Geneforge 2

About

Geneforge 2 is a single player and multiplayer role playing game with historical and science fiction themes. It was developed by Spiderweb Software and was released on June 30, 2003. It received positive reviews from players.

Geneforge 2 is an indie fantasy role-playing game with a science fiction twist. Create and control your own army of mutant monsters as you explore a vast world and make choices that affect the outcome of your journey. With multiple endings, factions, and ways to play, Geneforge 2 offers a rich and replayable experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Skip User Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 70 reviews

story15 positive mentions

music3 negative mentions

Geneforge 2 offers a rich and expansive world to explore, filled with complex moral choices and multiple factions, enhancing replayability.
The game features engaging storytelling with well-developed characters and a unique setting that immerses players in its lore.
Combat mechanics are straightforward and allow for various playstyles, making it accessible for both new and returning players.

The game suffers from outdated graphics and technical issues, including lag on modern PCs, which can detract from the overall experience.
Health and mana recovery mechanics are cumbersome, requiring excessive backtracking to healing pools, which interrupts exploration.
Some players feel that the sense of mystery and intrigue present in the first game is diminished in this sequel, impacting the overall narrative experience.

story
51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The story in the Geneforge series is praised for its complexity, depth, and immersive world-building, with players encouraged to engage deeply through exploration and dialogue. While some find the narrative compelling and rich with moral choices, others note that it can be slow to develop and requires significant reading to fully appreciate. Overall, the series offers a strong emphasis on player agency and replayability, allowing for varied experiences based on choices and faction alignments.
- “The story is complex and well written, but you need to be prepared to do a lot of reading if you want to really take it all in.”
- “Immersive plot and storytelling and a lot of choices allowing for huge replayability.”
- “Geneforge is a well-written story-heavy RPG where your choices will matter, with diplomatic situations filled with gray areas (it's not at all your classic good vs evil scenario), tactical turn-based combat, several different ways to play the game.”
- “15 hours in and not even halfway done, I decided to use cheats to turn the game into a point-and-click adventure just to see the story (the only reason for playing any Geneforge game).”
- “In Geneforge 1, you go into it without understanding much about the world, the shapers, etc. In Geneforge 2 (assuming you played through number 1), you the player have much more information than the character you are playing, and that imbalance in knowledge takes away from the story elements and makes the mystery almost non-existent.”
- “The story in this one falls flat, but these games have always nailed the sense of exploration.”
gameplay
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
43%
19%
The gameplay in this RPG from Spiderweb is characterized by its rich mechanics and strategic depth, allowing players to utilize unique shaping abilities to create diverse combat roles. While the game offers a more guided experience than its predecessor, it retains a dated aesthetic and can be challenging for those unfamiliar with its complex systems. Despite these drawbacks, the engaging story and tactical gameplay make it a worthwhile experience for RPG enthusiasts.
- “The areas/chapters are all unique and have multiple routes to progress, both combat-focused and leadership/mechanics-focused.”
- “Amazing lore, challenging gameplay, and genuinely difficult moral dilemmas make this game a must-buy for any RPG fan.”
- “At first I was a bit dissatisfied with Geneforge 2 as it was way too similar to the first, both in its gameplay elements and story (basically the same things happen in a new location).”
- “It has the same UI style, the same mechanics, the same graphic style... what it lacks though is the real sense of mystery.”
- “Gameplay is simple but allows for stratagems normally reserved for RTS games due to the unique shaping mechanic, where you are able to produce creations that can fill a variety of general combat roles.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
38%
31%
The graphics of the game are generally considered subpar, with a simplistic and functional art style that has not significantly improved over time. While the visuals may lack detail and resolution, many players feel that the engaging story and complex gameplay compensate for these shortcomings. Overall, those who prioritize graphics may be disappointed, but fans of rich narratives and tactical gameplay can still find enjoyment despite the outdated visuals.
- “Overall, I would rate this game a 9/10, despite the horrid graphics.”
- “I honestly believe that if there were better graphics, there wouldn't be enough resources to make everything else so amazing.”
- “If you are able to disregard the basic graphical quality when playing a game offering a rich world, deep story, and challenging yet enjoyable gameplay, the Geneforge saga and Spiderweb games in general are meant for you and will give you a great gaming experience.”
- “Poor old graphics even for its time; good combat, good systems, complicated moral choices with consequences but without developer judgment.”
- “The graphics are subpar at best; you must be able to use your imagination.”
- “Pretty complex adventure RPG; I do not like the poor art style and slow pace.”
replayability
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game offers high replayability due to its diverse factions, immersive storytelling, and numerous choices that lead to different outcomes and endings. Players can experience varied gameplay with new abilities and skills, making each playthrough feel distinct. Overall, it is regarded as one of the titles with the most replay value in its series.
- “Immersive plot and storytelling, along with a lot of choices, allow for huge replayability.”
- “That, coupled with an interesting storyline, gives this game a very strong playthrough and a high replay value (this game is like 24 games in one).”
- “To some people, that means a lot of replayability, as trying the game with each faction produces some very different results in where you can go, which quests you can complete, and what ending you will get.”
- “Of all of the Geneforge games, this is one of the ones with the most replay value.”
- “Replayability: moderately high”
music
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is largely criticized for its absence, with no real soundtrack and poor sound effect normalization leading to inconsistent audio levels. Reviewers describe the opening music as subpar and suggest that the overall audio experience detracts from the otherwise strong gameplay and story.
- “There is no music, and the UI is too bad.”
- “Dated visuals even at release, no real soundtrack, and sound effects aren't normalized, so some sounds are quiet while others blow your speakers out. However, the gameplay and story are great.”
- “The opening music is bad, and overall the game could use a better soundtrack.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its playful and whimsical elements, particularly highlighted by the amusing and rapid spellcasting mechanics that add a lighthearted touch to gameplay.
- “The humor in this game is absolutely hilarious, with clever jokes and witty dialogue that keep you laughing.”
- “I love how the characters have such funny interactions; it adds a whole new layer of enjoyment to the gameplay.”
- “The comedic timing in the cutscenes is spot on, making even the most serious moments light-hearted and entertaining.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find that certain combat-focused paths in the game can feel excessively grindy, especially when compared to more strategic options like mech-leadership. Many reviewers noted that the original game suffered from tedious gameplay, particularly in the later stages involving mines and turrets.
- “While multiple paths are always open for each objective, some combat-focused ones can be unnecessarily grindy compared to mech-leadership paths.”
- “The original was way too tedious and dragged a lot in the final chunk with all the mines and turrets.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with many users noting that it significantly enhances the overall experience, overshadowing any technical flaws. Players express a strong sense of satisfaction and comfort within the game's immersive environment.
- “Even admitting the bias, the story and atmosphere far outshine the imbalances and jank from age.”
- “Overall, this game has the atmosphere that I'm most satisfied with and most comfortable with.”