Reus 2

About

In Reus 2, play as a god controlling mighty giants to shape worlds and create ecosystems for human civilizations to thrive. With 6 unique giants, each with their own abilities, terraform various biomes and gain inspiration to unlock more skills. Your choices will significantly impact the fates of these human beings, whose autonomy can lead them to great heights or failures.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,224 reviews

gameplay124 positive mentions

grinding32 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 limits.
The game features a charming art style and engaging sound design, creating a delightful atmosphere for players.
The introduction of a drafting system and diverse biomes adds depth and replayability, allowing for unique strategies in each playthrough.

Some players find the tutorial lacking in detail, making it difficult to grasp all the mechanics and systems at first.
The game can feel repetitive after unlocking all content, leading to a lack of long-term engagement for some players.
There are minor UI/UX issues that can hinder the overall experience, such as unclear tooltips and the need for better visibility of resource yields.

gameplay
524 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The gameplay of Reus 2 has been significantly refined and expanded compared to its predecessor, with a shift from real-time mechanics to a more relaxed turn-based system that encourages strategic planning and experimentation. Players appreciate the removal of the "greed" mechanic and time limits, which allows for a more enjoyable and less stressful experience, while the introduction of new mechanics and a progression system enhances replayability. Overall, the game is praised for its engaging puzzle-like gameplay, vibrant visuals, and depth of strategy, making it a compelling successor to the original.
- “The core gameplay has been refined and expanded upon, the visuals blow those of the original Reus out of the water, and the time limit has been removed in favor of a set number of points to be spent on filling the planet with resources, resulting in a much cozier, more relaxed game.”
- “The gameplay is addictive and rewarding, constantly giving the player new tools to experiment and strategize.”
- “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.”
- “In my opinion, most of the mechanics were simplified, making Reus 2 an easier game than its predecessor, and I was a bit disappointed that they removed the function when humans were getting too spoiled and attacking the titans.”
- “The absence of challenges and obstacles makes the gameplay monotonous and devoid of excitement.”
- “This game is okay, but once you beat the few scenarios that there are and unlock all of the animals/plants/minerals, it becomes entirely a game of trying to get a high score against yourself rather than having a gameplay loop.”
graphics
194 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
52%
2%
The graphics of Reus 2 have received widespread acclaim for their vibrant and charming art style, which significantly improves upon the visuals of its predecessor. Players appreciate the cute character designs, colorful environments, and the overall aesthetic that enhances the relaxing gameplay experience. Despite some minor performance issues, the game's visuals are described as beautiful and engaging, contributing to its replayability and enjoyment.
- “The game's art style is charming, with a vibrant color palette and whimsical character designs that bring the world to life.”
- “From a presentation perspective, the game looks beautiful, with a vibrant, colorful art style and adorable character designs for the giants, as well as the many species of animals you can use to populate your worlds.”
- “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.”
- “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.”
- “However, I think it hurts the visuals of the game to have the various biotica overlapping with each other.”
replayability
96 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
39%
3%
The game boasts high replayability, with players praising its relaxing gameplay, beautiful visuals, and diverse strategic options through various biomes and biotic combinations. Many reviews highlight the inclusion of roguelike elements, daily and weekly challenges, and a metaprogression system that enhances the experience and encourages repeated play. However, some users note that once the majority of content is unlocked, the replay value may diminish, suggesting a need for additional content or challenges to maintain long-term engagement.
- “If you want a cozy game with loads of replay value, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.”
- “Overall it's a nice and relaxing puzzling/drafting/strategy experience with tons of replayability between different combinations of biomes and biotics where you always feel rewarded for whatever extra thought you put into placing things and squeezing out the couple extra score.”
- “There is so much to unlock, and it really is infinitely replayable.”
- “Once you've actually unlocked everything and done the non-grindy achievements, it doesn't feel like there's a lot of replay value directly; maybe if the daily/weekly challenges were a bit more seeded and gave you a leaderboard or something, that would help.”
- “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, and if it is enough, I will change my review. Until then, fun short game.”
- “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.”
music
76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
49%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and enchanting qualities, effectively complementing the beautiful visuals and enhancing the overall gameplay experience. While many players find the soundtrack calming and enjoyable, some note that it can become repetitive over extended play sessions. Overall, the composition by Pieter van Vliet is considered a significant improvement, with layered tracks that evolve with the game's progression.
- “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.”
story
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
91%
5%
The game's story revolves around completing quests to develop settlements, with each era presenting unique challenges and objectives that contribute to the overall narrative. Players engage in resource management and strategic planning to grow their cities, unlocking new storylines and gameplay mechanics as they progress. While the introductory story may disappoint some, the evolving quests and the satisfaction of building a thriving civilization provide a compelling and engaging experience.
- “I was surprised by a mini story that occurred after completing one planet!”
- “Lots of new storylines to go through!”
- “Each 'era' is a scenario, a story beat.”
- “The intro story was a bit disappointing; it’s not really what this game is about.”
- “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.”
- “Due to resources not being instant, you can fail a quest, but then if you wait, you succeed instead (don't click the button!).”
optimization
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
54%
15%
The game excels in optimization mechanics, offering a rich blend of strategy and puzzle-solving that appeals to both casual and hardcore players. However, it suffers from significant performance issues, particularly in late-game scenarios where stuttering and freezing can disrupt gameplay. While recent updates have improved stability, lingering bugs and memory leaks still pose challenges for some users.
- “An excellent optimization strategy game of finding synergies between the environment and the life that makes it its home.”
- “Structured around multiple simple systems that mix together into a complex web of pre-planning and optimization.”
- “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
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience. While many appreciate the quick unlocks and enjoyable gameplay that minimizes grind, some express frustration with the tediousness of certain late-game achievements and the slow pacing that can lead to repetitive gameplay. The game successfully reduces the more tedious elements from its predecessor, but some players still feel that certain grindy tasks detract from the overall enjoyment.
- “Cons: short, too easy at times, last achievements just grinding without anything fun left to do.”
- “This makes it pretty tedious to play, to be honest.”
- “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.”
atmosphere
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
46%
13%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its cozy, relaxing qualities, enhanced by soft, colorful visuals and a soothing soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to create an engaging and tranquil environment that encourages players to immerse themselves in puzzle-solving and civilization-building. Overall, it is described as a delightful blend of cute art and thoughtful gameplay that captivates players from the start.
- “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.”
- “The soundtrack complements the visual aesthetic perfectly, with soothing melodies that enhance the game's tranquil yet cerebral atmosphere.”
- “Soft and colorful visuals and nice sound, both of which add to a relaxing atmosphere.”
- “Everything I liked in Reus 1 is here: the giants, the atmosphere, the feel.”
emotional
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a strong sense of wholesomeness and cuteness, even amidst darker themes like a zombie apocalypse. Players find joy in the game's aesthetic and mechanics, which foster a satisfying experience of nurturing life and creating symbiotic relationships, making it an addictive and heartwarming god simulation. Overall, it is highly recommended for its ability to evoke positive emotions and a sense of fulfillment.
- “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.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the humor in the game, particularly the absurdity of mackerels flopping around in desert areas to attack villages, which adds a comedic element to the experience. Additionally, there are amusing surprises tied to civilization projects that enhance the game's lightheartedness, although some reviews note that not all humor lands effectively.
- “Some genuinely humorous surprises further along in the game as you unlock some curious civilization projects.”
- “Also, I miss the danger factor of some animals, because it was hilarious seeing your mackerels flopping around desert areas just to attack that one village.”
- “Follow us for more amazing reviews... some funny... and some... not so much.”
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, Reus 1. 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.”
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, particularly for the giants and various animal species, which contribute to the overall aesthetic appeal and immersion.