Frostpunk 2 Review: The Ice-Cool Sequel That’s Lost Its Soul

Brace yourself, children—Frostpunk 2 is here! But this sequel? It’s a ghost of what it once was—shuffling along like a zombie, dressed up in a “cool” suit but missing the warm, beating heart underneath. If the original Frostpunk was a survival symphony that chilled your bones and tugged at your heartstrings, this one’s just got the frost, no feels.

They promised us more grit, more emotional gut punches, and that soul-crushing pressure of keeping a desperate community alive. What have we got instead? A high-strategy snoozefest that’s about as engaging as a pirate ship with no pirates. The shift from managing individual buildings to plopping down these cold, soulless districts? It’s like trading a haunted room for a corporate office building—sure, there’s more space, but where’s the atmosphere? The original game had you sweating over every decision, every protest, every sick child. But here? The only thing sweating is your index finger, from constantly clicking the fast-forward button, who has 2 hours to waste on frostbreaking antics?

Frostbreaking! It takes time…

And let’s talk about that new voting system. Yeah, democracy is cool and all, but this thing is slower than a horde of ghouls on a Sunday morning. You’d think making life-and-death decisions for your city would feel intense, right? Nope. It’s a grind that feels more like shuffling through paperwork than fighting for survival. Instead of saving your city from the brink, you’re trapped in the horror of bureaucratic hell, as if the undead are forcing you to fill out tax forms before they feast on your brains.

Now, they did try to spice things up with a few new management layers—factions, politics, and resource chains. But it never feels like it’s blended together with the rest of the game, It’s a micromanagement headache that has you clicking around in agony and despair.

To its credit, Frostpunk 2 still nails the post-apocalyptic, frozen-over vibe. The world remains a frozen wasteland, and the wind howling through the ruins feels like something straight out of a George R.R. Martin novel. But that’s just window dressing. Beneath the icy exterior, this sequel has lost the magic, the tension, and the pulse-pounding narrative that kept players on the edge of their seats in the first game.

So, is Frostpunk 2 a total disaster? No, it’s not a complete corpse. It’s got some great visuals, and it’ll still scratch that itch if you’re in the mood for a slow, strategic grind. But if you’re looking for a game that’ll grab you by the throat, throw you into the cold, and make you care about every soul in your frozen city? This one’s just a frosty ghost of the past, haunting the shadow of its predecessor. If Frostpunk was a fight for survival, Frostpunk 2 is a reminder that sometimes, bigger ain’t better, and there’s nothing scarier than a story that leaves you feeling… nothing.