Frostpunk 2 Reviews
Like its predecessor, Frostpunk 2 is extremely dark and dystopian. If you are looking for a laid-back building strategy game to relax in, you are in the wrong place here. The rays of hope are few and far between, and death and despair are omnipresent. The political components, the exciting story and the decisions whose consequences you have to live with are great. Yes, it lacks the complexity of comparable strategy games. If you are looking for the great depth and complex gameplay mechanics of Anno, you won't find them here. Nevertheless, Frostpunk 2 is a worthy successor. The annoying micromanagement is gone, exploration and politics take up more space, which I appreciate. If you can cope with the dark scenario, you can definitely pick it up. “Frostpunk 2” only just misses out on four stars.
Review in German | Read full review
Overall, I had a positive experience with Frostpunk 2. Whilst I found the game quite challenging to complete, I believe much of that difficulty stemmed from a subpar tutorial. Given the complexity of the game and the numerous mechanics it offers, a more comprehensive tutorial is definitely required.
Frostpunk 2 takes everything that made the first game challenging and scales it up. Bigger cities, more mechanics, and larger expansions will push a player's ability to balance so many resources and the consequences of their own actions. Overcoming these will reward you with an immense sense of pride.
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 is different that 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 uninished. Great potential to create a giant world was squandered, and the thing that generates most fun, is the policital system, not building your city.
Review in Polish | Read full review
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.
You will get a bigger, bolder, and more visionary take on the building simulator. One that is unlike anything else out there. But it will be less personal and intimate in return. How much that bothers you is up to everyone to decide for themselves.
Frostpunk 2 always demonstrates a creation of complex gameplay that is not at all intuitive, but very interactive towards the players by putting you in front of choices that will determine your progression in the game, but in addition to towards glory they could lead you towards sideration. As much as the game is well structured and its objectives clear the lack of an actual tutorial is felt, especially considering that we are not even shown the game controls, A pity also regarding the graphical discrepancy between the video scenes and the actual gameplay, the details and effects during gameplay are well taken care of, but they do not justify graphics that compared to the rest can be classified as mediocre.
Review in Italian | Read full review
In the time I played Frostpunk 2, it became my go-to city builder. I love the post-apocalyptic theme, and it is very replayable, but the fact that every single element in the game has some importance to it made me feel like I had to utilize everything at my disposal to really keep my people happy. It is a lot of information at times, and there are some UI elements I would have wanted to see more often, but it is small in the grand scheme and is just such a fun game to play. It is a bit harder to run on the Steam Deck, and the RAM creeping up is a little concerning, but this is still wonderful to play on the Deck. I hope that future patches can help it perform a bit better with gamepad support and lower RAM usage, but I am happy overall!
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.
Review in German | Read full review
Frostpunk 2 has a specific way of making you feel urgency, all the time. The stress I felt when the death and illness count was rising in my city was beyond terrifying. Knowing your city is on the brink of collapse isn’t the end through. There is a reward for playing again. You start a new game now knowing the outcome of your actions. It helps you become a better leader and this is reward enough. I will absolutely be playing more of this game. I won’t be surprised if I beat my record time spent on Frostpunk with this one!
'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.
Review in Korean | Read full review
In the world of city-builder games, the Frostpunk franchise stands proudly at the snow-capped peak of Mount Everest in terms of what definitively is the most all-around challenging IP in the genre. Frostpunk 2 easily helps it keep that title in a tight-gloved fist, with its incredibly intricate game design and uncompromising difficulty that is best suited for the most fearless and ambitious of Stewards.
Frostpunk 2 offers a robust survival city-builder with a strong focus on social and political aspects, appealing to newcomers and fans alike, though it may leave existing fans with mixed feelings due to its broader scope and diminished focus on individual connections and survival.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Frostpunk 2’s emphasis on intensity and foresight makes it a worthy sequel to the first game. While it treads well-worn paths, the game takes everything we’ve come to expect from the series and expands upon the idea in every way possible. I highly recommend the game for fans of the series. First-time players may find it too daunting but that’s all part of the Frostpunk experience.
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, while not as depressingly winter wonderland-y wonderful as its predecessor, is still as solid as ice in a pre-global warming whiteout.
All in all, 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 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.