Portals, crafting, and short bursts of survival — launch impressions
Reviewed on PC.Score: 5/10
As fans eagerly awaited the Grand Emprise 2, many had launch impressions about its high-paced, portal-hopping survival crafting adventure across themed fantasy biomes. It’s framed as a mostly linear, one-time ride (not a sandbox), with short sections to keep momentum — more of a guided push through zones than a long-term “live there” survival sim. The early appeal is the quick loop of gathering, crafting, and moving on, but the pacing can get interrupted when portals don’t behave cleanly or transitions feel rough. When it clicks, there’s a fun “one more portal” pull as you chase upgrades and better gear, but the foundation feels unpolished right now. Sequel to Grand Emprise: Time Travel Survival.
Trailer
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Key features (from the developer)
- Fantasy worlds: hop between worlds via portals.
- Gathering & crafting: tools, weapons, resources.
- Base building & power: stations and generators.
- Combat: multiple bosses with a difficulty setting.
- Traversal: upgrades for faster movement across biomes.
A neon-lit portal scene from Grand Emprise 2: Portals Apart (launch build, Aug 6, 2025).
Launch Impressions
Tested at native 5K, performance stayed under 60 FPS whether set to Low or Ultra. I fell into a clunky farming/survival loop with little guidance, hit a few glitches, and had a crash to desktop. The current Steam build (Aug 6, 2025) feels closer to a very early alpha than a full launch. Even basics like onboarding and feedback for objectives need work, and the rough edges pile up fast once you start hopping between biomes. I can’t recommend it right now; I’ll revisit after patches and optimization.
Grand Emprise 2: Portals Apart
Release Date: August 6, 2025
Genre: Action, Adventure, Indie, RPG, Simulation
Developer/Publisher: Tbjbu2 | GrabTheGames
Platforms: PC (Steam)
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Written by Ronny Fiksdahl, Founder & Editor of Fix Gaming Channel.
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