A developer and publisher based in Warsaw, Poland, 11 Bit Studios has spent the last decade and a bit creating beloved strategy game experiences. 11 Bit's first title, Anomaly: Warzone Earth, was an ambitious blend of RTS and tower defense, and it immediately put the developer on the map, earning strong reviews from critics upon its 2011 launch. Just over a decade later, 11 Bit Studios has just released Frostpunk 2, the latest in its ever-growing list of acclaimed strategy titles.
Frostpunk 2 hit Steam a week ago, and its launch was accompanied by a wealth of positive reviews, with many outlets praising the sequel for its increased scope and bevy of new features. Frostpunk 2 was clearly another ambitious project for the Indie 11 Bit Studios, but despite that, the developer has another big game set for release in 2024.
Frostpunk 2's Place on the Series Timeline Explained
With two entries now under its belt, Frostpunk is now a full-blown strategy series, and fans might want to know Frostpunk 2's place on the timeline.
Fans of Frostpunk 2 Should Keep Their Eye on The Alters
The Alters Carries Forward Some of Frostpunk 2's Survival and Base-Building Mechanics
Still set for release at some currently unconfirmed date in 2024, The Alters is another survival strategy game being developed by 11 Bit Studios, and its mechanics might sound a little familiar to fans of Frostpunk 2. In The Alters, players take control of an astronaut named Jan Dolski. Jan has been stranded on a particularly dangerous planet, and his survival hinges on a never-ending race against the clock.
The planet's sun is extremely deadly, requiring Jan to keep his mobile base moving away from its incoming rays. But doing so is much easier said than done. Players will need to venture out to the planet's surface and gather the vital resources needed to keep the base moving. Along the way, they'll come into contact with a variety of obstacles and challenges, requiring the player to make quick, tough decisions in the name of survival.
Anyone who's played Frostpunk and its recently released sequel will likely recognize the general gameplay loop of The Alters quickly, with the post-apocalyptic base-builder requiring the player to gather valuable resources, make tough decisions, and survive at all costs. The Alters will also feature some base-building mechanics of its own, allowing players to construct new rooms that grant new items and technologies necessary for progression and survival.
But a key difference between The Alters and Frostpunk 2 is the former's primary gimmick. In The Alters, players can clone themselves to create new workers that specialize in different fields, and keeping them all alive and happy will be another major layer of the game's loop.
The Alters Could Tell Another Emotional Tale in a New Setting
11 Bit Studios has acquired a bit of a reputation for producing emotive narratives. 2014's This War of Mine tells the deeply emotional tale of a band of survivors trying to remain safe in the middle of a warzone. Frostpunk and its sequel frequently deliver emotional gut-punches with their macabre moral dilemmas. And now it seems as though The Alters is following suit, albeit in a new way. The Alters has some incredibly high stakes right off the bat, and the player's little colony of clones is sure to be in for a rough journey full of sacrifice and difficult decisions.
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- September 20, 2024
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Publisher(s)
- 11 Bit Studios
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Frostpunk
- PC Release Date
- September 20, 2024
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 can 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.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Strategy, Survival, City Builder
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
