Rise of Industry 2 (PC) Review

Introduction

Rise of Industry 2 drops you into a spreadsheet-wrapped simulation of 1980s industrial America. Think Cities: Skylines, but strip out the charm and stack in logistics. It’s not about beautiful cityscapes—it’s about bleeding every last dollar out of production chains to please your shareholders.

Gameplay

Rise of Industry 2 is an ambitious management sim with a scope that borders on daunting. You start by selecting an investor—each with their own goals—then build sprawling industrial networks across mining, farming, timber, chemicals, and advanced processing. You’ll route electricity and water, manage storage hubs, unlock loading docks, and coordinate shipments between facilities.

Contracts drive the economy forward. You’ll import dyes or chemicals when local supply chains can’t meet demand, juggle utility thresholds, manage housing needs for your workforce, and push research projects forward at a crawl. When the system finally clicks and your production lines hum in sync, it’s genuinely rewarding—but getting there can feel like assembling a jet engine from scratch.

The campaign takes you through thematically distinct regions like Cleveland (steel), Vermont (timber and paper), and Milwaukee (beer), each with scenario goals that force you into different resource specializations. Your executive team adds both utility and character—cutting deals, expanding services—but unfortunately, key metrics are buried behind tabs and submenus that demand constant screen-hopping. As your empire grows, so does the chaos: alerts flood the screen, performance takes a hit, and micromanagement turns into spreadsheet warfare.

Visuals

Before you dive in, check your resolution and UI scale from the main menu—the game can default to a comically large interface that feels slapped on with oven mitts.

That said, the visual style is clean and charming. With a colorful, cartoony palette and clear building silhouettes, the presentation captures a nostalgic retro vibe. Maps are easy to read, and everything has a practical clarity—at least in the early game. As your network balloons, the once-tidy UI becomes cluttered with pop-ups, and framerate dips tarnish the flow during critical moments.

Audio

The synth-heavy soundtrack leans hard into the ’80s—upbeat, breezy, and not far off from a corporate training video. It fits the theme and wisely avoids intruding. Sound effects are minimal but effective: factories hum, trucks honk, coins clink. It’s background ambiance that sets the tone without wearing out its welcome.

Pros

• Regional Variety: Each scenario—from Cleveland’s steel foundries to Milwaukee’s breweries—offers distinct resources and production challenges.
• Meaningful City Interaction: Worker housing, utility contracts, and municipal partnerships help root your operations in local economies.
• Replayability: A full campaign and sandbox mode give plenty of room for experimentation with strategies and industry types.

Cons

Verdict

Rise of Industry 2 is what happens when you turn a city builder into a logistics simulator built for boardrooms. Every move is a calculated ROI, and every success is a line item on a profit report. For players who crave deep micromanagement, supply chain intricacies, and hardcore industrial puzzles, this is your jam. For everyone else, it’s likely to be an overwhelming blur of menus and metrics.

Score: 6/10
Fun in bursts, but bogged down by clutter and complexity.