Frostpunk 2 challenges old dogs to learn new tricks

In 2018, indie developer 11 Bit Studios released Frostpunka PC city building game with a dark twist. While most city builders allow players to forge the city of their dreams at a leisurely pace, Frostpunk forces players to make lightning-fast moral decisions that always mean the difference between life and death. It is this brutal and dark approach that started it Frostpunk Apart from the competition in 2018 and now Frostpunk 2 takes the same approach.




Set 30 years after the first game, Frostpunk 2The world is still a snowy nightmare, and it's once again up to the player to push the last remnants of humanity through the eternal winter. But seasoned Frostpunk Fans might think that they already know all the strategies and tricks to survive. Frostpunk 2 quickly shows them how wrong they are.

Frostpunk 2 wants fans to forget everything they think they know

Frostpunk 2 adopts many of the mechanics of the first game

The general gameplay loop of the original Frostpunk remains largely intact in the sequel. From the moment players start Frostpunk 2In the campaign or in Utopia Builder mode, they immediately find themselves in a never-ending state of emergency. Just like the first game, Frostpunk 2In the gameplay loop, players supply their city's heat generator with vital but scarce resources, ensure they have enough food to keep hunger at bay, and research technologies that enable these processes in the ever-changing landscape of the Let Frostlands run as efficiently as possible.


FrostpunkThe system of moral decisions returns with full force in the sequel. During the game, players are approached by a member of their unstable society and asked to make a difficult decision. These decisions often determine which faction the player joins, which in turn determines the type of society they ultimately form. The player must carefully balance the trust of each faction with the needs of the broader community, and these decisions are not taken lightly.

Every old mechanic has a new twist in Frostpunk 2

But for a long time Frostpunk Fans will recognize this gameplay loop well, Frostpunk 2 quickly pulls the rug out from under them and twists every familiar game mechanic in subtle but significant ways. For example in the first FrostpunkPlayers could simply place buildings around their central generator if there was enough space. In Frostpunk 2Players must now first build a district, expand it to ensure there is enough space for a building, and then construct the desired structure.


Another important example of these changes is Frostpunk 2's resources. In the 2018 original, players had to collect coal, wood and steel to run the generator and build buildings. Frosptunk 2 exchange these for oil, materials, finished parts, and goods, the latter being a new resource needed to satisfy the needs of the colony's survivors.

These mechanical changes are not too drastic, but they require even the most experienced Frostpunk Veterans to re-learn everything they thought they knew about the game. And while some fans will find this challenge new and exciting, others might find all the changes a bit overwhelming and perhaps even unnecessary, considering how complex the original game's systems already were.

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