Summary
Frostpunk 2is one of 2024’s most anticipated titles and continues to show the increasing popularity of survival games.Frostpunk 2is a city-building survival game developed and published by 11 Bit Studios that sees players taking on a management role for a city amid a volcanic winter and ensuring the city thrives and its people survive. Ahead ofFrostpunk 2’s release, another city-building game has burst onto the scene,Manor Lords, which functions similarly in some ways toFrostpunk 2and differently in others.
Manor Lordsis a medieval city-building game by Slavic Magic and Hooded Horse currently in early access. Despite being an indie title in early access,Manor Lordshas amassed a significant following and continues to garner positive reception from the large majority of players. Those currently enjoyingManor Lordsmay need to keep an eye onFrostpunk 2ahead of its July 25 release date, as the two games actually have more in common than it may initially seem, in spite of their starkly different settings. At the same time,Frostpunk 2andManor Lordshave very different emphases, making them both fairly distinct from one another.
Frostpunk 2 and Manor Lords Are City-Builders With Different Goals
How Frostpunk 2 and Manor Lords Compare in Their Approach to City-Building and Survival
Frostpunk 2andManor Lordsmay both be city-builders, but that doesn’t mean they approach it in the same way.InManor Lords, players can essentially build their cityfrom the ground up and place buildings wherever they wish.Frostpunk 2, on the other hand, gives players the city of New London to start with, a circular city in the middle of a snowy wasteland from which they can build entire city districts, all branching out from the inner circle.
Frostpunk 2is also a bit more strict when it comes to its survival mechanics, being that it is technically a survival game. A core focus ofFrostpunk 2is ensuring the citizens of New London not only have enough food, fuel, and shelter to survive, but also are protected from the cold at all costs.Manor Lordsapproaches survivalsomewhat similarly, only perhaps less strictly. InManor Lords, players are still required to ensure their people have enough food and fuel to survive, but they don’t have the harsh cold of a volcanic winter to deal with.
How Frostpunk 2 and Manor Lords Compare in Their Approach to Politics
BothFrostpunk 2andManor Lordsemphasize politics but in different ways. It could be argued that there is less of an emphasis on politics inManor Lordsthan there is inFrostpunk 2, but the emphasis is there in both of them nonetheless.InManor Lords, players are tasked with conquering enemy landsvia combat similar to most RTS games, and are even given an overarching antagonist, the Baron, to conquer. Alongside building up their city, players will spend their time inManor Lordstaking over the map using the armies they assemble.
UnlikeManor Lords,Frostpunk 2’s politicsdo not involve combat. Instead,Frostpunk 2’s politics are driven by its unique Council system, which allows players to form and pass laws, so long as the factions in the Council approve of them. There are three factions at the beginning of aFrostpunk 2game and more may even form later as players progress. This is ultimately the heartbeat ofFrostpunk 2: making strategic decisions that will ultimately benefit New London.
Frostpunk 2andManor Lordsmay be similar in the most fundamental ways, but their emphases are drastically different from one another.Manor Lordsemphasizes city-buildingand combat, whereasFrostpunk 2emphasizes survival and politics. Even so,Manor Lordsshould consider givingFrostpunk 2a go once it releases in July.
Frostpunk 2
WHERE TO PLAY
The game takes place 30 years after the apocalyptic blizzard that has taken place in Frostpunk. Earth is still overwhelmed by the neverending frost and harsh, icy climate. You play as the leader of a resource-hungry metropolis where expansion and internal conflicts are an unavoidable reality. It’s up to you to make decisions about your City’s future and face their consequences.In Frostpunk 2 you’re able to build your City on a new scale by creating entire districts with different purposes. Make sure that all parts of the City work well together as well as research technologies that will set the direction for your citizens’ progress.THE CITY MUST NOT FALL “Frostpunk 2 is still a game about the City and its society,” states Jakub Stokalski, game Co-Director and Design Director at 11 bit studios. “But inner turmoils, sparked by rising social differences, mean that players will be facing new kinds of threats. We use a post-apocalyptic setup to tell a meaningful story about human ambition. Because ultimately, what can end us is not nature itself – it’s human nature.”NAVIGATE BETWEEN FACTIONS AS A STEWARD As the City grows, creating and passing new laws becomes a more complex matter. The people slowly divide into factions with different, often contradictory visions of the future. The Council is a place where these ideas clash, sometimes violently. It’s your role as a Steward to ensure that the city will not fall because of those conflicts. Manage emerging crises while at the same time steering humanity towards a new destiny.
