Constructing a city from the floor up is not any small feat — and in video video games, it’s a job that normally requires huge display actual property and a pair of readers to see all that tiny textual content. However with Outlanders 2 — the city builder/life sim developed by Pomelo Video games obtainable completely on Apple Arcade — I can construct a thriving city whereas I experience the subway to work or wait for my laundry at the laundromat.
A sequel to the common PC sport, Outlanders 2 maintains the unique’s aesthetic and vibe: the muted coloration palette, the low-poly characters, the thematic focus on nature, the nice acoustic guitar music. Meaning some gamers are in all probability disenchanted that they’ll’t play Outlanders 2 on their PCs, however this sport efficiently interprets the sometimes huge view of a city builder and all its intricate metrics for mobile — and in portrait mode, no much less.
Outlanders 2 can also be obtainable in panorama mode for Mac and in portrait for iPad, however it doesn’t matter what Apple system you employ, you’ll want an Apple Arcade subscription. As a frequent mobile sport participant, although (and as somebody with small arms), I like that I don’t have to carry my iPhone awkwardly in panorama mode or sit at my desk whereas enjoying a sport like this. What’s extra, the different mobile city builders I’ve performed are fraught with different mobile sport advertisements and prohibitive in-app purchases.
No matter my private infatuation with the existence of a giant sport I can play whereas I’m in transit, although, Outlanders 2 is simply plain enjoyable. Identical to the unique, the campaigns (known as tales in sport) are the place this sport actually stands out from others prefer it. First, you’ll progress via Pablo’s Quest, the place skilled outlander Pablo teaches a bunch of recent settlers (and the participant) how you can survive in the Outlands. The second story, Miranda’s Likelihood, focuses on an outlander with maybe an excessive amount of ambition who finds herself making an attempt to outlive in a harsh winter.
Every successive story and its three elements will get more and more troublesome, so each a part of the marketing campaign teaches you new gameplay mechanics, like how you can use a bonfire or how you can hold your settlers’ sense of neighborhood up. Outlanders 2 just isn’t punishing, however it’s sometimes difficult — and reaching the stretch achievements in every degree will get more durable as you progress alongside.
The interface for metrics is simplistic, relying on daring symbols and numbers to make it simpler to see on a small display, whereas nonetheless together with all the things it’s worthwhile to see: what number of sources you’ve, how completely happy the outlanders are, and the way far you’re in engaging in the targets of that degree. The attention icon allows you to toggle a mode that exhibits what number of settlers you’ve assigned to every construction, which is useful for taking a look at a look. Inserting buildings is simple with a touchscreen-friendly grid mode (although it’s a bit grabby when inserting roads), and the locked digital camera angle allows you to zoom out and in with out getting misplaced in area.
Pomelo Video games has additionally launched three new challenges — that are mini sandboxes with particular circumstances and targets — each two weeks since the sport was launched on July 3, and all of the archived challenges can be found to play indefinitely.
These deliberately designed, story-focused campaigns and challenges are the greatest a part of the sport and presumably the solely half value enjoying. The sandbox mode — obtainable from the soar as of some updates in the past — simply doesn’t measure up. For one, the maps are criminally small, with even much less playable area for inserting constructions, they usually don’t develop as you play. There’s no terraforming, which is okay, nevertheless it implies that if there’s a valley on your map, you’ll by no means have the ability to put your farm there. In reality, in my sandbox playthrough, there was just one usable space for a farm, which is considered one of the largest constructions you may place.
The sandbox additionally suffers from an absence of variability. The seasons don’t change (although there may be some intermittent climate), and there’s no strategy to improve buildings — as an alternative, you recycle them and add higher buildings, however there aren’t too many to select from.
It’s apparent why Pomelo Video games determined to make a sandbox mode for this sport; it’s one thing gamers have come to anticipate from city builders, and it’s a good way for gamers to get inventive in methods the builders didn’t consider. However I’ve discovered myself wishing Outlanders 2 had dedicated to a smaller sport with extra tales as an alternative. I additionally want the sport pressured me to unlock buildings and options by way of the marketing campaign; the sandbox mode comes with all the things unlocked, which takes the enjoyable out of working towards the subsequent degree.
Outlanders 2 alone in all probability isn’t sufficient to justify the $6.99 per thirty days for an Apple Arcade sub, but when you have already got one, it’s a must-play title. Furthermore, in case you initially refused to play Outlanders 2 as a result of it’s on mobile, right here’s my plea to provide it one other shot, if solely to play via these foolish, heartwarming tales in marketing campaign mode.
Outlanders 2 was launched July 3 on iOS and Mac. The sport was reviewed on an iPhone 15 utilizing a obtain code supplied by Apple. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These don’t affect editorial content material, although Vox Media could earn commissions for merchandise bought by way of affiliate hyperlinks. You could find further details about Polygon’s ethics coverage right here.
