Frostpunk 2 thrusts players into a future ravaged by an eternal winter. As the leader of a fledgling society, you must navigate the treacherous landscape of survival, balancing the needs of your people with the harsh realities of a frozen world. But is this icy odyssey a masterpiece of strategic depth, or a chilling disappointment?

A Society Forged in Ice

Frostpunk 2 is a single-player experience that offers a captivating blend of city-building and societal management. You’ll construct sprawling metropolises, each building serving a vital purpose. From resource gathering and power generation to housing and healthcare, every decision has far-reaching consequences. As your city grows, so too does the complexity of your challenges.

The narrative is a gripping tale of survival and sacrifice. Your choices shape the trajectory of your society, determining its fate and the well-being of its inhabitants. The moral dilemmas are as harsh as the climate, forcing you to make agonising decisions that will haunt your every move. Should you risk having your inhabitants freeze to death due to lack of resources or should you convince the elderly folk to take a no-return walk into a frozen forest to free things up? How about forcing children to work in the mines to gather more resources? Of course, that brings up the issue of child labour and future health issues, not to mention to immense danger associated with mining in general, let alone when carried out by very young children, but there are no “good” options. There is either “bad”, “less bad” or “worst”.

This may make it sound as if Frostpunk 2 is a near-impossible game to play, but that’s not the case at all. In fact, such drastic decisions only draw you in deeper, making you question not only your actions, but your own moral compass. It’s safe to say that at the end of each completed Frostpunk 2 run, you will certainly learn things about yourself that might just surprise you!

It’s decisions like these that you will have to make on a frequent basis, and regardless of what you do, you’re bound to upset at least one faction within the world of Frostpunk 2! Passing new laws, revoking old ones, handing favours out, calling in favours, and all other manner of unpleasant-but-necessary actions will need to be taken to ensure that at least some of your inhabitants will survive.

Whiteouts account for large, sweeping changes in your leader’s personal narrative. They last for a long time, where temperatures drop to the lowest they could possibly be, causing everything as you know it to crumble (or freeze, rather) harder than ever before. Plans that you had put in place that seemed to be working have now been scuppered, and it’s up to you to decide what to do next. You can speak with the citizens via representatives from each faction, and make decisions based on any intel that you can gather, but the underlying reality is that no matter what you do, at least some people will die.

Beneath the Ice

Frostpunk 2′s core mechanics are a masterclass in strategic depth. The resource management system is intricate, requiring careful planning and allocation. Balancing the needs of your people, such as food, heat, and hope, is a constant challenge. The introduction of factions adds a layer of political intrigue, as you must navigate the competing interests of various groups within your society. Working in favour of one faction will undoubtedly damage your reputation with others.

In order to access resources, you typically have to perform what is aptly called frostbreaking. Initially, almost all resources are buried beneath a layer (or layers) of permafrost (permanent frost). That means that the surface frost and ice will never melt away – it’s permanent. As such, to reach said resources requires the frost to be broken. You order certain resources to be frostbroken, and once complete, you are able to construct buildings which extract said resources. From there, it is up to you to store the resources appropriately and safely, and to also consider how to get the immense furnace working in order to provide some heat. You are also required to construct accommodation for your citizens, and it’s up to you to work out where the best places would be. The natural instinct is to build every accommodation type close to the furnace as it will provide warmth and keep your citizens away from the harsh cold. However, doing this will cause other problems, such as causing citizens to be located too far away from precious resources that they need in order to survive.

One clever mechanic is the ability to share heat between neighbouring accommodations. This means that you could, theoretically, place several accommodations in a line, each one sharing a border with the previous one, and have them share some of their heat with one another. Whatever you do, there is no wrong decision – just your decision. In addition to that, the way things play out often force you to immediately change tactics based on what is happening in real-time, and these happen in the form of world events. One such world event is whiteouts, which cause mass devastation to infrastructure, resource-gathering and also human life. As such, you will need to think on your feet and make the necessary changes to ensure the survival of as much of your population as you can manage.

Frostpunk 2 follows a linear timeline, which allows you to determine when things might occur based on predictions in the form of data.

Some parts of Frostpunk 2 can feel quite tedious at times, as there doesn’t appear to be much variety. It’s possible to speed time up to three different speeds, as well as the option to pause time entirely should you want to. However, despite this, there were times where gameplay felt a little repetitive, before something unexpected happened, such as a world event or an uprising, and then the pace changed completely for a short time before slowing back down again. The pacing is indeed deliberate, allowing you to savour each decision, but the long-term strategic planning can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially when faced with unexpected crises.

A Frozen Canvas

Visually, Frostpunk 2 is absolutely stunning. The desolate landscapes, blanketed in snow and ice, are both breath-taking and haunting. The attention to detail in the city-building is impressive, with each structure contributing to the overall aesthetic. Character artwork is exquisite, with each person’s portrait represented in incredible detail.

The soundtrack is equally impressive, providing a chilling (get it?) atmosphere that perfectly complements the gameplay. Machinery has deep, powerful whirring engine sounds, and the sound of icy winds blowing through the sky sets the atmosphere perfectly. Deep bass sounds are constantly audible, accompanied occasionally by what sounds like trombone blasts, whilst the slow, deliberate background music plays almost unnoticeably in the background, setting the atmosphere further.

A Lasting Chill

Frostpunk 2 offers significant replay value. There are multiple difficulty levels to choose from, as well as diverse scenarios, and randomised events which ensure that no two playthroughs are the same. The branching narrative and multiple endings provide ample incentive to explore different strategies and choices.

Conclusion

Frostpunk 2 is hugely demanding, but this isn’t a bad thing. With huge demand comes huge reward, and Frostpunk 2 is certainly a rewarding experience if played well. It offers a unique blend of city-building, survival, and moral dilemmas. There are random events to deal with as well as several variables that can be set before each game, meaning that you will have a different experience every time. While the steep learning curve and complex systems may deter some players, those who persevere will be rewarded with a truly unforgettable gaming experience.

Grade: 8/10