Frostpunk 2: A Chilling Evolution – Same Brutal Difficulty, New Gameplay Twists

Set in the fictional era of the 19th century industrial revolution, the 11-bit studio recently launched the survival management game “Frostpunk 2” (Frostpunk 2; also translated as The Age of Ice and Steam). Just like in the previous game, 6 years later, this time too players will have to play the role of a leader, guiding people through extreme climates and fighting to survive in the ice and snow.

Although the theme is the same, getting people to survive in the ice and snow, and the general concept is similar, we also have to build, fight the cold and deal with various social issues, but the overall gameplay is quite different from the previous game. It can even be said to be completely different.

In the previous game “FrostPunk”, players started with dozens of people, relying on thermal energy towers to dissipate heat, which spread out in a living circle with the tower at the center. All the actions are centered on the tower. We have to construct the buildings one by one in a circle centered on the tower and assign people different jobs to survive extreme and abnormal weather conditions.

The 11-bit development team added temperature and heat tower settings to traditional strategy games to create truly unique new gameplay, which also became a learning object for many subsequent games. Some fake mobile game ads also use the same concept.

Same logic but different gameplay

Even though it created highly recognizable classic gameplay, 11-bit didn’t stop there and boldly changed many systems in the sequel “Frozen Punk 2”. The core concept of the game is still about surviving in ice and snow, and it has a main heating system. However, the previous thermal energy tower setup is abandoned here. The main heating system also cancels the energy distance limit and simply provides the temperature for the entire city.

In “Frozen Punk 2”, the map design was changed to a hexagonal grid similar to “Civil Empire”. Players no longer construct buildings one by one, but instead divide them into residential areas, food areas, mining areas, industrial and logistics areas. areas, people will automatically take corresponding actions in these areas

How to plan each area to reach a balance of payments is the first problem this game will encounter. The operation of these areas involves many supply and demand considerations. The map of this game is made up of a hex grid you need to first “break the ice” to unlock the grid, then in the grid setting area after the ice is broken, each area will be made up of 6 adjacent grids.

The division of areas is just the basis. The most complicated part of this generation is the distribution, adjacency and regulation of the function of each area. For example, once a residential area is built, it can provide housing for the city. Only when everyone has a home to live in can the number of frostbite cases be effectively reduced. And residential areas need thermal energy to maintain themselves.

For example, under baseline conditions, a residential area will consume 40 heat sources. This heat source will be taken directly from the central heater. However, assuming that 3 of the 6 cells of this residential area are covered by the windshield, the thermal energy demand can be reduced by 20 points. If there are 3 blocks adjacent to other residential areas it is also possible to reduce the thermal energy demand by 20 points.

As long as the two conditions are met simultaneously, it means that this residential area does not consume thermal energy at all and can be self-sufficient without the need for central heating. Furthermore, if a residential area is close to a mining or industrial area, it can also obtain thermal energy. However, the disorder or disease index will also increase accordingly. Even whether it is worth it or not to consider.

As can be seen from the above, compared to the previous game, which had to constantly send personnel and change facilities, this game’s focus is on area planning and setting up area development. Just like in a strategy game, each block must be planned from the beginning of the icebreaking operation to maximize effectiveness and save resource consumption.

From tribal control to urban management

Although it has not yet reached the scale of “Civilized Empire”, from the gameplay changes we can also see the reform of the system of “Frozen Punk 2” and the general tonal gap between “Frozen Punk 2” and its predecessor. In the past, players were like a village leader, starting with dozens of people and slowly growing to around 500 people by the end, which is almost the size of a small town.

But in “Frozen Punk 2,” the number of people starts at 3,000 or 5,000 at the beginning, and often exceeds 50,000 in the later stages of the game. You may have to manage two or three areas at the same time, in addition to the player’s, the operator status immediately increases a lot, the management level is also completely different, but it leads people to survive from a more macro perspective.

Wherever there are people, there will be disputes. In addition to city management, factions will also be a very important element this time. In the previous game “FrostPunk”, people had two attributes: hope and dissatisfaction. In “Frozen Punk 2,” they were changed to “faction” and “trust.”

Somewhat similar to the concept of political parties, this time the people you lead will be divided into different factions. Each faction has different ideas, identities and actions, and any technology or idea you research, or any bill you pass, will hardly never satisfy your needs. For each faction, the final bill may also have to consider changes due to people’s reaction.

For example, in the plot, the player takes the position of the former captain and begins to manage the entire city, and the “loyal party” is a believer loyal to the former captain. They believe in discipline, dominance and efficiency, so those high-efficiency mining methods that cause pollution, or policy directions such as implementing child apprenticeships (to put it bluntly, child labor) can increase their support.

However, the other group of “Pilgrims” is a faction that embraces nature and tradition. They prefer to coexist with nature and many concepts will conflict with the Loyalist Party. As a manager, the player must frequently maintain “Qiao” relationships to maintain support from all factions.

Because this time the bill is no longer signed as soon as it is signed, I am short of workers, so all the little ones come to me to do the work. I want everyone to have medical organs to use after people die the remaining organs will be cut up and used as fertilizer. In previous work, this could cause people. All counterproductive but practical bills in “Frozen Punk 2” must be voted on by parliament before they can be implemented.

If the probability of passage is low, players can also increase their vote share through persuasion and giving interest to parties willing to negotiate. Whether you follow through on your promises (approve the invoice requested by the other party, develop the technology you like, build designated buildings, sponsor the other party, etc.) will also affect the party’s trust.

Almost different gameplay, but still maintains a high level of difficulty

The overall difficulty of the previous game “FrostPunk” is quite high. Players usually have to replay the game several times before becoming familiar with the system and how to handle events, and then they can play safely.

The sequel “Frozen Punk 2” can choose between 4 difficulty levels at the start, but even the easiest mode requires multiple attempts or loading to successfully complete the game. It can be said that it is completely inherited from the previous game in terms of difficulty.

However, whether the changes and reforms of the various systems of the first and second generations are acceptable to veteran players probably comes down to personal preference.

The previous game will have RTS-like control, requiring manual control of many details. You will also be able to see people walking around. You will feel that you are really leading a tribe and following people to survive the final snowstorm. That scene is heartfelt and touching.

However, the sequel “Frozen Punk 2” really has a cold look and you will hardly notice the existence of the “people”.

As the number of people increases significantly, most of the time it is more like playing “Sim City”: you manage each administrative district, listen to the opinions of parties, deal with the issues of team leaders and environmental groups, try to avoid disasters natural resources, and adjust various resource controls… When a snowstorm hits, what you’re interested in is whether there’s enough heat and whether food is dwindling at a rapid rate, rather than forcing workers home to avoid the winter, rather than worrying about babies crying during ice and snow-related events.

It’s not just the gameplay that’s different: “The death of one person is a tragedy, but the death of a million people is just a number.”

This does not mean that “Frozen Punk 2” is not a fun game. Although the gameplay is very different and the emotional temperature is also different, from the point of view of a strategic game, there is still a lot of variability in the levels of challenges. For players who love strategy games and those who like to overcome difficulties with careful planning, this game is definitely worth playing again and again. The story and sandbox mode are both a lot of fun.

After all, in a gaming market that is filled with various revamped mobile games and 56, 78 sequels after each successful system, 11 bit took 6 years maintaining the same concept and tone to develop. How can you not respect this “sequel” with its unique gameplay focus?

Developed by 11 bit studios, the sequel to the steampunk-themed strategy game “FrostPunk 2” (also translated as Ice Age) is now available on PC Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series of NT$670.