an interesting experiment -- an attempt to expand the scope while keeping the original's focus and the directive that a successful mission always ends the same way: with everyone but you dead. It is a capable game that should appeal more to hardcore wargamers than more casual strategy enthusiasts, however, as I suspect its unintuitive menu will put off a lot of strategic-minded people with no patience for obtuseness.

Frozen Synapse 2 is the best possible sequel of a great indie masterpiece, which broadens it dramatically without distorting its formula.

Frozen Synapse 2 has plenty to offer with its campaign, but again, this sequel is at its best when playing against other fallible humans.

The asynchronous multiplayer is unquestionably the star of the show, and queuing up multiple online games at once means you’re never stuck waiting for an opponent, and that you can play at your own pace. But while the new City Game story mode is conceptually interesting, in practice the largely scripted sequence of story missions doesn’t allow for much in the way of meaningful gameplay depth.

It's hard not to be drawn in by Frozen Synapse 2's style, but it's even harder to pull away once the game's combat gets its hooks in you.