Reus 2

About

Reus 2 is a single player strategy game with a kids theme. It was developed by Abbey Games and was released on May 28, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Shape humanity with the power of the gods in Reus 2. Choose your giants, combine natural elements, and manipulate fate to guide the path of civilization. The choices are yours, and so are the consequences.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,638 reviews

gameplay98 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

Reus 2 is a significant improvement over the original, with enhanced gameplay mechanics and a more relaxing experience due to the removal of time pressure.
The game features a charming art style and engaging sound design, creating a delightful atmosphere for players.
The strategic depth and variety of biotica and giants allow for numerous combinations and replayability, making each playthrough feel unique.

The tutorial could be more comprehensive, as some mechanics and terms are not clearly explained, leading to confusion for new players.
There are occasional performance issues, such as stuttering during late-game play, which can detract from the overall experience.
Some players feel that the game lacks sufficient content and variety in challenges after a certain point, leading to a sense of repetitiveness.

gameplay
449 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
73%
5%
Reus 2 significantly enhances the gameplay experience from its predecessor by transitioning to a turn-based system, removing the stress of real-time mechanics, and eliminating the unpopular greed and war mechanics. Players appreciate the depth and complexity of the new mechanics, which promote strategic planning and synergy optimization, while the gradual introduction of features helps ease players into the game. Overall, the gameplay is described as engaging, relaxing, and filled with rich content, making it a satisfying puzzle-like experience that encourages experimentation and replayability.
- “Reus 2 is a phenomenal game that builds upon the first game and improves every aspect of the gameplay, giving a wider range of environment mechanics and ways to play the game.”
- “It has one of the most relaxing and addictive gameplay loops I have ever seen in a game.”
- “The game itself has a tight, satisfying core gameplay loop that takes advantage of the fact that Abbey Games has absolutely stuffed it full of content.”
- “The tutorial took an exceedingly long time (2 hours) and I know that tutorials can be boring, but when I got into the actual gameplay I thought it would be better, but it was not.”
- “Throws about 100 mechanics and systems at you at once, and yet none of them are any fun.”
- “The absence of challenges and obstacles makes the gameplay monotonous and devoid of excitement.”
graphics
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
55%
2%
The graphics in Reus 2 have received widespread praise for their vibrant and charming art style, showcasing adorable character designs and a colorful aesthetic that enhances the overall gameplay experience. Many reviewers noted significant improvements over its predecessor, with visuals that effectively convey information while maintaining a whimsical and inviting atmosphere. However, some players experienced performance issues, such as difficulty achieving high frame rates, despite the game's relatively low graphical demands.
- “Extremely fun and well put together board game style video game which combines a beautiful vibrant art style and wonderfully crunchy mathematical gameplay.”
- “The game's art style is charming, with a vibrant color palette and whimsical character designs that bring the world to life.”
- “Reus 2 is a noticeable upgrade from its predecessor in terms of both graphics and gameplay.”
- “For how graphically un-demanding this is, it makes no sense I can't crack 60 fps on a 3080, even if I'm playing on a 5440x1440p monitor.”
- “My only negative that I would give to the game are the visuals.”
- “However, I think it hurts the visuals of the game to have the various biotica overlapping with each other.”
music
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
53%
4%
The music in the game is generally praised for its enchanting and soothing qualities, effectively complementing the visuals and enhancing the overall gameplay experience. While many players appreciate the calm and relaxing background music, some have noted that it can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the soundtrack, composed by Pieter van Vliet, is considered a significant improvement from previous titles, with many expressing a desire to listen to it outside of the game.
- “The soundtrack complements the visual aesthetic perfectly, with soothing melodies that enhance the game's tranquil yet cerebral atmosphere.”
- “The game also provides a lovely layered soundtrack which naturally evolves as you reach the third era to match the direction your planet takes; it's all very lovely.”
- “I love the concept, I love the art and animation, and the music; everything blends so well together.”
- “Don't remember what the music was like in that one, but this music is downright tortuous.”
- “Terminology is all over the place, weird lootbox visuals appear to have no point, music that is just slightly annoying with a tinge of agitation instead of peaceful, and the tutorial feels like it has been done to check a box for sprint goal.”
- “The music, while not very impactful, continues in the background without being annoying, as required for such a game.”
replayability
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
40%
5%
Reus 2 is praised for its high replayability, offering a variety of unlockables, strategic depth, and a metaprogression system that encourages experimentation with different biomes and giants. While many players find the game enjoyable and capable of providing hours of gameplay, some express concerns about potential repetitiveness and a lack of long-term content. Overall, it strikes a balance between being accessible for casual play and offering enough complexity for deeper engagement.
- “There is so much to unlock, and it really is infinitely replayable.”
- “Has infinite replayability, constant progression from just playing how you want; you can sit down and play for 30 minutes once a week and be happy or play for hours at a time.”
- “One of the standout features of Reus 2 is its high replayability.”
- “While Reus 2 lacks the endless replayability of some games (there is some sameness), it will take ~20-30 hours to complete the bulk of the content.”
- “It's only drawback at the moment is that there's not a huge amount of content or replayability.”
- “It is a great game and they have expanded on it but I reached max level in 12 hours according to my playtime and I have finished 50% of the collection in another 12 hours. I will have 100% that is if I don't get bored before I do. As far as replayability goes, this does not have a lot of it in the end. Great game but quite empty in the long run; maybe they will add in more stuff in the future.”
story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
88%
6%
The game's story revolves around the growth of settlements into thriving cities through quest completion and resource management, with each era representing a distinct narrative beat. While the intro story may disappoint some players, the overall progression and mini-stories that unfold as players complete objectives add depth and engagement to the gameplay. The structured missions and flexible difficulty options enhance the storytelling experience, allowing players to shape their worlds and narratives through their successes and failures.
- “I was surprised by a mini story that occurred after completing one planet!”
- “Lots of new storylines to go through!”
- “And your successes or failures with those challenges tell the story of each world.”
- “The intro story was a bit disappointing; it’s not really what this game is about.”
- “Version 2 features more flexible difficulty options, better structured story progression, and an end to the needlessly stressful real-time element of the original.”
- “A lot of quests are 'have x of y within your border,' but I haven't seen a tooltip that lets me see those numbers, and counting manually is a bit silly.”
optimization
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
55%
17%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players enjoying the deep and engaging optimization mechanics but reporting significant performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios where stuttering and freezing occur. While some users noted improvements in performance over time, others experienced persistent bugs and memory leaks that hindered gameplay. Overall, the optimization aspect is praised for its complexity and challenge, but technical issues detract from the experience.
- “Structured around multiple simple systems that mix together into a complex web of pre-planning and optimization.”
- “Beautiful art & graphics, fun optimization strategy, and lots of meta elements to unlock & progress.”
- “It's all about positioning different organisms in just the right places and managing your limited actions to help your planets grow and thrive, and in traditional fashion for this developer, the depth of optimization is both insane and daunting.”
- “Late game, it'll start stuttering so bad and eventually freeze.”
- “However, it has performance issues, sometimes hangs for entire minutes, the audio is lost other times, and worst of all, after playing for a while it slows down to a crawl.”
- “That said, the game has some quirks - I've come across some bugs and the game does seem to have a memory leak that makes it quite performance intensive.”
grinding
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find that while the game improves upon some of the tedious grinding elements from its predecessor, certain achievements still require repetitive and grindy tasks that can detract from the overall enjoyment. The game successfully promotes strategic planning and synergy, making the core gameplay satisfying, but the slow pacing and backtracking can lead to moments of tedium. Despite these issues, many appreciate the lighter grinding experience and the engaging mechanics that enhance the gameplay.
- “The remaining ones can thankfully be done in sandbox where some wacky combos can be found, but unfortunately the last two achievements are really grindy, tedious rinse and repeat.”
- “The only minor gripe I have is with some of the achievements; Reus and Reus 2 are pretty much achievement-centric, but the real grindy ones like getting a great number of cities or prosperity across all runs tend to be the only ones you're left with after you've already done everything else.”
- “Additionally, the pacing of the game is quite slow, which, combined with frequent backtracking, can become tedious.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
35%
15%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its cute and tranquil aesthetic, enhanced by a soothing soundtrack that complements the visual design. Reviewers highlight the relaxed and engaging environment, making it an ideal choice for cozy gamers who enjoy puzzle-solving and simulation elements. Overall, the atmosphere is described as immersive and thought-provoking, encouraging players to return for more.
- “In many developers' hands, that would fall flat pretty fast, but not so here: Abbey Games' signature relaxed atmosphere and pleasant gameplay catch your attention from the start - and lead you gently towards a point where you realize you've been obsessing over how to perfect a planet with this particular biotica, or how to best use these biotica tags - and you can't help coming back for more.”
- “I love the sound, the atmosphere, and all the adorable art for the biotica. I absolutely recommend this game if you're a cozy gamer who likes puzzles and simulation too.”
- “Everything I liked in Reus 1 is here: the giants, the atmosphere, the feel.”
- “The soundtrack complements the visual aesthetic perfectly, with soothing melodies that enhance the game's tranquil yet cerebral atmosphere.”
- “I love this, especially in the relaxed atmosphere this is presented.”
emotional
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its wholesome and uplifting experience, where players enjoy watching their worlds thrive and their characters find happiness. The aesthetic and turn-based mechanics contribute to a feel-good atmosphere, making it a delightful and engaging simulation of god-like creation. Overall, players find it to be a heartwarming addition to the genre.
- “Its aesthetic and turn-based approach meant it was a very wholesome experience to watch my world fill with life, until I started really crunching the numbers.”
- “Figuring out working more symbiosis combos for your giants, as well as watching how happy it made your little people, is surprisingly so wholesome.”
- “It's a fantastic addition to the universe, and the new frost giant is just such a wholesome presence.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with only minor cosmetic glitches reported, such as tooltip misalignment and occasional screen issues during the tutorial. These problems appear infrequent and can be easily resolved by saving and reloading, indicating a significant improvement over its predecessor, Reus1. Additionally, the game performs well on platforms like the Steam Deck.
- “A huge improvement over Reus 1 (which I already loved!), runs great on Steam Deck, let's go.”
- “There are a couple of cosmetic glitches, like the tooltip background not showing in the correct spot or the upgrade screen background sticking to the screen after making a choice. I only experienced that once during the tutorial quest, so it might just be related to that specific instance. However, you can save and reload, which fixed it, so it wasn't a major issue.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features genuinely humorous surprises, particularly as players unlock various civilization projects, adding a lighthearted touch to the experience. However, the overall humor is mixed, with some moments landing well while others fall flat.
- “Some genuinely humorous surprises further along in the game as you unlock some curious civilization projects.”
- “Follow us for more amazing reviews... some funny... and some... not so much.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The character development in the game is enhanced by its charming art style, featuring vibrant colors and whimsical designs that effectively bring the characters and their world to life. Players appreciate the adorable character designs of both the giants and the various animal species, contributing to an engaging and visually appealing experience.