Perimeter 2: New Earth

I went into Perimeter 2: New Earth hoping the original's genuinely clever ideas had been polished into something worth recommending. They haven't. What KDV Games delivered in 2009 is a stripped-down RTS that borrows its predecessor's terraforming hook and then proceeds to misuse it at every turn. The core concept is still there on paper: two factions, the Exodus and the Harkback, fight over New Earth using terrain manipulation as their primary weapon. Exodus raises land out of water using power nodes and energy generators; Harkback floods the ground to build aquatic footholds. Each faction takes damage when the enemy converts their preferred terrain, which sounds like a genuinely layered asymmetric system. In practice it collapses into what reviewers at the time accurately called a tug-of-terrain war. You spam energy generators, convert ground, spam light units from factories, send them forward. Reset. The perimeter shields themselves, which should create interesting defensive decisions, end up being mandatory turtling infrastructure rather than a tactical option. There is one resource (energy), one strategic axis (expand or die), and the decision tree closes off faster than it opens. The Providence, a direct-action super-weapon that lets you call in meteor showers, tornadoes, and explosions, is the game's attempt to inject action-game spectacle. Psy-crystals scattered across maps unlock and upgrade these attacks, adding a light RPG layer. The problem is that the AI is passive enough that these powers rarely feel earned or necessary. Unit tiers exist (light, medium, heavy factories map loosely to early, mid, and late game), and units can transform, but the transformation system is a shadow of the modular unit morphing the original Perimeter was known for. Faction differentiation is thin: the Exodus and Harkback play nearly identically except for which terrain color you prefer painting the map. Localization is a recurring problem throughout the single-player campaigns. The translation toggles between functional English, fractured phrasing, and occasional lines that were apparently never dubbed at all, delivering in what sounds like Russian. The voiceover work is poor across the board, the story is hard to follow despite the lore being genuinely interesting on paper, and the maps are samey enough that mission variety never saves the pacing. A post-launch patch (version 1.01) adjusted balance on the Harkback Golem unit and tried to fix AI scripts, but the underlying design problems are not patchable. There is no mod ecosystem, no community activity to speak of, and no signs of further support. As a strategy specialist I can tell you that the strategic depth here does not hold up to an honest session. The original Perimeter had a spatial puzzle quality that made it unusual in the genre. This sequel traded that for a generic expansion loop with a terraforming skin on top. If you have never played the original, that game is the one worth your time. Perimeter 2 is a historical curiosity at best, a frustrating dead end at worst. Diego, Scout Team

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