Frostpunk

Played one game on the easy difficulty so far, after watching ~45mins of guides. Took me ~6 hours?

I'm coming from Civ 5 and probably have ~750 hours on that game, beating many but not all of the harder difficulties. So what does it boil down to? This game is fun. It puts you in tough spots, where you're forced to decide the fate of your kingdom. It feels brutal making choices knowing how your colony is going to suffer because of it, and doing everything to just keep it alive.

It's hard to sit down for 6 hours at a time to finish a match, but let me say I was glued to my chair, not in a healthy way either, for half a day determined to outlive the storm... So yeah.. great job dev team. 5/5.

This is the only game i've found that lets me put children to work in coal mines.
10/10 would reccomend.

game khá hay nhưng hở ra cái là điểm kỳ vọng tụt nhanh vl

Very interesting game and I love the concept, the scenarios can feel a bit rushed though I think, but overall fun. The endless mode I enjoyed a lot.

i usually hate steampunk aesthetics but this game is so good i don't care

While they do have an endless mode that lets you do whatever you want, what really sets this game apart from other city builders is the various story modes.The world in interesting, rich, and full of dangers that give you a sense of urgency and dread to figuring out the logistics of surviving in such a harsh environment.

after 100 hours to Frostpunk, and I can confidently say it's one of the most compelling and immersive city-building survival games I've ever played. The game masterfully blends challenging management mechanics with a gripping moral dilemma, all set against the harsh, unforgiving backdrop of a frozen post-apocalyptic world.

What keeps me hooked is the sense of urgency and the weight of decision-making. Every choice I make feels impactful, whether it's balancing the well-being of my citizens, managing resources, or making tough moral sacrifices. The atmospheric soundtrack and bleak yet beautiful visuals enhance the feeling of desperation and hope intertwined throughout the game.

Frostpunk is more than just a survival sim; it's a thought-provoking experience that challenges your leadership skills and ethical boundaries. The depth of gameplay, coupled with the constant tension for survival, makes each session engaging and rewarding.

If you enjoy strategic management games with a dark narrative and meaningful decisions, Frostpunk is absolutely worth your time. After spending so many hours in its icy grip, I can say it’s a masterpiece that leaves a lasting impression.

It's insane how this game can make you feel and act.
I usually do one playthrough for every game I play, I don't like going through it again even with different scenarios.
I thought I'd do the same with this game too, but I played every scenario so far including the DLCs except On the Edge (gonna start it today). It wasn't the new gameplay mechanics and features (which are amazing btw) that hooked me to every scenario. It was the unique wavelength of emotions the scenario evokes in me, and how it can change my approach ethically and philosophically to do something I never thought of doing in a previous scenario.

The atmosphere is brilliant. The game is hard, but not unfair once you have an idea of what you are doing. Curved balls keep you on your toes but successes are very rewarding. A nice twist on the city builder, I recommend to give it a try.

Loved the game, loved the stories, loved the atmosphere, loved the music, especially the part when The City Must Survive plays and everyone is freezing left and right. Absolute cinema ✋😐🤚.

Finally did a proper run and didn't give up when things were bad!

Definitely a learning curve... one I have yet to grasp BUT I really do like this game. I understandably was deposed and sent out into the cold... Hope the city of AHHHHHHH does better without me.

Gonna burden another city with my existence and hope it ends differently.

10/10 I did my best.

I honestly will say I enjoyed my time with this game, while the games difficulty can be a bit jarring its just right I would say especially for the context of the difficulty there is a harder difficulty that I wish upon only the most masochistic of people who are willing for more punishment. the hope and discontent system is very unique, only problem I have with the system is nothing special happens when you max out hope. no event, no nothing, just knowing your in a way too comfortable position, as a hopecell myself, hopemaxxing not being rewarded is sad. :(

The Lore and the gameplay is like Fine Wine, JUST MAKE SURE TO KEEP THE HEAT ON OR ELSE IT WILL FREEZE!

No room for strategy. You are forced to build your city EXACTLY how the game intends (which you only learn through trial and error, or reading exact build guides) or you will just lose over and over. There is nothing new or random about your runs, they are identical every time, and unless you knew that something was going to happen, you are doomed because you made a decision that you didn't know is going to screw you over later on. This is not a good game. I'm surprised it has so many positive reviews.

The scenarios are stressful (low resources, continous negative ppl events, continous weather degradation, you can barely catch a break if ever) even on low difficulty and I tried to play a random map and it sent me to the store. There are far more enjoyable builder games out there.

a puzzle game disguised as a city builder, superficially made hard so that "accomplishment" and "beating the game" feels good. if you don't get how the game works (there are literally "trap" upgrades, the generator range) or what the meta is, your typical first few rounds of 4 hours are already determined from your bad choices made in the first hour, and you're just clinging on to nothing and wasting your time. then you either grind it out because it's such a souls-like of a city builder, or you read guides on the internet to know what you're supposed to do and what the meta is.

An intense survival game that increases in difficulty as refugees continue to pour in.
But the crowded population is often the least of the problems, as the biggest problem is the accompanying drop in temperature how the player heats the entire city.
When there are warm workplaces, houses and enough coal at the same time, the increasing influx of refugees and the lack of food, shelter and heating will be a cycle.
Especially if someone has a whore in their head when it's over 100 degrees below zero Celsius, you'll be screaming that this game is torturing the player with its refugees.

Interesting citybuilder that borders more on puzzle-game where you have to solve how to best build a settlement, as opposed to it being more dynamic and varied - which leads to less replayability, but the different scenarios offer enough variety to keep your interest for long enough.

Frostpunk is an excellent survival and strategy game that challenges not only your management skills, but also your morality. The setting is incredibly immersive, with a dark soundtrack and art direction that perfectly conveys the despair of a frozen world. The decisions the game places in the player's hands are profound and impactful, forcing you to choose between what is right and what is necessary to keep the city alive.

Frostpunk is the kind of game you sit down to play and realize it has been 10 hours and it's now 4 am. It's on sale for 4.49 and if you are on the fence... the 5 dollars is worth it. When it isn't on sale the 29.99 is worth it too.

Very good building sim game. Difficulty is mostly on the time limit itself from the scenarios, which then makes any mistake very hard to recover from as the gameplay progress. However, the game can be learned quickly through a very few attempts. While maybe not cozy overall, a must for anyone who plays this type of game.

ok i dont really get it yet but
I Am Autistic Therefore I Must Colony Management Sim.

Woaow the game is so challenging and genius because uh geniusly it shuts down half your buildings during the storm even if they are warm and the plebs lynch you. So smart, absolute masterpiece. Play as the devs want you to or you are certified dummy

A great game to play, even if your sick. just put it to easy and chill and build.

Best city planning game I've ever played. From the game play, the atmosphere and the soundtrack are all top notch.

Amazing game, cool concept and a great twist on the city builder genre!

You can feel the cold and desperation. City must not fall!

5/5 city builder game.

I don't usually leave reviews but this game definitely deserves one. Recently recommended to me by a friend and even though I started playing this seven years after its initial release this game was way more than I was expecting.

One of the best city building games, combined with survival elements

I really liked the first game but after that it felt repetitive. I'll probably come back and play a different story than the main one in a few months when I forget what it was like to play

After devouring all scenarios, two DLCs and sinking into this world so deep my blood froze for 70ish beautiful hours, I decided to uninstall Frostpunk.

Why, you may ask? Was something wrong? Have I discovered that the game is simply not for me, after putting almost two work weeks of my time into it?

Nah. I became obsessed.

The thing is, yes, Frostpunk is a bunch of scenarios that might make you feel like you have no influence on what will eventually happen, because there can only be one, maybe two solutions in the end. It's not much of a choice and I can understand those who think that way. You have the main goal and you are going to complete it, one way or another. It might sound limiting and boring.

But the main goal is not the point.
The journey is.

And the creeping feeling of failure hanging above you every time you finish a scenario.

Because yes, you did all you could.
You achieved the main goal.
And you did well.

But you could do *BETTER*.

There are always better decisions to make, smarter laws to implement and more people to save. You can do all of it quicker, better, more effective. No one has to die and perhaps - perhaps - you'll be able to satisfy every single person in your command. Perhaps you will be the spark of hope your people so desperately need.

You start to yearn for this addictive feeling when everything just flows, perfectly planned, and everyone bows for you, the mastermind behind this prosperous, blooming society. You can almost taste your victory.

And then comes this hope devouring switch when everything goes to sh!t in 6 hours or so, and you have no idea how you could be so wrong about this try.

But next one. Next one will surely be better. Just one more try.

And so when you catch yourself restarting the same scenario over and over again just so you can make it perfect, and when another detail slips between your fingers, you realize: there is no end to it. You can never make it right.

You can only make it tolerable.

I finished the main story and it was great. The gameplay is addictive and fun.

I thoroughly appreciate scenarios (literary, game, …) where "winning" just isn't the scenario. You start having lost, and must do with that the best you can.

SNAPSHOT

A frustration simulator

OVERALL - -40 / 10

PROS

+ pretends to be a city / resource management sim

CONS

- scripted events designed to make you lose

FULL REVIEW

Every time I go back to try and play this game it gives me some new reason to uninstall. It's not that the game is difficult - it is actually deceptively simple and easy to "manage" resources once you know the basics. The issue with this game is that the only way to lose is to not know that there are scripted events explicitly meant to make you lose because you didn't know about them.

What that means is "learning" to play the game isn't about resource management whatsoever, but playing through the game until you hit one of those events and lose and have to start all over again. Hopefully the next time around you remember that a) the temperature is going to permanently drop and you better have known that the winning strategy is researching specific upgrades ASAP, and b) your city will suddenly lose 90% of hope for no reason whatsoever and you automatically fail the game because there are only a small handful of ways to explicitly bring it back up.

So, if your idea of "fun" is to lose a game only because you didn't know what scripted event was coming then this one's for you! Otherwise, stay clear of this one as you'll just end up getting frustrated at the awful design choices the devs made thinking they were making it "challenging".

Order ensures we see another dawn. To stray away from the Captain's words is to betray the city and abandon one's chances of survival. The city must survive at all costs.

It's a good game 10/10. Very challenging and will force you to do certain things, you can't save everyone and many sacrifices will be made.

Amazing and nervous management game, with very good rythm and atmosphere

Pretty cool concept, I felt like it was easy to really theater of mind it.

Bought this game awhile ago and have been meaning to play it, finally got started.

Took a bit to get used to, but I really like it so far. i enjoy the story and the management system, and find it funny that for some reason a bunch of British people are the last humans on earth? But anyway, neat game, it does have glitchy audio for me when starting up the game, but I'll get around to looking into a fix for that.

Anyway, i'll update this review when I have more playtime put in.

I recommend playing this game over many other games!

Its a fun and very challenging game. But it is BRUTALLY punishing! Especially in survivor mode. In this game. Once wrong step. Or one poorly timed miscalculation will leave you begging for mercy. This game has absolutely no tolerance for ignorance. You will fail. Many MANY times due to small mistakes that were sooo easily fixable and sooooo insignificant that it will make you feel stupid for making them. But that is what makes this game fun. As sometimes. The only way to truthly learn from your mistakes is to be kicked sooo far up your ass that you see the boot coming out of your mouth.

I put off playing this game for a while, turns out it’s one of my favorite games of all time. The theme, scenarios, stories, music and audio, one of the best experiences I’ve had in a while.

It's not a great city builder, but this is a great game. City builders usually focus on sandboxes, this one is designed around specific challenges, which makes it a novel experience for everyone.

Easy to learn, hard to master. but so worth the effort. The extra game modes actually gave me a lot of insight on how to do better in the main game. Love it all. So cold, bitter and tediously amazing

i enjoy colony sims like rimworld and oxygen not included and was excited to try out frostpunk, and while the gameplay was fun, i found the lack of QoL for basic things was disappointing. i really enjoy the laws system and the choice making aspect, but there was far too much micromanaging in the worst way for me (eg. having to switch views while turning heating on and off every individual building to see if it's even in use, having to manage children/workers/engineers between buildings, etc), and i found it difficult to navigate my own city because of how similar every building looks. the interesting gameplay is sadly buried under frustrating UI and a lack of QoL features, and the inability to mod the game leaves no fix.

Good game.
I love building the generator with the last autumn dlc, highly recommend.

Phenomenal game. The pacing keeps you on your toes, right when you think you've started to stabilize things, the game throws a wrench in the works. It's hard to put together a game where you put the player under pressure to get them to make tough decisions, but this one succeeds

Not really for me, and I love Rimworld and other colony simulators, there's just something about the lack of freedom of solutions and the ultra steep learning curve that didn't seem fun.

Game mechanics are intuitive enough that you discover everything playing, but don't expect victory on you fist attempt. The adaptive ice and snow visuals are absolutely stunning and surprisingly adaptive.

Didn't know I liked city builder survival games until this and the sequel. I played them out of order but do recommend doing it the right way. I played 50 hours in two weeks lmao idk it's good. challenging, great tongue-in-cheek social commentary (so fun to be a big bad fascist), hard but not hard to get better at, lots of replayability.

Gameplay is so immersive, I could play for hours and not notice the time pass. Absolute gem.

is fun, sometimes requires neuron activation if you don't wanna die tho