Red Solstice 2: Survivors Reviews
If you enjoyed the first Red Solstice game, then perhaps this will be a satisfying sequel that continues the saga. But unless you got a bunch of buddies who are all itching to furiously click mutated aliens to death, you'll probably have a better time loading up another game of XCOM than trying to survive in the Martian wasteland of Red Solstice 2.
Red Solstice 2: Survivors is a decent game hindered by iffy AI, spiking difficulty, and a feeling of disconnect between player and game.
An ambitious RTS/Twin Stick hybrid with a lot of potential and some great moments, let down by technical issues, inconsistent flow, and a lack of tutorials. One to keep an eye on if the premise appeals, but not worth diving into straight away.
An interesting mix of strategy and real-time action dragged down by unbalanced features and a distinct lack of development time.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Red Solstice 2: Survivors is, at best, a slightly above-average game. For every fun aspect, such as the genuinely fun action-packed nature of the run-and-gun gameplay, there are downsides such as incredibly repetitive missions outside of the core campaign. However, you then find an excellent range of creatures and a good amount of character customisation, really boosting the game, for it to then be let down by the base and region-building feeling tacked on, and then the game is impacted by a fair few bugs. If you liked the first Red Solstice, and other similar shooters, you'll enjoy this, though arguably in shorter sessions or with other people online.
Genre mashups like Red Solstice 2: Survivors can be refreshing and revelatory, or they can feel like a poorly seamed patchwork of ideas. Red Solstice 2 has some fun elements, occasionally engaging combat and systems, and a take on the Red Planet that is familiar but not entirely unoriginal. Poorly explained mechanics, lack of personality and ultimately repetitive mission design all push back against a more thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Although I am convinced Red Solstice 2: Survivors will find its niche fanbase, I can't really say the hybrid action/strategy gameplay impressed me. The single-player campaign is nice to have but it doesn't stand outM the core experience here is definitely the multiplayer co-op.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With a focus on multiplayer, Red Solstice 2: Survivors tackles the action/tactical genre, offering up hordes of foes and beautiful presentations in the field. Where it lacks is connection with the player, bugs, and some difficulty spikes that make it infuriating.
A niche but mostly well-presented experience, Red Solstice 2 attempts to create something entirely new by blending established genres. While its mishmash of strategy mechanics into an action game doesn’t quite hit the mark, it does provide a swathe of tense, tactical moment-to-moment gameplay and absolutely nails its occasional moments of creeping alien horror. It’s far from a strategy game at heart, and struggles to strike a balance between its complex real-time strategy mechanics and action-oriented gameplay – but for sci-fi fans who are prepared to overcome the game’s learning curve and just want to squad up and rip apart some eldritch abominations, there’ll eventually be plenty of gooey green blood to sink your grenades into.
Ironward takes a couple of steps ahead in Red Solstice 2, with an interesting yet still improvabile tactical experience.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Red Solstice 2 is a game that requires at least another friend to deliver a decent experience. The strategic and tactical layers work, from a purely mechanical point of view, but everything is too focused on repetitive actions to keep the game fun when playing solo. The limited immersion does not help.
The Red Solstice 2: Survivors has that B-tier charm for better and for worse.
Red Solstice 2: Survivors hits all the marks of a good sequel with vastly improved graphics and gameplay elements, gritty atmosphere and intense battles requiring thoughtful tactics.
Red Solstice 2: Survivors is a good game, but one that needs work. I would love to see a Red Solstice 3 someday where Ironward leans even more heavily into squad equipment with refined resource management systems. At the end of the day, yes, that kind of just sounds like XCOM-but-a-shooter, but I can’t be the only person who thinks that’d be a good thing.
Gameplay-wise, Red Solstice 2: Survivors is amazing, but the amount of bugs and connectivity issues regarding both single-player campaign and the online multiplayer makes it the worst entry in the franchise. It’s better to wait for updates, or maybe until we colonize Mars.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Red Solstice 2: Survivors managed to positively surprise me. The limited vision and the constant mutant presence creates an atmosphere of tension that made me constantly alert. Moreover, unpredictable side missions help to keep the experience fresh and real-time combat eliminates all the luck factor in shootings.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Red Solstice 2: Survivors can be a bit too simplistic for a tactical game at times. You might feel like the game is basically playing itself and you’re just there watching things unfold, but this is actually a pretty accessible action-strategy hybrid that offers you a ton of tools to play the game according to your level of expertise with the genre.
While the multiplayer is where Red Solstice 2: Survivors shines, fundamental design clashes, lack of single-player focus, and poor information presentation make the game a highly inconsistent experience.