As a hardened survivor of the frozen tundra myself, I can confidently say that Frostpunk 2 is a city-builder game that truly encapsulates the bitter cold and dread of its icy world. The bird’s-eye view above New London offers an unsettling yet surreal perspective, with every decision I make affecting not only the city but also the people who call it home.
Frostpunk 2 is the eagerly anticipated follow-up from 11 Bit Studios to their highly praised city-building survival game, renowned for its tough challenges in the genre. The storyline follows the remaining humans battling to stay alive amid a perpetual volcanic winter, and it’s your task as the player to make sure they do, even when the situation seems hopelessly difficult.
Story
The sequel of Frostpunk’s narrative seamlessly continues from the first game, preserving all the cherished aspects of the series in the same universe, making it easy for longtime Frostpunk players to revisit a familiar environment. Yet, the story is also accessible to newcomers due to its smooth continuity and the way the game’s lore is subtly woven into the gameplay mechanics.
30 years have passed since the events of Frostpunk’s original story, and we find ourselves once again in the city of New London, which is now the focus of Frostpunk 2. The protagonist from the first game, the “Captain” of New London, has unfortunately succumbed to poor health, leaving you to take on the role of the “Steward”. This new character is next in line for leadership and must assume responsibility for the city and all its challenges that lie ahead.
In essence, this game primarily functions as a city-building title, but it also offers an intriguing, ominous narrative that unfolds in numerous creative manners. For instance, each new chapter presents a snapshot of your populace’s current state and the challenging expectations that lie ahead. As you explore and develop New London deeper into the tundra, discovering opportunities in the Frostlands, various factions emerge within the city. Each decision you make for these factions and the city itself creates a ripple effect, potentially leading to a range of outcomes, positive or negative.
In New London, as additional decisions are made and new constructions arise, citizens frequently express their thoughts and feelings through spontaneous interludes. These moments serve as a form of dialogue, offering insights into how these changes impact their lives. This approach is an imaginative means of engaging with non-player characters without direct interaction, contributing to the game’s ominous atmosphere of unease and imposed isolation.
Essentially, Frostpunk 2’s storyline is one that doesn’t shy away from grim realities, offering a narrative that’s both captivating and sobering. It’s about surviving the harshest of human conditions and enduring in a world that seems intent on extinguishing the fragile remnants of our species. Despite my attempts to alter the outcome, it becomes clear that a happy ending is not the intention of this game.
- Score: 4/5
Gameplay and Controls
Similar to its precursor, Frostpunk 2 retains numerous core gameplay aspects characteristic of city-building games. You can essentially expand upon the base of New London and other settlements uncovered within the Frostlands, just as before.
In other words, when it comes to redesigning New London in Frostpunk 2, there are numerous intricate aspects to consider. This is where the real difficulty lies, as managing multiple tasks and making complex decisions becomes a continuous challenge. You’ll be dealing not only with harsh subzero conditions but also persistent political and cultural turmoil.
Managing a society requires a delicate balance of depleting resources, skillful distribution of labor to produce essentials, ensuring food, housing, and security for your people, often involving tough decisions and sacrifices with uncertain outcomes, and dealing with the politics of different groups who rarely see eye-to-eye on anything.
When it comes to user-friendliness, the level of difficulty in Frostpunk 2 might be challenging even for experienced players. As a novice in this series, I relish a good challenge, but I encountered significant difficulties on the easiest setting, which left me mentally drained around midway through the game. Similar to its predecessor, Frostpunk 2 lacks tutorial guidance, and the situation can quickly become chaotic if you’re not vigilant. Sometimes being cautious isn’t enough to prevent things from spiraling out of control.
Ultimately, a city-building game with an unparalleled level of intensity and intricate detail deserves respect, yet its steep learning curve remains a potential barrier for some players.
- Score: 3/5
Visual Design
Stepping into Frostpunk 2 feels like returning to my frozen, gritty past, immersed once more in the captivating yet perilous snow-covered landscapes. The city of New London showcases a steampunk charm with its mechanized infrastructure, but ironically, the resources I need to power its lights and warmth are primarily coal and oil.
Similar to Frostpunk’s original gameplay, you manage most of the action from an overhead perspective high above the city, a viewpoint that perfectly suits your role as the Steward. Periodic NPC interludes display lifelike human faces weathered and rough due to the elements, serving as a somber reminder of the gritty, realistic world you inhabit instead of a fantastical one.
As a devotee of New London, it’s both awe-inspiring and unnerving to have an all-encompassing view of this city. The game masterfully creates this sensation by introducing elements like squalor, disease, or political instability that gradually worsen, which in turn transform the city’s lighting from a vibrant yellow to a foreboding red. If New London is teetering on the brink of ruin, the screen will begin to ‘decay’ and grow darker until I am symbolically ousted from my position of power.
In Frostpunk 2, the visual designs are skillfully employed to emphasize the game’s chilling themes of harsh coldness and fear, taking it a step further.
- Score: 4/5
Sound Design
Alongside the visually captivating design in Frostpunk 2, its audio design is equally impressive, showcasing numerous enhancements from the original game. A hauntingly beautiful orchestral soundtrack underscores the mechanical operations of New London, and this music subtly adapts and progresses according to the decisions you make and the path your city takes.
Enhancing the game’s eerie realism, each time a civilian crisis arises requiring an immediate response, the call of “Steward” resonates in varying tones, reflecting the situation at hand. As the stress levels increase, these calls become increasingly frantic and agitated, amplifying your sense of unease as you grapple with deciding the best course of action.
At times, your character’s distinctly British accent will resonate from city speakers in connection with specific actions like passing laws or handling issues related to various factions. The most alarming sound, though, is the thunderous wail of sirens that blare when a Whiteout storm strikes, which aptly symbolizes the menace posed by your main enemy.
- Score: 4/5
Final Verdict
Among city-builder games, the Frostpunk series reigns supreme atop Mount Everest as the most comprehensive challenge in the genre. Frostpunk 2 further cements this position with its meticulously crafted game design and unyielding difficulty, making it ideal for the boldest and most enterprising of leaders.
One perspective might be that the challenging difficulty level of Frostpunk may deter a significant group of players from fully experiencing its captivating universe, given the exceptional effort and detail 11 Bit Studios poured into this sequel. Yet, it’s worth noting that such a game, which strives to exceed expectations, offers an opportunity for those willing to climb the formidable peak of Frostpunk. To those who are up for the challenge, good luck on your journey!
[Disclosure: A free copy of the game was provided to PGG by the publisher for review purposes.]
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2024-09-17 20:21