My review, this is not game for hardcore Frostpunk 1 fans

[kylix999]

This review is very important to me because I am a huge fan of the first game. I purchased the deluxe edition and participated in the beta. First of all, Frostpunk 2 can be a good game in its own right. If it were the first game in the franchise, I wouldn't have any issues with it. However, the problem is that the first game set certain expectations for many of us.

My review won't have much impact on Frostpunk 2's reception; the game is already a big success, and I am happy for 11bit Studios—they deserve it.

The first problem is the name itself. "Frostpunk 2" sets certain expectations for people who played the first game. Many people on the forum mentioned that they preordered the game without watching most of the marketing materials. For some of them, the game deviates too much from the original. In Frostpunk 2, you don't build a city; you only build districts. You don't see individual people, and so on. Of course, there is another group that thinks this is a good approach, and they have the right to their opinion as well.

I think the game should not have "2" in the title, at least. It sets the expectation for many that it will be like the first one but better, an evolution, but this game flipped the table. A better name would be "Frostpunk 1916," which would indicate that it's a game set in the same universe but is entirely different.

Another issue is that the prologue is not the best experience. Many people expressed that they felt lost and didn't know what to click or how to proceed. I don't think the developer's response to read the written tutorial accessed with the T key is a good solution. The game should have pop-ups that teach how to play. I believe 11bit will address this in the future.

For me, the biggest problem is that the game is not a city builder. It has city-builder elements like the first Frostpunk, but it feels more like a Civilization game. Heat management, placing buildings, and constructing roads are core city-builder experiences for me and many gamers. Of course, if someone likes the new mechanics, that's great, but for me, it's the biggest turn-off. However, who knows—maybe modders will expand the game and add these mechanics. In fact, I think 11bit should release modding tools for the first Frostpunk so modders can extend that game.

I think the graphics look nice and quite detailed.

To conclude, if you are a hardcore fan of the first Frostpunk and its city-building mechanics, you might be disappointed. If you enjoy games like Civilization or Urban Empire, you might like it a lot.

Also, remember that the original Frostpunk gameplay was adapted into a mobile game, so I think it was intentional to make the second game as different as possible. To me, it feels like a marketing decision. When I play Need for Speed, I expect the next Need for Speed to be a racing game as well. When I purchased Frostpunk 2, I expected the city-builder gameplay loop of the first Frostpunk but instead got a Civilization-like game. Imagine if Need for Speed fans received a car mechanic simulator as the next installment—it feels similar to that.

The game is not for me, but congratulations to 11bit. I hope Frostpunk 3 will be better. For those who enjoy Frostpunk 2, I'm happy for you, and I hope you have a great time with the game!

[skyhrg]

Yeah... honestly the game is definitely not what I expected.

I feel like core mechanics have been really dumbed down to a simple hex city builder game.

[Swaggaccino]

Idk, the demo was pretty good if given the chance to play. It's definitely different but I liked it regardless. Did people want a straight up Frostpunk 1 clone?

[JustMonika]

I would have to agree, a different name would have solved a lot of things.
This is not Frostpunk's, 'Starcraft 2 to Starcraft'
But more like, Frostpunk's Command and Conquer Renegade, to Tiberian Sun.

Same universe, quite different gaming experiences.

I'm not sure the comparisons to civilisations are warranted, beyond them both having Hexs, they have almost nothing in common. It's closer to Sim City, except instead of balancing a budget, you're balancing a few separate things. (You don't lose if you go bankrupt, you lose if you get discontented, otherwise it's the same principle.)

What it's lacking is that feeling of surviving against the now. Of constantly balancing on a knife edge.

Also the oil turned out to be seriously underwhelming. Instead of counting coal, you count... Oil.
Otherwise it's exactly the same.
And there's no danger of ever running out, the only difference is narrative and that's minor. It doesn't let you do anything better. People are not actually warmer (You can't tell how warm people are, just if your heat metric is sufficient.) You don't get any better oil technologies, just 'Heat more'.

[kylix999]

Originally posted by JustMonika:

I would have to agree, a different name would have solved a lot of things.
This is not Frostpunk's, 'Starcraft 2 to Starcraft'
.

Exactly, easy solution for all fans

[唐宋元明清]

I couldn't agree more with the author's viewpoint. While it might be a decent game, it's just not the Frostpunk 2 I had in mind.

[Mack]

I pretty much said exactly the same in my stream last night.

[Quill]

Originally posted by kylix999:

Post

I can see what you're getting at, but I suppose the thing to recognise is that there really wasn't a way to make a Frostpunk 1 styled game, with the scope of Frostpunk 2.

You're no longer a rag-tag city of a few hundred, fleeing the old world and desperately trying to survive the new one; The Great Storm is passed, it's not about surviving anymore, but thriving.

In Frostpunk 1, you never had to think in terms of crime, luxuries, natural population growth, ECT. And it simply wouldn't work to have it that way. (Can you imagine trying to cram 50,000 people into the crater of A New Home?)

It is absolutely a change from the first game, and it took some getting used too. I personally like it a lot. And I would consider myself a Hardcore FP1 fan. (Just shy of 500 hours game time, 100%'d achievements over a year ago, played about 3 days ago regardless).

...It sets the expectation for many that it will be like the first one but better, an evolution

That, to me, is exactly what Frostpunk 2 *is*. FP1 was never about the mechanics, it was about the story, the choices, the ways in which you can become a monster. Which are absolutely present in FP2. It is absolutely an evolution on the gameplay, as you're now in charge of tens of thousands rather than a few hundred. You're building a *city*, not a shelter for the apocalypse.

This may ruffle a few feathers. But frankly, with all the media; City Unbound, Beta Access videos, discussion threads, ECT. If anyone comes to this game after playing the first one and is somehow surprised by the total change in gameplay, that's on them.

[Silhouette Fleur]

Originally posted by Quill:

Originally posted by kylix999:

Post

I can see what you're getting at, but I suppose the thing to recognise is that there really wasn't a way to make a Frostpunk 1 styled game, with the scope of Frostpunk 2.

You're no longer a rag-tag city of a few hundred, fleeing the old world and desperately trying to survive the new one; The Great Storm is passed, it's not about surviving anymore, but thriving.

In Frostpunk 1, you never had to think in terms of crime, luxuries, natural population growth, ECT. And it simply wouldn't work to have it that way. (Can you imagine trying to cram 50,000 people into the crater of A New Home?)

It is absolutely a change from the first game, and it took some getting used too. I personally like it a lot. And I would consider myself a Hardcore FP1 fan. (Just shy of 500 hours game time, 100%'d achievements over a year ago, played about 3 days ago regardless).

...It sets the expectation for many that it will be like the first one but better, an evolution

That, to me, is exactly what Frostpunk 2 *is*. FP1 was never about the mechanics, it was about the story, the choices, the ways in which you can become a monster. Which are absolutely present in FP2. It is absolutely an evolution on the gameplay, as you're now in charge of tens of thousands rather than a few hundred. You're building a *city*, not a shelter for the apocalypse.

This may ruffle a few feathers. But frankly, with all the media; City Unbound, Beta Access videos, discussion threads, ECT. If anyone comes to this game after playing the first one and is somehow surprised by the total change in gameplay, that's on them.

Banished exists.
That's all FP2 had to be.

It deals with thousands of settlers, you place single buildings, and build the city up your own way.

Make the tiles semi circular instead of square or hexagon, keep the theme of building around the heater, and you get to keep that personal zoom in touch.

What about that was so hard?

Oh, minor edit.
But I will point out, many of us didn't like what we saw in the early promo content, at the time we were told "you haven't even played it yet, give it a chance", and now the reaction is "you were warned, you knew what to expect".

Like, which is it, did we know what we were getting when we saw it early, or didn't we?
Either way the criticism remains valid.

[Cenotaph]

First game was a puzzle game, not a city builder. This iteration seems to have fixed much of this issue

[kylix999]

Originally posted by Cenotaph:

First game was a puzzle game, not a city builder. This iteration seems to have fixed much of this issue

Both games have CITY BUILDER TAG on their steam page, just stop that stupid argument, check OFFICIAL STEAM PAGE for both frostpunk games

[MeltdownLou]

I have to aggree with the sentiment that this game is different than Frostpunk 1. Mechanics that were kept was the Generator and a veaguely similar hope system... that's it. They have changed everything. I have to disagree with the Idea that the game has been dumbed down because of this. The Game just launched and most people haven't finished the game yet. And even after that it will take a long while for frostpunk 1 fans to get used to frostpunk 2. however I hope that within time. Everyone will get used to this new way of playing. I wouldn't call it a evolution as the game is so different. However despite only playing for 3 hours at this point. I love the game. And can't wait to explore everything that the game has to offer!

[Naofumi~]

i will admit, the game was not what i expected. I should have payed more attention i saw the trailer and read alot about it and knew from frostpunk 1 id love the second. and to be honest im not a big fan of #2.
The tutorial is not the best and did not explain how to build things and i spent a solid 5-8 mins just figuring out how tf to frost break stuff.
the new building mechanics and system just feels worse.
To be honest i was expecting frost punk 1 but updated hevally and expanded on, not a near completely different game experience.
Props to the devs they still deserve success because i know its mostly just my preference there aught to be a lot that will enjoy the game for me though ill probably stick with #1.

[otterosch]

Mhm... I absolutely loved Civilization V AND Frostpunk 1. So this might be the right game for me haha

[Inkidu]

I have one question:

Does the game have RNG this time around or are you on the same static map like the first one?

What made me refund the first Frostpunk at time of release (I got it for free through EGS eventually anyway so I could play it, but I've not been sufficiently convinced but I'm getting head of myself) was that I realized after a few quick losses and restarts that the map never changed. The resources never changed.

I was playing a survival city-builder with no RNG elements. Well... that's not a survival city-builder; that's a puzzle game with a survival city-builder skin. With no random elements forcing the player to actually change their strategy then it just becomes a race--to quote Brian Reynolds, "Optimize the fun out the game."

So to make a long preamble short: Does this game have RNG elements or are you stuck playing the same map with the same elements every time? Because again, that will just make it a puzzle game with one correct-most solution.

[Quill]

Originally posted by Silhouette Fleur:

Banished exists.
That's all FP2 had to be.

It deals with thousands of settlers, you place single buildings, and build the city up your own way.

Make the tiles semi circular instead of square or hexagon, keep the theme of building around the heater, and you get to keep that personal zoom in touch.

What about that was so hard?

Banished but (more) icy wouldn't have worked. It didn't have a political system, nor rallys or riots to contend with. Banished was a game about a city surviving. Rather than dealing with internal struggles.