Reus 2 Nintendo Switch 2 / Xbox Impressions – Not For Console?
Reus 2 has launched on the Nintendo Switch and Xbox and while there obviously a really solid game here for fans of “god games” to enjoy, I’m not sure the home console, even one that is portable like the Nintendo Switch, is the ideal place to play this.
In Reus 2, players will terraform planets and settle a variety of different tribes on them. These tribes will have leaders who like or want specific things, and the city of each tribe will task you with specific quests it wants you to accomplish.
The planet is broken up into little wedges, and each wedge can be terraformed into a specific biome, whether forests, deserts or lacks. After being created, players can add wildlife, foliage, and minerals to the area, which will produce food, science, and wealth. Specific resources will be given a bonus if next to something else, so it’s always good to see what kind of synergies you can create with what you’ve unlocked.
As you quest and draft new biome tiles you can expand further and further, eventually moving off planets and onto new ones. The game is divided into eras, and as you progress from one to the next, new things will become available.
The game is incredibly charming, with the three giants lumbering about your planet creating animal habitats, trees and bushes, and minerals. Even when things get a bit stressful, there is something oddly relaxing and calming about terraforming a planet and helping humans advance themselves. It’s all so perfect, in fact, that it’s a shame I don’t play games on PC via Steam.
I think there is a lot to love about Reus 2, but the controls are not one of them. The development team has done as good a job as possible mapping areas of the user interface to face buttons so you can fly around the menus as fast as possible, but this is obviously a game that excels with mouse and keyboard. I feel just not enough thought went into mapping this game for a controller.
This is purely a controls issue, mind you, because the game here is actually fantastic. And if you are willing to put in the work navigating these screens, then perhaps Reus 2 is a game you will enjoy on your Xbox or Nintendo Switch. For me, it’s just a bit too cumbersome to keep going with; that said, if you own a PC, I would recommend getting this 100%!
Article By Adam
