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TL;DR:
Yes, I recommend the game. But I couldn’t keep my review below short because… well, I loved Frostpunk 1, and this isn’t that game. Go figure. If you are expecting the same experience as Frostpunk 1, you will be sorely disappointed. And as such, if this is you, wait for a big sale or DLC and check reviews again to see what they added to improve the current new framework.
Frostpunk 2: A Real Razor Review
If Frostpunk 1 had you agonizing over life-and-death decisions, Frostpunk 2 puts you in a different role entirely. Forget feeling that pang of guilt over sending a child to the coal mines or stretching food with sawdust. This time around, you’re all about keeping the city running and keeping the votes in your favor. Yes, if anything can make a person’s heart colder than ice, Frostpunk has an answer: politics. Welcome to the frozen world of politics, power plays, and committee negotiations.
The Shift in Focus:
Managing the last city on Earth now requires balancing resources and public opinion. Every law? A majority vote. You’ll need 51 of the 100 city council votes to get your vision greenlit, which means deals with factions, promises to political powerhouses, and even blocking rival petitions. Sometimes you make promises you can't keep. Oh, dirty politics. Instead of the grim moral checks that cost lives and made the first game so intense, you’re now playing political chess. Who do you keep happy? And who’s expendable enough to annoy? Who do you plan to keep around just enough so you can take their heatstamps (money), but you don't intend to support them in the end? Cold man... cold.
Humanity on Ice
This sequel delivers a uniquely ironic experience: as you juggle the city’s demands, you start feeling… nothing. If the developers were making a statement, they’ve nailed it: maybe the real cold isn’t in the air, but in the bureaucracy itself. Frostpunk 1 made you question your humanity; Frostpunk 2 makes you wonder if it’s even redeemable. Don’t put your trust in politicians or systems—they’re run by replaceable, temporary people. That being said, you can rig this to be a totalitarian paradise. Dive into the research paths, secure those votes, and keep the population in line until they don’t even question your judgment. Yikes—this game might just be reminding us that politicians will say anything to maintain power… and we just swallow it whole, like desperate sheep.
The Aesthetics - Bleakly Beautiful
The graphics and music are breathtaking, setting a stark yet beautiful stage for survival. But this time, the chill isn’t just in the air; it’s baked into the political atmosphere. You’re constantly reminded that you’re merely “the steward,” not the savior of the city. And every time I quietly mutter, “This city is mine,” I can almost hear Gandalf in the back of my mind: “Authority is not given to you to deny the return of the King.”
Mechanized Survival
Managing the needs of tens of thousands isn’t just about survival anymore—it’s an exercise in juggling every conceivable resource short of your own sanity. From coal, oil, food, and shelter to new additions like materials and goods (yes, now people need consumer products in the apocalypse), you’ll be navigating a maze of demands more intricate than an IKEA instruction manual. And just when you think you’ve got it covered, here come heatstamps (the new currency), crime, disease, and, of course, Squalor—the latest feature to give your city that exclusive 'dystopian resort' vibe. Nothing says luxury like pollution-induced illness!
You’ll spend half your time wondering if your industrial districts are producing enough materials, while keeping an eye on your extraction districts for coal and food districts for hothouse-grown vegetables. And then there are the Frostland teams for external exploration, guard squads to handle crime, and a workforce that dwindles every time someone catches a cold (or worse).
With so much going on, you’ll be managing these resources and more with the detached precision of a frozen accountant. Weeks fly by in seconds at max speed, and before you know it, you've built a city that’s so functionally complex, it feels more like a giant spreadsheet with frostbite. And as the resources pile up, so does the paperwork. Gone is the visceral feel of scraping by every night in Frostpunk 1—now, survival is as cold and clinical as the numbers on your screen.
The Bureaucratic Grind
To add to the bureaucratic slog, every law you want to pass requires that crucial majority vote. Each faction needs buttering up or bartering, either to support your policies or block pesky rival petitions. Decisions are no longer the heart-pounding moral dilemmas of Frostpunk 1—they’re just strategic plays on a screen. The irony is as sharp as a frozen knife: you’ve gone from a leader making life-or-death calls to a number-crunching politician just trying to keep up. Don't worry there are still life-or-death calls in Frostpunk 2.
A Cynical Reflection on Society
Frostpunk 2 feels like a biting critique of leadership, and maybe that’s the point. If Frostpunk 1 weighed down your soul with the cost of survival, this sequel leaves you in the numbing chill of politics. Here, you’re not just managing resources; you’re a steward, pandering for votes, appeasing factions, and occasionally questioning whether anyone in power truly cares. It’s a game that makes indifference feel alarmingly easy. With each passing day, you might catch yourself hoping for the King’s return. Spoiler: maybe when Jesus returns in real life, but not in this game.
Frostpunk 2 is undoubtedly beautiful, haunting, and eerily political. It doesn’t have the personal stakes of the original, but maybe it’s not meant to. The developers leave you feeling like just another cog in the cold, heartless machine—a steward, and nothing more.
Real Razor Recommendation?
Yes. Definitely. But know this isn’t Frostpunk 1. The highs aren’t as high, but the lows? Let’s just say they’re frostbite-inducing. If you were expecting Frostpunk 1, you will be disappointed. And as such, wait for a sale or DLC and check reviews again to see what they changed.
For now, I'll say well done 11 Bit Studios for what you accomplished.
Players: Enjoy the game.