I think Frostpunk 2 is a good sequel. As other reviews have pointed out, it is a departure from the zoomed-in, up-close, and personal nature of Frostpunk 1, but I think that people overlook that Frostpunk 1 really did everything it could do with its mechanics. The game straight-up states this during its introduction cinematic: we survived the end of the world -- now what?.

I see that some people are lamenting the loss of fine control, like being able to place specific buildings down, road networks, that kind of thing. In all honesty, with the scale that Frostpunk 2 is trying to achieve (tens of thousands of people instead of hundreds), things like laying down roads stuff would just be tedious busy-work.

I do agree that there's UI issues that need to be patched, like not being able to see what law you're replacing and reminders on if repealing a law will upset a given faction because you promised it a few hours of gameplay time before. I'd also like to see more UI information about how much 'expanding a district' actually affects production numbers, or how many workers I'll free up by placing a hub that reduces the amount of workers needed for a district. Without that, it's kind of a guessing game as to how much you need to expand a district (when it should really be an informed choice).

Still, the delicate management of resources still feels tense and engaging. I've teetered on the edge of starvation, I've battled squalor and crime and managed to pull through. I've lost thousands of people to the cold when I took too many in and didn't have enough Housing and Goods to supply them all.

In summary, I think all the bones of a great experience are here, and they just need a little shoring up.

I think Frostpunk 2 is a good sequel. As other reviews have pointed out, it is a departure from the zoomed-in, up-close, and personal nature of Frostpunk 1, but I think that people overlook that Frostpunk 1 really did everything it could do with its mechanics. The game straight-up states this during its introduction cinematic: [i]we survived the end of the world -- now what?[/i]. I see that some people are lamenting the loss of fine control, like being able to place specific buildings down, road networks, that kind of thing. In all honesty, with the scale that Frostpunk 2 is trying to achieve (tens of thousands of people instead of hundreds), things like laying down roads stuff would just be tedious busy-work. I do agree that there's UI issues that need to be patched, like not being able to see what law you're replacing and reminders on if repealing a law will upset a given faction because you promised it a few hours of gameplay time before. I'd also like to see more UI information about how much 'expanding a district' actually affects production numbers, or how many workers I'll free up by placing a hub that reduces the amount of workers needed for a district. Without that, it's kind of a guessing game as to how much you need to expand a district (when it should really be an informed choice). Still, the delicate management of resources still feels tense and engaging. I've teetered on the edge of starvation, I've battled squalor and crime and managed to pull through. I've lost thousands of people to the cold when I took too many in and didn't have enough Housing and Goods to supply them all. In summary, I think all the bones of a great experience are here, and they just need a little shoring up.