EarthX 2 Review Summary

An improved, addictive sequel with satisfying gameplay and a solid early access base, though bugs, clunky complexity, and a missing tutorial can frustrate.

Strong sequel improvement: Players consistently describe the game as a substantial upgrade over the first EarthX title. Many consider it expanded, better, and a huge improvement overall.

Addictive satisfying gameplay: The core gameplay loop is frequently called addictive, fun, and satisfying. Reviewers highlight managing logistics, missions, and ship building as engaging.

Solid early access state: Despite being in Early Access, the game is considered well done and playable now. Players feel it is a decent experience even before full release.

Promising base for future: Many see the bones of an incredibly fun game and a great base for something amazing. Announcements suggest more content is on the way.

Good localization support: The official localization is high quality, and the developer listened to feedback about adding languages like Ukrainian. This responsiveness is appreciated.

Poor Game Polish and Bugs: The game feels rough, buggy, and unpolished, with issues like overlapping subtitles and loading failures. Many reviewers feel it is not ready for early access.

Clunky and Complicated Experience: The game feels clunky, overly complicated, and poorly thought out, with many mechanics feeling janky. Basic usability and intuitive design are missing.

Missing Tutorial Frustrates Players: Multiple reviewers report no tutorial or guidance, leaving players to guess basic mechanics and rely on external resources. This makes starting the game confusing and inaccessible for newcomers.

Unintuitive Menus and UI: The research menu, camera controls, game speed settings, and building system are confusing and hidden, often requiring external tutorials. Basic usability features are missing or poorly implemented.

Random Rocket Explosions Cause Frustration: Rockets explode unpredictably due to a percentage-based system, even on simple early launches. This forces save scumming and makes progression feel luck-based and unfair.

Space company management sim: Players describe the game as a management simulation where you run a space company, accepting contracts and launching rockets rather than building them like in KSP. The focus is on strategic planning and resource management.

Rocket launches can fail: Many players note that rocket launches can fail and cause explosions, adding risk and challenge. This mechanic was changed from a percentage-based system in beta to a different system for Early Access.

Manage rockets, satellites, stations: The core gameplay involves launching and managing rockets, satellites, and space stations. Players accept contracts and plan launches with specific payloads and timing.

Moon landing and return: Specific missions like flying to the moon, landing, and returning are mentioned, with mechanics for scrapping crafts on the moon and rocket return. These are key parts of the gameplay loop.

Logistics across planets and moons: Players highlight the complexity of managing logistics across multiple planets and moons, including resource management and transportation. This adds depth to the simulation.

4K text readability issue: Players report that at 4K resolution, text becomes too small or blurry to read due to scaling problems. This negatively impacts the overall usability and enjoyment of the game on high-resolution displays.

Positive purchase recommendation: Several clusters explicitly recommend buying the game, indicating overall satisfaction. This positive word of mouth could attract new players.

Appeals to specific genres: Clusters highlight the game's appeal for fans of space games, company games, or city-builders. This indicates a niche but dedicated audience.

Recommended for fans of first: A cluster specifically recommends the game to fans of the first installment, indicating continuity and satisfaction among the existing fanbase.

EarthX 2's opening is blocked by a missing tutorial and an unintuitive research menu, with reviewers reporting they needed outside guides or trial and error simply to get started, while random rocket-launch failures frustrate early progression. Those who push through still describe the game positively, but no review ties the shift to fun to a specific in-game event.

Friction: No tutorial at all; players must guess what to do to get started; Research menu so unintuitive that reviewers needed a YouTube tutorial just to find it; Early and mid-game progression very hard without save scumming because rocket launches explode randomly; Research and buildings gated behind extra clicks, then hunting for where to place them; UI scaling makes text unreadable and targeting awkward; Early-game economy easily collapses.

Unlock drivers: Watching an external YouTube tutorial to locate the research menu; Treating the missing tutorial as a skill issue, i.e. learning the systems by trial and error until they make sense.

Franchise Builder Fan: Plays space company, management, and city-builder games with a focus on base growth and iterative improvement. Motivation: Continue building and managing a space company or city in a sequel that improves on the prior game. Stance: buy.

Early Access Pragmatist: Engages with the current early access build, accepts bugs and possible wipes, and focuses on immediate playability and price. Motivation: Get early access value and play a developing management game despite the risks of instability or progress loss. Stance: buy.

Disappointed Strategy Veteran: Compares systems against other strategy games and expects competent, non-clunky design before investing time. Motivation: Find a polished, well-designed strategy experience with mechanics that meet experienced genre standards. Stance: no buy.

Improvement over EarthX 1: Reviewers consistently note that the sequel is a substantial upgrade over the original EarthX, with better UI, animations, and overall design. Many consider it an evolution that makes the first game feel outdated.

Game remains in Early Access: The title is currently available through Steam Early Access and is still in the early stages of development. Reviewers highlight that it is playable but not yet complete.

Limited content at launch: Some players feel the amount of available content is insufficient for a full release, though the developer has announced plans to add more. A roadmap is in place to expand the game over time.

Responsive developer communication: The developer is praised for being fast and responsive to player feedback, although one incident where a developer replied 'that's funny' on the forum was noted. Overall, communication is seen as positive.

Ukrainian language support included: The game offers Ukrainian language support, which is appreciated by at least one reviewer. Multilingual localization is available from release.