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Frozen Synapse 2

Frozen Synapse 2 has plenty to offer with its campaign, but again, this sequel is at its best when playing against other fallible humans.
Frozen Synapse 2 Game Cover
70%Game Brain Score
gameplay, music
story, stability
66% User Score Based on 209 reviews
Critic Score 83%Based on 10 reviews

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Frozen Synapse 2 Game Cover

About

Frozen Synapse 2 is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Mode 7 and was released on September 13, 2018. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

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.

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Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
Frozen Synapse 2 screenshot
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66%
Audience ScoreBased on 209 reviews
gameplay17 positive mentions
story7 negative mentions
  • Frozen Synapse 2 expands on the original with improved tactical gameplay, new units, and a more engaging city campaign that adds depth to the experience.
  • The simultaneous turn-based mechanics create intense and strategic gameplay, allowing players to plan their moves while anticipating their opponent's actions.
  • The soundtrack by nervous_testpilot is exceptional, enhancing the overall atmosphere and enjoyment of the game.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and crashes, particularly in the single-player campaign, which can disrupt gameplay and lead to frustration.
  • The user interface is clunky and not very intuitive, making it difficult for new players to navigate and understand the game's mechanics.
  • Some aspects of the city campaign are poorly explained, leading to confusion about objectives and how to effectively manage factions and resources.
  • story
    119 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in "Frozen Synapse 2" is often described as convoluted and lacking depth, with many players finding it difficult to engage with the narrative due to its unclear presentation and reliance on proper nouns. While the city mode adds a layer of strategic gameplay and context to missions, the randomly generated missions can feel generic and unremarkable, detracting from the overall storytelling experience. Despite some improvements over the first game, many reviewers feel that the story is overshadowed by gameplay mechanics and bugs, leading to a frustrating experience.

    • “The game has a very open city background story running that reminds me of XCOM.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
    • “The storyline is convoluted and not necessary.”
    • “Outside of gameplay mechanics, 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.”
    • “In FS2, you're tossed into the scenario without the most developed introduction to the world, and it's a struggle to really care about the story when making your own story through the city game is far more direct and engaging.”
  • gameplay
    91 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Frozen Synapse 2 is a mix of tactical depth and innovative mechanics, building on the strengths of its predecessor while introducing new elements like simultaneous movement and city management. While many players find the core tactical gameplay engaging and rewarding, the city management aspect has received criticism for being tedious, poorly explained, and buggy. Overall, the game offers a unique and immersive experience, but players may encounter challenges with its complexity and user interface.

    • “Overall, Frozen Synapse 2 is an incredibly fun experience which delivers a unique style of gameplay that is very successful at creating an engaging strategic experience.”
    • “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.”
    • “The new city mechanic adds so much more complexity to this game, but in a good way.”
    • “It's extremely tedious gameplay and needs to be tweaked for any living human to realistically play.”
    • “The whole city gameplay is poorly explained, highly obtuse, buggy, and just not fun.”
    • “The tutorial is poor and the first mission was so unclear that I got lost within the first 45 minutes of gameplay.”
  • music
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game, composed by nervous_testpilot, is universally praised as phenomenal, captivating, and integral to the overall experience. Reviewers highlight its ability to evoke strong emotions and enhance gameplay, with many considering it one of the best soundtracks in gaming. While some note the soundtrack's brevity, the consensus is that it significantly elevates the game's atmosphere and enjoyment.

    • “The music is phenomenal as always from nervous_testpilot, and it can be extremely satisfying.”
    • “God, I cry every time I hear that music - it eats sublime for breakfast and reinvents it.”
    • “The soundtrack is phenomenal though, so I guess it has that going for it.”
    • “The soundtrack is way too short.”
    • “I recommend not buying the soundtrack DLC on Steam though, just because Steam is sh*t when it comes to these types of content.”
    • “Although personally I prefer the FS1 / red soundtrack.”
  • stability
    27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability remains a significant issue in 2024, with users reporting frequent crashes, glitches, and unpolished gameplay, particularly in mission generation and city mechanics. While some players find enjoyment in the core gameplay, the overall experience is marred by persistent bugs and a lack of updates since 2018, leading to frustration and disappointment. Despite its promising concept, many reviewers feel that the game's stability detracts from its potential enjoyment.

    • “I have played the tutorials and several hours of the city mode with no glitches or crashes.”
    • “The game runs smoothly without any interruptions, making for a seamless experience.”
    • “I appreciate how stable the game is; I've encountered no bugs during my playtime.”
    • “The game is a bit buggy and would have benefited from more patching (and perhaps a bit more time being worked on before it was released in the first place!), but regular patching ended at the end of 2018 so the state of the game is basically what you're stuck with.”
    • “Fantastic concept, but way, way too buggy and unpolished.”
    • “Unfortunately it's very buggy and painful to play.”
  • graphics
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game are generally praised for their cyberpunk aesthetic and vibrant visuals, which complement the gameplay well. However, players report numerous bugs and performance issues, including crashes and graphical errors, that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the improvements over the previous installment, others find the interface and resolution settings confusing, leading to a mixed reception regarding the game's graphical 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.”
    • “It's improved Frozen Synapse 1: new weapon and mechanics, new campaign in the form of a livelier simulated Markov Geist, a fresh Nervous_Testpilot OST and upgraded graphics (you finally have spherical shapes and vertical geometry instead of just huge voxels, allowing for much better map variety).”
    • “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.”
  • replayability
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers exceptional replayability through its procedurally generated campaigns, dynamic faction events, and an open-world approach that allows players to choose missions and strategies. Users highlight the organic gameplay experience and robust multiplayer options, ensuring a long-lasting engagement regardless of interest in multiplayer modes. Overall, the combination of these features makes the game highly replayable and enjoyable for various playstyles.

    • “If you like door kickers and would like a similar experience with a greatly expanded, randomly generated, and extremely replayable campaign, get this game.”
    • “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.”
  • optimization
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The optimization of Frozen Synapse 2 has received mixed feedback, with players noting persistent bugs and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. Many users report feeling that the game runs slowly and is performance-hungry, leading to occasional crashes to desktop (CTDs), and they hope for future patches to improve optimization. Despite these concerns, players still find the game enjoyable and worth the price.

    • “Despite a few bugs and performance issues that remain after the devs could no longer continue work on the game, Frozen Synapse 2 is still a great game and well worth the asking price.”
    • “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 had some crashes to desktop already. I hope it gets patched up soon and maybe optimized a little bit.”
  • grinding
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, particularly in the endgame, suggesting that adjustments are needed to enhance the experience. Many express a desire for more customization options and the ability to engage with real human players to alleviate the monotony of the gameplay. Overall, while the game has potential, the grinding elements detract from its enjoyment.

    • “It's extremely tedious gameplay and needs to be tweaked for any living human to realistically play.”
    • “I would really like the format of this game if it was made a little less tedious, had customization options, or if I could fight against real human players in the city sandbox that would fight more reasonably.”
    • “However, the combat itself just seemed a bit too tedious for my liking.”
  • humor
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is highlighted by its absurd scenarios, such as the comical disappearance of enemy bases when their headquarters is captured, and the bizarre ability to eliminate your own employer without any consequences in the campaign. This blend of ridiculous mechanics and unexpected outcomes adds a layer of hilarity to the gameplay experience.

    • “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.”
  • emotional
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    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 without the need for multiplayer.

  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its immersive qualities, featuring a captivating 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), you should certainly give this a try! The amazing and atmospheric soundtrack and in-game sounds enhance the experience.”
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83%Critics’ scoreBased on 10 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
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Frequently Asked Questions

Frozen Synapse 2 is a tactical turn-based strategy game with science fiction theme.

Frozen Synapse 2 is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Frozen Synapse 2.

Frozen Synapse 2 was released on September 13, 2018.

Frozen Synapse 2 was developed by Mode 7.

Frozen Synapse 2 has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Frozen Synapse 2 is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Frozen Synapse, Dead State: Reanimated, Breach & Clear: Deadline Rebirth, Xenonauts, Fire & Maneuver and others.