Highrise City – Spotlight

SimCity Built It is still very much in my head when I look at this. This is by no means a compliment for a PC game. If you’re looking for the next big city building game, this is the best bet right now. Cities: Skyline + Cities XXL + Industry Giant II + probably some other simulation games from the past 20 years are all I can think of as the basis for this game.

The game’s description states that the economy is a major part of the gameplay. When you think about it, it doesn’t feel like capitalism at all. It has a strong SimCity Built It vibe to it. Many parts of the game necessitate waiting patiently for enough of the most basic resources to be produced, rather than enjoying the process of carefully planning a product chain or balancing supply and demand. You won’t even be able to start making tools for a few hours into the game, if your city’s map provides you with all the ingredients you’ll need. Your business will come to a grinding halt if you try to exchange tools. And the constant use of credit further annoys me throughout the game.

Finally, the game’s goal is unique among city-building games. A few hours into the game, I can’t say that this difference is making me happy. Since the beginning of a new map, there has been a constant conflict between the need for citizens to be satisfied and the lack of resources. Without a few alarms reminding me that citizens are unsatisfied with yet unknown consequences, I am unable to continue expanding the city at a pace I enjoy. However, even though this is a critical part of the game, I’m currently more exhausted than excited when dealing with all of the issues that have arisen.

I used to think that combining city-building with economic simulation would be a winning combination. This game serves as a good reminder that things don’t just appear out of thin air.

I’m crossing my fingers that the early access version of the game can be refined. The next city-building mega-game has been long overdue, and this one appears to be worth the wait. Though I can no longer request a refund, I’m happy to support a team that is actually working on a city-building game that I enjoy.