Unfortunately I can't recommend this game. I enjoyed the first one a fair bit, even though it could be tough to get a good game going. This game, though a bit prettier, dials that slap-in-the-face RNG to 11.

The music and art are good, but the change to the combat system creates such a massive difficulty curve that anyone who isn't some kind of savant, or willing to check and double-check spreadsheets and guides, is just going to fail. Worse, the weapons and encounters often stack the combat to one of three possible methods, leaving even your strongest characters completely useless in the encounter.

It's also a slog to get through, largely due to the above. It takes FOREVER to get resources in order to progress, and as soon as you go anywhere more than 10 hexes or so away from base, you're immediately set upon by enemies far out of your ability to cope with. More than 60 hours in and I still haven't seen much beyond the starting biome, and it's looking like the only way I'll get to is by taking literally my entire camp and moving them, because trying to split them is an instant death-sentence for both parties.

I can only recommend this if you enjoy clicking the 'next turn' button obsessively. Or if you're fond of games of chess where you write letters to someone in another country, wait 6 weeks for a reply, then have to interpret the different language on your own before moving a single piece.