Geneforge 2

Developed and published by Spiderweb Software, Geneforge 2 continues the studio's tradition of delivering deep, choice-driven role-playing experiences that prioritize imagination over presentation. Released during an era when many RPGs were chasing larger budgets and increasingly cinematic storytelling, Geneforge 2 instead doubled down on player freedom and intricate world-building. Set in the mysterious frontier of Drypeak, the game places players in the shoes of a young Shaper, a member of an elite order capable of creating and controlling living beings. What begins as a routine expedition soon unfolds into a complicated struggle involving rogue creations, competing ideologies, and difficult decisions that shape the fate of an entire region. The most compelling aspect of Geneforge 2 is its commitment to meaningful choice. The game presents numerous factions, each with understandable goals and flaws, and consistently asks players to determine where their loyalties lie. There is rarely a simple distinction between right and wrong. The Shapers seek order and stability, while many of their creations desire freedom from their masters. Other groups occupy the gray areas in between, cr…

It's old and has a little jank. If you're familiar with 90s/00s-era pc games, this will feel familiar. If you can get past those boundaries, this is one of the best-written worlds I've ever experienced. The depth of the ethical questions contained in this world is impressive, even if it takes itself "too seriously" sometimes. The lore is cool to get sucked into. The game mechanics, for a turn-based rpg, are plenty fun. Spells, summoning, combat, but also mechanics, diplomacy, clever tricks. The biggest appeal is that instead of recruiting NPCs in the world to join your party, you create mutant monsters, a mechanic which is imbedded at the heart of the sci-fi fantasy drama this game holds. There's a large degree of freedom in this game. 3 classes to choose from and 4 optional factions you can join. You could slaughter every single living creature in this game and still complete it. You could also not hurt a fly. I have mounds of nostalgia for this series. If this sounds appealing, but you can't get past the noticeable age of the graphics and UI, check out the 2025 remake, Geneforge 2 - Infestation. It's got even more content and many quality-of-life fixes.

I don't really think it's very good. It's also very hard, and very easy to just make builds that are useless. So, the most enjoyment I got out of this game was reverse engineering the save game format to give myself a zillion stat points, and steamrolled over it. Meta, given the game's storyline. Anyway, it's kind of a Temu Fallout at the end of the day.

Ran better than Geneforge 1 did for me; is mostly more of the same but bigger and better. A good sequel that expands on the world building.

fun game

Geneforge 2 is too big for its own good. 15 hours in and not even halfway done, I decided to use cheats to turn the game into a point and click adventure just to see the story (the only reason for playing any Geneforge game). Even "playing" the game this way is still taking far, far longer than it should. I cannot imagine the time investment required to play this game through to multiple endings normally. This game was made with a toothpick and some string and copy-pasted assets; that the game requires as much time as it does with as many sloppy and infuriating design decisions as it has is just insulting. But it's Geneforge. So it gets a pass. From me. Not for you. Play up until the frustration exceeds the fun and then use cheats to see the rest through, or expect to invest at least 35 hours into this game for a single run.