Get set to make tiny pixel civilizations thrive again! Storm Alligator has followed up on the success of their original rough-and-ready Ludum Dare entry Tinysasters with the much-anticipated casual simulation followup Tinysasters 2: Rise of the Nexus, sure to become a touchstone of the city-building genre as this time they've thought to add in every nicety you could desire and buffed it all up to a brilliant glossy finish. Using your mouse you'll not only be growing flourishing civilizations, you'll also be fending off wave upon wave of natural disasters that only seem to become more frequent the more progress you make — because creating a utopia wouldn't be nearly as much fun without the challenge of warding off a string of atrocities, now would it?

If for some reason you haven't yet added fending off a series of geologic trials and tribulations to your repertoire, no problem! Tinysasters 2 comes with its own friendly alien-pixie-baby counselor who will helpfully show you just how to go about it. Each level's scenario has been designed as a sort of tutorial to show you how to better utilize the well-developed system of in-game tools available to you — something of which the tiny pixelated citizenry must surely approve as they dodge all the deliberately-engineered meteor showers, floods, tectonic shifts, and the like. You'll approve as well, because this one's not only well-developed, it features a cheery, optimistic look-and-feel, a rockin' soundtrack you can't help but want to improve the world to, and Endless and Time Attack modes you can unlock after making it through the first twelve levels. So get out there and grow those towns — because it's always the right day to make things better, and the right time for disasters is... well, never!

Editor's Note: On Thursday March 20th, we received notice from developers Storm Alligator that the version of this game we had received from another portal was hacked, stripping out valuable components in a way that negatively impacted both the creator and the sponsor. At their request, we took down the game and the review. Today, we received a new (legit!) version from Storm Alligator to host, and we thank them profusely for their patience!

Play Tinysasters 2: Rise of the Nexus