As a long time city builder(spreadsheet gamer)player this is what I'd call a working man's city builder. You have a goal, you need to get to it.

It has just the right amount of progression mixed in with the ideal game length to keep you playing daily. The game evolves and constantly gets updates so there are no “guides” that fit, the ideal way to play is to discover it yourself. The settlements are the ideal game time so you can actually experiment and discover the game yourself instead of watching some YouTube video or guide. This is what games used to be like back in the old days…

If you’re looking for something like Anno or Skylines, this is not the game for you, if you’re looking at a condensed version of Banishes, Tropico, Pharaoh, Farthest Frontier and similar production cycle managers this is a game for you.

Don’t get me wrong you can build a nice looking city, it’s just that the city part is there purely for decoration, functionally you can build houses anywhere as long as they’re built the game won’t care. This is a resource management game, much like Anno but condensed into 30 minutes to 2 hour long mini settlements.

I love playing it once or twice a day when I feel like it and I have time. There is an obvious start and an obvious end. You won’t go on just “one more turn”.

I also have to praise the progression system as it keeps you engaged and after 44 hours I’m still sort of at the middle of it. Just the right amount to keep you casually playing and chugging along. Creating a pleasant progression cycle that keeps you engaged.

This is not your “I'm going to make a super pretty city simulator” and it has a time limit. This will annoy and outright make a lot of people quit, but this is fine. Not every game is for everyone. So before you buy consider

Game respect your time
Manageable sessions between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on speed
Really good graphics, nice looking
Races keep things interesting
In Early Access better than most released games

It’s not for everyone (The game has fundamentally a limit on time that will lead to anxiety and beig mad for some people, losing in the game is normal but for a lot of city builder players this is not something they’re used to experiencing)
Honestly considering how the devs listen to feedback and constantly refine the meta, I find it hard to put any concrete cons of the gameplay loop. I’m reading negative reviews and their comments on the current “meta” even from 1 month ago are already outdated (Tool Meta).

EDIT: The developers continue to update it like crazy even after release, and so far the DLC has been fantastic.

[h2]Working Mans City Builder [/h2] As a long time city builder(spreadsheet gamer)player this is what I'd call a working man's city builder. You have a goal, you need to get to it. It has just the right amount of progression mixed in with the ideal game length to keep you playing daily. The game evolves and constantly gets updates so there are no “guides” that fit, the ideal way to play is to discover it yourself. The settlements are the ideal game time so you can actually experiment and discover the game yourself instead of watching some YouTube video or guide. This is what games used to be like back in the old days… If you’re looking for something like Anno or Skylines, this is not the game for you, if you’re looking at a condensed version of Banishes, Tropico, Pharaoh, Farthest Frontier and similar production cycle managers this is a game for you. Don’t get me wrong you can build a nice looking city, it’s just that the city part is there purely for decoration, functionally you can build houses anywhere as long as they’re built the game won’t care. This is a resource management game, much like Anno but condensed into 30 minutes to 2 hour long mini settlements. I love playing it once or twice a day when I feel like it and I have time. There is an obvious start and an obvious end. You won’t go on just “one more turn”. I also have to praise the progression system as it keeps you engaged and after 44 hours I’m still sort of at the middle of it. Just the right amount to keep you casually playing and chugging along. Creating a pleasant progression cycle that keeps you engaged. This is not your “I'm going to make a super pretty city simulator” and it has a time limit. This will annoy and outright make a lot of people quit, but this is fine. Not every game is for everyone. So before you buy consider [h3]Pros[/h3] Game respect your time Manageable sessions between 30 minutes and 2 hours depending on speed Really good graphics, nice looking Races keep things interesting In Early Access better than most released games [h3]Cons[/h3] It’s not for everyone (The game has fundamentally a limit on time that will lead to anxiety and beig mad for some people, losing in the game is normal but for a lot of city builder players this is not something they’re used to experiencing) Honestly considering how the devs listen to feedback and constantly refine the meta, I find it hard to put any concrete cons of the gameplay loop. I’m reading negative reviews and their comments on the current “meta” even from 1 month ago are already outdated (Tool Meta). EDIT: The developers continue to update it like crazy even after release, and so far the DLC has been fantastic.