Frozen Synapse 2

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 184 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Frozen Synapse 2 Game Cover
Frozen Synapse 2 has plenty to offer with its campaign, but again, this sequel is at its best when playing against other fallible humans.
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Frozen Synapse 2 is a tactical game set in a procedurally generated open world city, where you must defend against internal and external threats. Manage bases, deploy forces, and engage targets in simultaneous turn-based combat, while dealing with AI-controlled factions vying for control. Collaborate or betray, and participate in various activities such as bank robberies and assassinations.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 184 reviews
gameplay14 positive mentions
story7 negative mentions
  • The game evolves fantastically from the original Frozen Synapse, incorporating unique additions that keep gameplay interesting.
  • The tactical gameplay is immersive and rewarding, with a strong emphasis on strategic planning and execution.
  • The cyberpunk aesthetic and soundtrack are praised, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the game.
  • The game is plagued by frequent crashes and bugs, leading to a frustrating experience for many players.
  • The city campaign is criticized for being poorly designed, with illogical AI behavior and a lack of clarity in mission objectives.
  • The user interface is clunky and lacks proper guidance, making it difficult for players to navigate and understand the game's mechanics.
  • story99 mentions

    The story in Frozen Synapse 2 is often criticized for being convoluted and lacking coherence, with many players finding it difficult to engage with the narrative due to its reliance on complex terminology and a chaotic city setting. While the game introduces a strategic layer with faction-based missions, the procedural generation of missions leads to repetitive and uninspired gameplay, detracting from the overall story experience. Despite some players appreciating the context provided by the city mode, many feel that the narrative fails to deliver a compelling or satisfying experience, often resulting in frustration due to bugs and mission design issues.

    • “The pure single player is a massive addition from the previous title, as we now have a living world for which the campaign is set in, opposed to a chain of linear story missions that the first title boasts.”
    • “Fs2 is no different on this front: the story is full of proper nouns that I don't understand and backstory I don't really care about, but the city aspect of it gives all the tactical battles context and, because it's a simulation, entertaining stories emerge from the scenarios that crop up.”
    • “We now have the ability to just play the story missions without bothering with city mode.”
    • “The story is arguably the worst element of the game; it's more or less incoherent and I have no idea why any of the factions are doing anything or who they even are most of the time.”
    • “The game does a poor job of explaining what exactly is going on (are we in a virtual world? What are vatforms? Who are all these factions?), not to mention that I ran into a game-breaking bug during a mission, where I was told I could place my units inside the perimeter (they spawned outside).”
    • “Outside of gameplay mechanics, the story is a massive improvement, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth; what an anti-climax.”
  • gameplay80 mentions

    The gameplay of Frozen Synapse 2 is characterized by its immersive tactical mechanics, including simultaneous movement and new unit types that enhance strategic depth. While many players appreciate the engaging and challenging nature of the combat, some express frustration with the clunky UI, confusing tutorial, and bugs, particularly in the city management aspect. Overall, the core gameplay remains solid and enjoyable, offering a unique blend of tactical decision-making and dynamic environments, though it may require patience due to its current imperfections.

    • “The tactical gameplay is tight; the city game I found initially very difficult, but having gotten my head around it, I find it a very satisfying experience with consequences to your choices. Although losing a soldier isn't permanent, it adds more stakes to the fights and incentivizes you to try to keep all your soldiers alive.”
    • “Overall, Frozen Synapse 2 is an incredibly fun experience that delivers a unique style of gameplay, which is very successful at creating an engaging strategic experience.”
    • “The core gameplay has not really changed, but the addition of some new modes to multiplayer and a more open-ended single-player campaign in the vein of XCOM: Apocalypse make this more of a refinement than a revolution.”
    • “The tutorial is poor and the first mission was so unclear that I got lost within the first 45 minutes of gameplay.”
    • “The UI is a mess and I'm still not fond of the overall gameplay.”
    • “This game is good, but the city-based gameplay is lacking polish which makes it very clunky in places.”
  • music34 mentions

    The music in the Frozen Synapse series, composed by nervous_testpilot, is widely praised for its incredible quality and atmospheric depth, enhancing the overall gameplay experience. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, with some considering it even better than the original game's score. While the music is celebrated, a few users note that the soundtrack's length could be improved, but overall, it significantly contributes to the game's appeal.

    • “The music is also great, as expected, and the visuals complement the action nicely as they fizzle, pop, and glow in cool blues and bright streaks of light.”
    • “For such a small team, they've created something amazing, plus a stellar soundtrack to round out the experience.”
    • “The soundtrack creator from the original game, nervous_testpilot, has returned with an excellent new score.”
    • “You might say Frozen Synapse 1 & 2 merely ended up being a pseudo 'marketing campaign' for nervous_testpilot's music!”
    • “The soundtrack is way too short.”
    • “I recommend not buying the soundtrack DLC on Steam though, just because Steam is not great when it comes to these types of content.”
  • stability24 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, including frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that detract from the overall experience. While some players find the gameplay enjoyable, the persistent technical problems and poor user experience design have led to frustration and disappointment. Despite efforts from the developers to improve stability, many users feel the game remains unpolished and unworthy of its price.

    • “Fantastic concept, but way, way too buggy and unpolished.”
    • “The game released in a buggy and crashy state.”
    • “Unfortunately it's very buggy and painful to play.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game are described as having a striking cyberpunk aesthetic, with vibrant visuals that complement the action, though they suffer from various bugs and a lack of polish. While some players appreciate the improved graphics and unique design elements compared to its predecessor, others note issues with resolution, blurriness, and a confusing interface. Overall, the visuals are seen as a mixed bag, appealing to those who prioritize style over technical perfection, but potentially disappointing for players expecting AAA quality.

    • “The music is also great, as expected, and the visuals complement the action nicely as they fizzle, pop, and glow in cool blues and bright streaks of light.”
    • “A splendid combination of XCOM: Apocalypse strategy elements and Blade Runner aesthetics, complete with its own original take on pause-based combat.”
    • “Apart from rare crashes and some UI issues, FS2 is a solid improvement over FS1 with more units, better graphics, better soundtrack, and a cool new single-player city mode which fleshes out the solo experience a bit.”
    • “The game is riddled with bugs, ranging from minor (dialogue being cut off, not showing names of people or places, UI hitches, AI not performing adequately during 'long turn' mode, unit traits such as 'chain shot' being wholly broken, diplomacy being completely broken, unit graphic oddities such as holding a knife or a pistol like an assault rifle, etc.) to major (game crashing during turns, then crashing upon attempting to load mid-mission saves, game simply corrupting save files so you can't load back into your campaign, units randomly deciding not to attack each other, wall geometry not loading for you so you can't see obstacles which the AI can, procedurally generated maps putting your objective, units, and enemy units in unreachable places, an unmentioned cap on stored items in your base causing the oldest ones to be deleted when storing new ones which, if the game deletes the 'building cert' deed being used on your HQ, makes you lose control of your HQ, etc.) and just an overall feeling of lack of polish.”
    • “Interface is pretty bad, graphics seem blurry no matter if at the proper resolution.”
    • “Now, if you're the kind of gamer that expects this game to have a AAA budget, and visuals to match, then I would say stay away from this game.”
  • replayability6 mentions

    The game boasts high replayability due to its organic moments, open-world campaign structure, and dynamic faction events. The procedural city and map designs further enhance replay value, allowing players to choose missions and factions, making each playthrough unique. Additionally, the robust multiplayer component offers endless replay opportunities.

    • “Every moment is organic, making it an extremely replayable game.”
    • “The procedural city and maps really open up the game for replayability and should give the game a very long life, independent of your desire, or lack thereof, for any multiplayer action.”
    • “This game is also arguably much more replayable now that it lets you choose what missions to take, which factions to help, which units to buy and deploy, and so on.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Players have reported that the game suffers from performance issues, including noticeable slowdowns and crashes to desktop (CTDs), indicating that it may be overly demanding on hardware. Many hope for future patches to improve optimization and enhance overall smoothness.

    • “I think it was right to release it now, but I have the feeling the game is really performance-hungry. I have experienced some crashes to desktop already, and I hope it gets patched up soon and maybe optimized a little bit.”
    • “Other than that, the game feels like there's slowdown or that it's running slowly.”
    • “I'm not sure what it is, but it just doesn't feel as smooth as it should from a performance perspective.”
    • “I think it was right to release it now, but I have the feeling the game is really performance-hungry and I've had some crashes to desktop already. I hope it gets patched up soon and maybe optimized a little bit.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its absurd scenarios, such as enemy bases disappearing along with their headquarters, leaving loot behind for players to collect easily. Additionally, the bizarre notion that players can eliminate their own employer, the city government, without any consequences adds to the comedic elements of the gameplay.

    • “Even more hilarious is the fact that when their HQ is taken, the rest of their bases just go poof along with them, leaving the loot in a pile for you to take if you remember where. (Hint: station a one-man unit next door to their bases, and when you've hit their main HQ, simply walk in and take the loot unopposed.) It's also incredibly bizarre that you can wipe out your own employer, the literal city government, and that apparently has no bearing on the campaign at all.”
  • emotional1 mentions

    Players appreciate the emotional depth of the single-player experience, noting that it offers an engaging and immersive journey that can provide around 40 hours of enjoyment.

  • atmosphere1 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive qualities, featuring an amazing soundtrack and detailed in-game sounds that enhance the experience. Players appreciate the simultaneous turns and visceral combat, which contribute to a tense and engaging environment. Overall, the atmosphere is a significant draw for fans of the genre.

    • “Overall, if you enjoyed FS1 or are interested in the concept (simultaneous turns, tight and visceral combat with nothing left to chance, extremely detailed orders down to fractions of a second, and all with an amazing and atmospheric soundtrack and in-game sounds), then you should certainly give this a try!”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly criticizing the combat for feeling overly repetitive and laborious.

    • “However, the combat itself just seemed a bit too tedious for my liking.”
    • “The grinding feels endless and lacks any real reward, making it a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.”
    • “I found myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which quickly became monotonous and frustrating.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

83% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
2hAverage play time
2-2hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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