Laid back mayoral duties.

QUEST LOG #37: TOWN TO CITY (DEMO)

Opinions on this title are based on the demo so it’s all subject to change.

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I’m partial to city builders, a good deal of my time on this earth has been spent on the likes of Sim City (specifically 4) and Cities Skylines, amongst others, so when the latest Steam Next Fest rolled around, I thought a bit of city building would suit me down to the ground.

Town to City, developed by Galaxy Grove and published by Kwalee is an indie city builder sim with an emphasis on creating a lovely European style settlement, expanding it from, as the title suggests, a town to a city. Within the demo, you’re limited to how far you can upgrade, but it gives you a good taste of what the game is all about, and for the most part, it’s about getting cosy and settling in for some slow paced management as you carefully nurture and grow your city, focusing not only on the workings of the place, but the beautification of it too. That’s where the graphics come in - I find the voxel aesthetic a little hit and miss, it often puts me off, but with something like Cloudpunk, for example, the choice worked incredibly well, especially when speeding around the city, seeing it from a bit of a distance. Close up, things looked a little too ropey for me, but with a city builder, it’s a birds eye view for the most part. Zooming out a little in this game ties it all together, but it still works close up, proving that aesthetics suit this game, only adding to the charm.

As I say, there is a huge focus on the aesthetics and this is clearly just as important as the functions of the city you’re creating, as evident by the huge range of decorative items you can place to make your town look better and feel more realistic and lived in. The game also features a very featureful camera mode too, for capturing the best of what your town has to offer. There are deeper features here though that reach beyond placing pretty flowers and ensuring all your streetlamps align. The management side of things is just as robust as any other city builder, with features such as worker assignment, warehouse distribution, citizen hippiness, retail and leisure options, mayoral duties, and lots more besides. The building options are also quite extensive, with a plentiful research tree to unlock, which grows in options with each milestone your town reaches.

Overall, while the demo only allows for you to go so far in advancing your town, what it does show you hints at a great potential for a very enjoyable game, one in which you could while away many cosy hours. Town to City is incredibly charming and it’s laid back mechanics remove any kind of stress that is often times baked in with these kinds of games. I had no raiding barbarians or famines to worry about… perhaps these kinds of features are in the later stages, but sometimes you don’t want all that. Town to City delivers on the relaxing experience it advertises, and does it all with a lovely bit of European inspired instrumental music to keep you company.

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Have you tried this on in the Steam Next Fest? If so, what did you think? Are you partial to city builders? This one is definitely going on the Wishlist. While you’re here, check out previous Next Fest posts, perhaps you’ll find something that has passed you by!

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Also, a big thank you to the TYPEDBYTOM Patreon/BMAC supporter(s) this month:

• Jamie B