Frostpunk 2 is a post-post-apocalyptic city-building game that looks to go above and beyond what its predecessor accomplished in terms of scale. In 11-bit studio's Frostpunk 2, players can build up New London on a whole new scale by creating districts, forging laws, and much more. With Frostpunk 2's July 25 release date confirmed, many fans of the original may be eager to know more about how Frostpunk 2 compares in terms of size and scale, as well as how expansive its city-building mechanics are by comparison.

Game ZXC recently spoke with Jakub Stokalski, Frostpunk 2's co-game director and design director, about how the game expands its overall scale. As many know, the first game already boasts an impressive scale, but to make what happened in the first game mean something, it was important that the sequel build on what came before and not just repeat what it has already done. In fact, Stokalski also explained that he had no interest in making a sequel that was basically DLC or a "Frostpunk 1.5," but something meaningful. That design decision really makes Frostpunk 2 more of a society simulator instead of a city builder.

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Frostpunk 2's Multiple Settlements and Resource Management

One way in which Frostpunk 2 expands its scope is by enabling players to create entire districts for different purposes, and ensuring each part works together in unison. Instead of singular builds, players focus on districts, and this inherently scales everything upward. There's even much more time at play in Frostpunk 2 compared to the first game. Time, focusing on districts, and not just retreading city building features led to the larger scope of Frostpunk 2:

If we need more timescale, if we want to still be a game about building and expanding a city, then we need a city building system that actually supports both the larger timescale and the larger geographical scale. Hence, the changes to the district building system.

It's also up to players to manage their resources as they expand their city, something which Stokalski described as "a balancing act" with the whole resource economy being dependent on "how much you can meet the demand that you decided for the city to have through your choices." It's possible to overpromise and underdeliver, upsetting many factions within Frostpunk 2, and that balancing act can tip badly or positively very quickly.

Players can also expand beyond their city in Frostpunk 2, something they need to do to search for more resources and bolster their city's supplies, with Stokalski adding players must go to "other places" and "for different purposes". However, it's not just about things like outposts. Just like the scale of the city had to be expanded, so did the Frostlands:

This is th expansion that comes with the Frostlands. It's not only about a single city anymore. You can actually not only find and use it as it was in Frostpunk 1 and in beta, but you can actually settle other places. You have to then manage two and possibly even more locations at the same time. This is all of that part of this expansion.

Expanding The Size of Frostpunk 2

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In addition to expanding the scale of Frostpunk 2's post-apocalyptic base-building and resource management features, Stokalski also spoke about how the size of Frostpunk 2 compared to Frostpunk. While perhaps difficult to narrow down precisely, Stokalski did confirm that Frostpunk 2 feels much bigger than its predecessor. As Stokalski said:

When we playtest this in-house, we ask this question, “What size do you feel this game is in terms of hours, right?” We routinely get people saying, “Well, this is at least upwards of 5, 50, 100 hours easily, and it feels a lot larger than Frostpunk 1 , definitely.

This news will no doubt please many fans of the Frostpunk franchise who are hungry to continue its survival story and see what happens next. What's more, Frostpunk 2 is coming to Xbox Game Pass, and anyone can hop in and try its challenging gameplay. That's true even for those who do not frequent the genre or for those looking for a new challenge. Of course, players should be aware that surviving the icy wastelands isn't the biggest danger anymore; it's a bit closer to home - the human nature of those living in New London and its surroundings.