Building America’s Industrial Empire, One Shipment at a Time
From the very first moments of Rise of Industry 2, it becomes clear that this is not a casual business sim. It’s a game that wants you to think, plan, and strategise like a true industrial tycoon.
Set against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s America, an era of booming capitalism, corporate takeovers and relentless ambition, this sequel invites you to construct a manufacturing empire from the ground up. The premise is exciting, the presentation is promising, and the ambition is undeniable. But as any entrepreneur knows, ambition without precision can lead to a few costly mistakes.
A Grand Industrial Ambition
The 1980s setting is one of the first things to grab your attention. There’s a certain nostalgic charm in the game’s neon-tinged presentation of big hair, bigger profits and the promise that technology could solve anything. You take on the role of a rising CEO ready to build an industrial powerhouse. From humble beginnings, you’ll develop factories, establish logistics networks, negotiate contracts and ultimately compete for dominance across the United States.
Each scenario in the campaign offers a new slice of industrial Americana. Whether you’re managing coal mines in the Midwest, running a brewery on the East Coast, or expanding your aviation business in the deserts of Nevada, the game’s campaign structure provides a healthy variety of challenges. These fifteen campaign missions teach you the ropes of production and expansion, while the sandbox mode lets you unleash your creativity without restrictions.
The presentation of these environments is pleasingly clear, if not especially lavish. Rise of Industry 2’s visual style leans into function over flash. Its bright, pastel-infused aesthetic feels reminiscent of the early days of computer-aided design, and it works. It might not be photorealistic, but it gives you a clear view of your industrial empire as it expands across the map.
The 1980s flavour runs throughout, from the retro interfaces to the catchy synth-pop soundtrack that hums away in the background, giving the game a distinct identity.
A Deep Strategy Game for the Patient
If you’ve ever enjoyed games like Transport Fever, Cities: Skylines, or the original Rise of Industry, you’ll immediately recognise the appeal. Rise of Industry 2 thrives on complexity. It expects players to build efficient, self-sustaining systems that span multiple industries. Every decision you make, from placing a road to signing a contract, has long-term consequences.
You’ll start small, producing basic goods like steel, plastic, or timber. Before long, you’ll find yourself juggling intricate production chains that require multiple input materials, power grids, and transportation routes. Each factory, mine and plant requires a constant flow of resources to keep running, and neglecting even one link in the chain can bring your entire network to a halt.
It’s a game that rewards precision and planning. Watching your factories hum with activity, your transport routes buzzing with trucks and trains, and your profits slowly rising provides a real sense of accomplishment. There’s a genuine satisfaction in seeing a supply chain you’ve meticulously designed come together like clockwork.
However, this same depth is also what makes the game less accessible. Rise of Industry 2 does not hold your hand for long. The tutorial introduces the basic mechanics, but once you’re through it, you’re on your own. The amount of information the game throws at you can be overwhelming, especially for newcomers. Understanding how to balance supply and demand, maintain profitability, and manage logistics simultaneously can feel like an uphill battle.
For experienced tycoon fans, this is exactly what they want. A dense, demanding system that rewards careful planning. But for others, the sheer amount of micromanagement can feel exhausting. You’ll spend more time staring at production statistics and adjusting numbers than admiring your factories in motion.
Interface and Performance Problems
Unfortunately, while the game’s ambition is impressive, its usability lets it down. The interface is dense and occasionally clumsy. There are menus within menus, tooltips that overlap and icons that aren’t always intuitive. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of information, especially as your network expands and the screen fills with overlapping structures and routes.
These issues are compounded on console, where the controls feel less than ideal. Navigating complex menus with a controller quickly becomes tedious, and it often feels like the interface was designed first for PC and only later adapted for gamepads. Tasks that should be simple, like rotating a building, selecting multiple units or adjusting production rates, require more steps than they should.
Performance is another sticking point. On smaller maps or during the early stages, things run smoothly enough. However, once your empire grows and hundreds of production chains start operating simultaneously, the framerate begins to drop. Stutters and momentary pauses become common, particularly when the camera pans across heavily developed areas.
Then there are the bugs. During my time with the game, I encountered several minor but persistent technical issues. Buttons occasionally stopped responding, tutorial prompts refused to progress, and contract screens sometimes failed to load properly. None of these are game-breaking, but they add up and contribute to a sense of frustration that undermines the otherwise satisfying gameplay loop. It’s a shame because the core of Rise of Industry 2 is genuinely solid, it’s just wrapped in a layer of rough edges in desperate need of sanding down.
Presentation and Audio
Where the game deserves real credit is in its presentation. There’s a clean, well-organised charm to its visual design. The maps are colourful, easy to read, and filled with little details that bring your industrial sprawl to life. Trucks rumble along highways, smokestacks puff clouds of exhaust, and workers bustle about. It’s not visually stunning, but it captures the mood of the era perfectly.
The audio design deserves a mention too. The music, infused with 1980s synths, is delightfully nostalgic. It adds energy to the gameplay without becoming repetitive or intrusive. The mechanical hums and factory noises help immerse you in the industrial atmosphere, and voice-overs in the campaign give the experience a touch of personality.
A Game for the Determined
At its core, Rise of Industry 2 is a game built for a very specific audience. It’s for players who thrive on challenge, who don’t mind a steep learning curve and who take real pride in perfecting every tiny detail of a complex system. If that sounds like you, then there’s a lot to appreciate here. The depth and potential for optimisation are remarkable. It offers a playground for strategic thinkers who enjoy building something intricate and enduring.
However, for those who prefer a smoother, more intuitive experience, the game can be a slog. Between the bugs, performance issues, and unwieldy interface, it’s difficult to recommend without reservation, especially on console. There’s potential here for greatness, but it needs refinement.
Still, when the systems work as intended, and your empire is ticking along beautifully, the sense of achievement is second to none. Watching your logistics empire operate seamlessly across vast regions is immensely satisfying. Rise of Industry 2 can be thrilling in those moments when everything finally clicks.
Rise of Industry 2 is a complex, ambitious, and occasionally frustrating industrial simulator. It captures the entrepreneurial spirit of the 1980s and gives players an impressive amount of freedom to craft their own success story. But that freedom comes at the cost of a steep learning curve, a cluttered interface and a handful of bugs that can derail your progress.
For veterans of the genre, there’s plenty to enjoy. The depth of its systems, the richness of its scenarios, and the satisfaction of mastering its mechanics are undeniable. But for casual players or newcomers, the experience may prove daunting.
Important Links
Power Suits & Production Lines – Rise of Industry 2 Builds its 80s Empire on Xbox Series X|S & PS5 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/power-suits-production-lines-rise-of-industry-2-builds-its-80s-empire-on-xbox-series-xs-ps5/
Climb the business ladder with Rise of Industry 2 – https://www.thexboxhub.com/climb-the-business-ladder-with-rise-of-industry-2/
Buy Rise of Industry 2 on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/rise-of-industry-2/9nnphl1hhr84
