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"but is it all worth it?"this sentence is a rhetorical question set in some of the endings of the post-apocalyptic city-building game "frostpunk".

frostpunk is a post-apocalyptic city-building game, where players need to lead hundreds of people to build a complete stronghold to withstand a blizzard at -150°c. because the group of people you lead often ask for this and that, it was nicknamed "the troublemaker simulator" when it was first released.

after noticing the details of the game, it’s actually quite a reversal

this rhetorical question of "frostpunk" has been surrounding the game for the six years since its release, bringing it countless controversies and polarizing its domestic reviews.

in fact, part of the reason is that when chinese people play city-building games, they are more focused on "growing vegetables". before the sense of accomplishment of resisting the blizzard has dissipated, they are caught off guard by this rhetorical question, which inevitably makes them feel a little disconnected.

the more controversial a game is, the more its ratings will fluctuate. but what’s interesting is that although countless people on social media are disgusted by frostpunk’s rhetorical question, on steam, it is still one of the best city-building games of the 2010s, and its praise rate is still above 90% to this day.

i have never concealed my love for this game, so after the developer 11bit announced the pre-sale of the sequel in the first half of the year, i immediately bought the deluxe edition of frostpunk 2 and participated in the trial in april.

today the game is finally officially released, and i finally have the opportunity to talk to you all about "frostpunk 2", which has been anticipated for several years, and the many controversies surrounding "frostpunk".

since i have chosen to talk to you all on the release day, i naturally have to start with "frostpunk 2".

the story of frostpunk 2 is set 30 years after new london survived the white curtain.archonafter his death, the player takes on the role of the newly appointed governor, commanding a population that is several times larger than the previous new london.

compared to traditional sequels that continue the story in the same world view and have slight breakthroughs in gameplay, "frostpunk 2" cannot be considered a sequel in the traditional sense, because its changes in gameplay are subversive.

"frostpunk" is a very excellent city-building game. it combines city construction with the game background very cleverly, giving players a strong sense of immersion.as one building after another falls around the energy tower in the city center, you can feel very intuitively that a doomsday camp is gradually gaining a foothold.

in frostpunk 2,this immersive architectural style has been largely simplified, turning it into different areas divided by function.players must first break the frost to open up a snowy plain where they can settle down, and then tick off 6 construction areas at once.

the technology tree system is retained. after having a research institute, you can choose different technologies to research, and the buildings researched can be placed in the corresponding area to further increase production capacity.

in addition, each area can be expanded once, and the expansion will also bring a new building slot to the area.

unlike the previous game, frostpunk 2 no longer places unlimited resource points for players to squander on the initial map. the initial core heating resource coal mines are further compressed. players have to set up logistics departments on the periphery of the map and start exploring the vast snowfield as soon as possible.

during the exploration of frostpunk 2, players can not only find resource points that can supply the city's development and provide survivors for the population, but also find resource points that contain unlimited energy.after finding colonies, the most core functional resource changed from limited coal mines to almost unlimited oil that could be seized from the colonies.

oil is the core of frostpunk 2. it not only maintains the relationship between the colonies and new london, but more importantly, with oil, everyone can live warmer, eat more, and sit at the same table with the consul.

i wonder how many people still remember the plot of the previous game. in frostpunk, players need to face the "london gang" that split the city. this group of people is witnessing the winter home.(the largest site in the game)after the destruction, the villains planned to abandon new london and walk back to london.

in order to deal with the london gang that is dividing the city and preventing everyone from working properly, and at the same time to give more people motivation to persevere, players need to choose a branch from "order" and "faith", and sign several decrees to urge residents to stop being misled by the london gang and do their part for the current city.

"order" or "faith" represents authoritarianism and religion, two different ways of solving problems. this is the core of "frostpunk", but in the eyes of many players, choosing this type of subject matter without the mainstream democratic politics of the west will inevitably make people feel that something is missing.

to make up for this,"frostpunk 2" not only divides the game into four factions with different views, but also sets up a special parliament to discuss bills.with a representative democratic parliament, decrees can no longer be signed directly. as a consul, you can only propose them in parliament, and whether they can be passed is up to the representatives.

as an aside, although there are four factions with different views in frostpunk 2, they are actually two fence-sitters and two radical factions with different views. at the beginning of the game, they are not extreme and will not cause any malicious incidents.

although you cannot sign decrees directly, you can do a lot of small things in secret, such as making promises to neutral and wavering factions to research technologies that suit their preferences, or giving them the right to propose once, using your own resources in exchange for their support, and influencing the outcome of the parliament according to your wishes.

the rest of the process is simple. the small part is to accumulate resources and develop technology, and the big part is to compete with each other in parliament, constantly mediate between the four factions, and maintain a close but distant relationship... and continue to advance the game until they fall out over the last issue in new london.

※spoiler warning

frostpunk 2 finally returns to its faithful winter home.

after exploring winter house again, you as the archon will be faced with a choice: either completely destroy winter house and use the collected materials to further advance technology; or choose to colonize winter house and use it as the first step for new london to completely conquer the snowfield.

your choice is not important. what is important is that no matter what you choose, the two radicals in the family will turn against you and carry out the assassination based on your choice, turning the parliament into a crime scene.

this time, you don’t have to think about “order” or “faith”. this time, you really have to solve the problem. players need to face the three most direct choices:

① expel all the murderers and their forces. the first person to take action deserves it.

② is to find ways to make the two forces shake hands and make peace, you need to meet their various conditions

③ become the supreme leader, the boss of the parliament, and suppress with force

different choices correspond to different endings.everyone has been busy for so long, and i will not go into the specific ending here.

in short, seeing the black background of domination, most people guessed that 11bit would launch another round of "moral torture" this time, but this is not important. players have been busy for so long, and everyone has the right to make their own choices. there is no absolute good or bad.

developed frostpunk11 bit studiosonce ridiculed as"the gaming company that is most capable of moral questioning"。

they have successively developed this war of mine, frostpunk, and now frostpunk 2. in these works, 11bit has more or less buried the "moral torture" content in the game, and the way of presentation and the effect of performance have produced certain differences.

in this war of mine, players will play the role of a civilian in a war disaster, trying to help several protagonists overcome difficulties. you can choose to rob others' supplies, or you can choose to give as much as possible, and the feedback will be intuitively reflected in the character's mood.

in frostpunk, the player plays the role of a governor who issues decrees. your decrees will directly affect the lives of the people. sometimes they will pop up in front of you in the form of a pop-up window, giving you a chance to make a decision. but sometimes, they just pop up to notify you.

in frostpunk 2, in this slightly different sequel, you can also see the same expression. but because of the parliament, unlike the previous tribe, they will actively seek changes from players based on their own experiences.

the player’s choice will directly affect the characters in the game. obviously, 11bit does not want the npcs in the game to be just npcs, and does not want everyone working in the game to have game resources that can be replaced by numbers.

in this war of mine, the limited number of characters and sufficiently intuitive feedback allow the ideas hidden in the game to be well expressed.players will be moved by the traces left by the characters and make some not-so-efficient decisions for them.

in frostpunk, they wanted to use a similar approach, but perhaps because of the special nature of city-building games, the extreme game background, the overly complex and unimaginative characters, the content presented was not direct enough, misunderstandings were rampant, and controversies arose.

if you observe the game, you will find that "frostpunk" is not a so-called "troublemaker simulator". they can also show the brilliance of human nature in extreme situations. and if you are willing to click on the buildings when building the city, you will also find that they have given names to everyone.

there are several different endings for frostpunk, and depending on the ending, there will be different conclusions.in fact, only a few bills at the end can directly affect the outcome.

in the order line, there are pledge of allegiance, persuasion by force, and new order.

the oath of allegiance is to select secret informants from the public and have them sign a pledge of allegiance to the leader, either voluntarily or by force. persuasion by force is to directly attack prisoners who are reflecting in prison, risking their lives in exchange for accelerating their return to society. the final new order is to completely negate the old order and ideas.(leader)the voice is that the law represents absolute correctness, and anyone who objects will be regarded as a traitor and purged, and obedience becomes a virtue.

on the opposite side of the order line, the design of the faith line is almost the same. here is the suppression of order, and there is the fanaticism of faith. those who do not recognize it will be branded as pagans, and the remnants of old ideas will be burned.

these bills will not directly change people's living environment, but will strengthen your rule as the governor.

at the end, you no longer need to consider the voices of the people, whether they are hungry or cold, dissatisfied or hopeful, it doesn't matter anymore. the people will become pure game resources, and they will face a blizzard of -150° under your protection.

but that’s not all.

in fact, frostpunk asks more than just "but is it really worth it?" after a long period of famine, hungry citizens will crawl to the snow pits in the suburbs, where there are dead bodies. they will carry the bodies back and use them to feed themselves in the ice and snow. if the governor chooses to turn a blind eye when he is caught, he can quickly sign a new bill to codify cannibalism.

and if you agree and choose this bill, which is enough to make people shudder just by reading it out loud, then after the city has survived a blizzard with temperatures as low as -150 degrees celsius, the question that will be reflected is no longer "is it really worth it?" but“is this city worth it?”

the city did survive, but did it deserve it?in more extreme cases, it may be easier to see the thoughts hidden in 11bit's frostpunk.

everyone has their own understanding. the gaming process is personal, and the gaming experience is also personal. of course, you may think that there is nothing wrong with this. after all, it is not a bad idea to use all possible means at the end of the world. but will anyone really be touched by this and think back on whether it is worth it?

in this regard, "frostpunk 2" has a consistent core expression.

natural disasters are no longer the most terrible problem. through expansion, we have inexhaustible resources, and in the face of the final and most intense faction conflict, your attitude will undoubtedly give the city an answer.

you can choose to send the radicals away, or become a leader and suppress them with force, or you can choose to sit back, and they will lead the city to different endings.

as for the characters that represent different endings… 11bit has probably learned its lesson and brought out a character that can trigger your 700-week reign.

at the end of the game, a girl will appear and her name is "lily mae".you may have no idea who she is or where she came from, but note that she is only 14 years old, which "coincides" with your 700-week reign.

the moment the game ignites the furnace, the game will trigger an event, the birth of a newborn, she represents the rebirth of new london, represents the beginning of your rule. and according to your choice, lily ai, a girl who has no display in the plot, will embark on her own path.

there are many endings, which can be good or bad, depending on the decisions you make along the way. whether you can be sure of this future is a new round of questions that frostpunk 2 gives to players six years later.