Frostpunk 2 Is an Ambitious, More Brutal Sequel [Preview]

Released more than five years ago, 11 Bit Studios’ ice-cold society survival game sent players into an apocalyptic snowstorm and left them to fend for themselves. That meant managing its people under pressure and making choices that could mean the difference between survival and the house of cards toppling in on itself. Those who survived the harsh winter Frostpunk introduced were given the chance to live and see another day – but what comes next? 11 Bit hopes to answer that question with Frostpunk 2.

Before today, the team behind the cruel sequel had kept most of its plans under wraps. However, we do know that it takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic events of the first game saw the world ravaged by winter weather. Although it looks like the elements still pose a threat to those who survived, it sounds like survivors are now interested in rebuilding civilization instead of just trying to get by. That said, 11 Bit has warned that society and progress can be fragile, teasing that its civilization-building universe will be just as brutal – if not more so – in Frostpunk 2.

The Escapist recently had the opportunity to see a first glimpse of the sequel’s gameplay. Our hands-off demo consisted of around 40 minutes of footage, and it gave me the confidence that the team is heading in an exciting and promising new direction.

Where Frostpunk 2 Begins Reveals Its Massive Scope

11 Bit has one question driving it through the development of Frostpunk 2: What is a meaningful way to follow up the original game? The developers want to explore what happens after you survive the apocalypse. What do survivors do now that the door to opportunity is open once again? The answer seems to have created an experience with a wider scope as humanity’s ambitions lead to larger cities with new problems to tackle. That means the camera has been pulled really, really far back, giving players a much broader lens to look at the world.

Specifically, the demo I saw began with a location that was roughly the size of a town you would have ended the original Frostpunk with. That same city quickly expanded to swallow the cold frontiers that once nearly ended the human race. Before too long, the starting city became the center of a bustling metropolis that was surrounded by unique Districts. Districts essentially serve as a base layer addition to the city that players can modify with buildings, so you’ll still have the freedom to create your civilization as you see fit just as you did with the original experience.

How Frostpunk 2 Approaches Choices

While you’ll still have to live and die by your choices in Frostpunk 2, these are some major changes for returning players. 11 Bit definitely seems interested in maintaining that core experience while delivering something completely new, too. Thankfully, it’s learned some lessons in the last few years that will help freshen up what fans love about Frostpunk without completely leaving its unique setup behind.

“On the creative side what stuck with us (from Frostpunk) is that this mix of strategy-survival gameplay with strong narrative worked really well,” Frostpunk 2 co-director and design director Jakub Stokalski said during an interview with The Escapist. “We think down this road lies something very special, something unique to games. We aim to explore this road further.”

Stokalski continued by explaining how 11 Bit is using the opportunity brought forth by a sequel to address fan desires for open-ended modes. He says the team wanted to “scratch that itch from the very beginning while still maintaining our narrative twist” on the city-building gameplay.

“Addressing this was one of the core ambitions when we set out to make the sequel, even to the point where we started the whole development from the angle of building our own twist on a sandbox mode you’d normally expect from large-scale strategy games,” Stokalski added. “It was not our goal to replicate these modes one-to-one. As I mentioned, we strongly believe a narrative heart is beating firmly at the center of what makes Frostpunk unique. But expanding the breadth of both gameplay and narrative, to allow for more replayability and player-made strategies was definitely one of our core objectives.”

The people of your civilization will be the blood that keeps the heart of your city pumping, and they’re an unfortunately problematic bunch. For example, you’ll run into different factions that have their own views on how your Frostpunk 2 civilization should operate. Two examples of these factions are the Engineers and Foragers. When faced with the need for more food, the former might push to build a chemical process that can enrich the soil, while the latter distrusts technology and wants to use human waste as fertilizer instead. Both options come with their own advantages and disadvantages, and it’s up to you to follow a path and adapt to the consequences that arise from your decisions.

Additionally, if you, for example, side with the Foragers in Frostpunk 2, you might upset the Engineers. From there, you could potentially manage the upset faction’s attitudes by incorporating their ideas into future projects. However, as one problem is dealt with, another will almost surely arise, as it seems like you’ll always be balancing the thoughts and opinions of your people. If the scales tip too far in one direction, a faction might gain prominence and fight against your rule. As it turns out, living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland that is still covered with a thick blanket of snow can produce a pretty volatile environment.

Although Frostpunk 2 is meant to be a challenging city-building experience, it’s made in a way that allows players to escape failure if they adapt. If you listen closely enough to your citizens and work to improve their lives, your new world might just find success. One moment from the demo focused on an NPC named Newton Wolfe, a child working at a biowaste plant. He’s, understandably, feeling ill from his work, and it sounds like he’s not alone. You can work to mitigate the damage done by an unsafe work environment, but even your decisions here will have consequences, too.

“It’s definitely still meant to be difficult,” Stokalski said. “However, it is a slightly different game. We hope that difficulty will not stem purely from doing build orders right on time but from questions and challenges to your worldview and beliefs.”

The Sequel Introduces a New Council Mechanic

Where Frostpunk took place over days and weeks, Frostpunk 2’s increased scale means a playthrough will instead travel through months and years. As your city grows into the utopia – or dystopia – you’ve designed, you’ll be introduced to the new Council mechanic. It’s here that you’ll work with your people to examine and maybe even pass laws, with some outcomes, for example, promising increased population and worker numbers. As you might’ve guessed, you might find yourself with a really juicy option that you can’t get passed because you lack the support from your delegates.

Some of Frostpunk 2’s most intriguing systems lay here, as, depending on your influence, you’ll have several options to help push for the society of your dreams. Negotiations can allow you to offer promises like food relief to win over more support in the Council. If you push hard enough, you might get what you want, but at what cost? Unrealistic promises can snowball quickly, and if you’re not careful, you might just find yourself in a worse position than when you started.

11 Bit rounded out its Frostpunk 2 presentation by giving us a taste of two other factions: the Icebloods and Technocrats. As the developers looked to real-world ideologies when creating its factions, I was eager to learn more about how these groups blend and interact with the others we had already seen and maybe even more. I want to know how the different Districts can synergize with each other to create more efficient societies. I feel like so little of what Frostpunk 2 has tucked away, and I’m on the edge of my seat to see if 11 Bit can pull it all off.

Frostpunk 2 is set to launch sometime in 2024.

If you’re looking for more on the game, check out our coverage of Frostpunk 2 so far.