An exclusive first look at The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores

Fans of 2018 classic The Bonfire: Forsaken Lands rejoice because today - as part of Pocket Gamer LaunchPad - we're pleased to exclusively showcase gameplay from the survival management game's ambitious sequel: The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores.

While the first game - which released for iOS in 2018, and Android late last year - had you rebuild, train and expand a town in order to expand against the darkness, the second changes the perspective to an extremely fresh-feeling isometric angle. While there are, mechanically, a lot of similarities, the use of 3D space really makes it feel like you are developing a few stragglers into a civilization strong enough to fight back the darkness.

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We've been lucky enough to go hands-on with the sequel, and it is impressive how much of the feeling of the original game is present despite the massive visual overhaul. Each tribesperson still feels personal - especially now that they have portraits - with their traits and strengths shining through. And, above all else, the fear and dread around the approaching darkness still completely dominates the peacefulness of the daytime.

The switch out of the 2D, side-on view to an isometric RTS style is more than just a camera shift, the flexibility of deciding where you can place your buildings doesn't just give you more choices to make, but gives you an additional layer of strategy over the first title. For a start, when the creatures of the night attack your town your villagers will attempt to flee or fight - in the early game, this looks like a bee-line to the row of trees along the back of your town. A short while in and you can effectively direct your workers through careful construction.

The Bonfire 2: Uncharted Shores is currently targeting a Summer 2020 release for mobile platforms and Steam.