Frostpunk 2 is a labour of love, so far demonstrating everything we needed from a sequel set in the grim ever-winter of Frostland. Challenging, complex, and gorgeously bleak, it channels the spirit of the original and reinvigorates it with an infusion of new mechanics, reworked gameplay, and a narrative dripping with the sense of desperate survivalism that helped Frostpunk 1 stand apart in the city-builder genre.

So what can you expect? Could it end up surpassing the first instalment entirely? And is there enough here to suggest what the final product may have in store for us? In this Frostpunk 2 Preview, we’ll break down our initial impressions, and why we’re hopeful the full release may be one of the best games we see this year.