There are some major disadvantages to being on a low-information diet for video games. As release dates for new titles approach, I have to duck and weave past all the reviews, commentary, and scuttlebutt to keep my perspective clear of undue influence. But that also means missing things—sometimes trivial, like a release delay, and other times significant, like when a sequel to a game you never expected gets released. That’s how I stumbled upon Reus 2, the follow-up to the original which debuted over 10 years ago. Abbey Games hasn’t been resting on its heels all that time, releasing two other games in the interim (neither of which I’ve played!), meaning the follow-up hasn’t been too long in the making. What they’ve created is a fantastic sequel to the original, one that offers even more replayability.
The original Reus gave you just a single world upon which to paint your masterpiece of life. Reus 2 instead gives you an entire solar system, barren of habitation and ready for you to populate. The core mechanics remain largely the same: you control three giants (although you can now choose from a variety of them) who shape the land in various ways. Each biome they create has an affinity for producing a specific type of resource that the humans use, whether it’s food, wealth, or technology. You can now also choose the founding type of humans that will inhabit your planet, each with preferences for how they want their civilization to evolve. Completing a level earns you experience points, unlocking additional mechanics and, in loot-box-style fashion, new species of plants, animals, and minerals. The cycle now involves building a base planet, progressing through various stages of civilization, capping it off, and moving on to the next one, all while constructing your solar system.
Reus 2’s colour palette is more vibrant and dynamic than its predecessor’s, adopting an almost watercolor-style aesthetic. There’s much more detail to admire, with all the assets receiving a makeover for modern, higher resolutions that any current PC system can handle. Animations are smoother, biomes are more varied—it feels like the Reus of years past but with so much more. However, the out-of-game UI feels quite basic, a stark contrast to the in-game interface. This feels like an area that could’ve used more polish before release. Despite this minor nitpick, Reus 2 does a fantastic job of amplifying the original’s aesthetic to new heights.
The core mechanics now lean more heavily into the roguelike formula. Each new world is a roll of the dice in terms of which bonus nodes are available, what animals, plants, and minerals you have access to, and which civilization leaders will settle your world. You do retain some control to mitigate the worst of the RNG, as you can select your first settlers and the three giants you’ll use to craft the world. Additionally, there’s an in-level shop where you can spend the currency generated by your civilizations. This lets you unlock extra resources or push civilizations to act on your schedule rather than theirs. Many of these higher-order mechanics are initially locked, requiring you to earn experience points and unlock them over the course of several planets.
Once you’ve developed a good understanding of what works well, the game transitions back to its simpler strategy/base-building game loop, the core of the original. Here, you’ll figure out which nodes have bonuses, what resource types to place, and how they’ll help the civilization achieve its goals. From the handful of worlds I’ve crafted so far, it seems that most combinations of choices lead to a winnable planet without too much trouble—at least up to Tier 2 plants and animals (I didn’t reach Tier 3). Achieving this, however, might require some drastic changes to your original plans, especially if you don’t unlock the specific animal, plant, or mineral you were hoping for.
My admittedly basic approach was to create three biomes of roughly equal size on each planet. I’d then place civilizations on the borders between them to ensure I could unlock bonuses from any projects they started. If you’re just starting out, this method can be challenging since you’ll need a decent variety of resources to make it work. However, after completing a few planets, you should have all the tools you need. Progress in Reus 2 feels well-paced, consistently presenting new challenges just as you think you’ve mastered everything.
That said, the repetition eventually started to wear on me. While it’s fun to create new worlds and experiment with different builds, it doesn’t take long to try most of the main approaches. At that point, you’re just repeating the process with slightly different elements. I stopped before reaching Tier 3 and likely missed out on additional mechanics that might have kept the game engaging, but I felt I’d gotten my money’s worth. I don’t like playing beyond that as I tend to take a dimmer view on games that I might otherwise.
Reus 2 does exactly what you’d want a good sequel to do: take what made the original great and give you more of it in an improved way. The graphics are brighter and more detailed, the mechanics deeper and wider, and the replayability has shot up through the roof with the adoption of Roguelike mechanics. Whilst I enjoyed it for what it was I did find the repetition a bit too much after a while so I decided to leave it there. I won’t rule out going back to it someday though as it might be one of those games that can readily fill an itch for something without asking too much more of time.
Rating: 8.25/10
Reus 2 is available on PC right now for $36.50. Total playtime was 4 hours with 11% of the achievements unlocked.
