Though I remember growing up with city building games like Sim City, and always looked forward to the next numerical instalment being released every half-decade or so with a new coat of paint and technological improvements, sometimes you just need a more refined, direct experience that breaks the mould of what was done before, and forges ahead with its own identity. Drawn to its 19th-century Mediterranean designs, with the game leaving Steam Early Access with a surprisingly quick turnaround time, all things considered, Town To City drew me in with its cozy vibes and interesting use of voxel visuals. but did it thrive past the first impressions? Read on to find out in my review of Galaxy Grove and Kwalee’s Town to City for the PC.
When you first set foot in Town to City, you’re handed a quaint little plot and a handful of townsfolk who walk you through the basics, teaching you how to spend your money on houses and shops, where to place them, and how to fuss over the finer details with decorations. True to the cozy games vibes they are clearly going for, there is a gentle rhythm that isn’t too stringent, and offers a gameplay loop that also allows you to focus on the beautiful vistas: you build homes, you assign families to them, and you keep everyone content, because happiness is the engine that drives your economy and brings fresh faces into town by way of the train station. Newcomers only arrive when your residents are satisfied, so there’s a tidy bit of cause and effect at play, and you’ll soon find yourself laying out roads, slotting in food stalls within range of the homes that need them, and routing goods from the train through warehouses and out to your stalls. It never buries you under the weight of systems the way the bigger names in the genre tend to – there are no city-wide ordinances or cycles of immense debt you will need to worry about. Problems do crop up, though they’re rarely more taxing than reshuffling workers or making sure a family with particular tastes gets a home that meets their architectural requirements.
As your town finds its feet, the game starts handing you more to play with. The research centre lets you spend points earned by your workers to unlock new buildings and upgrades, while reaching population milestones opens up fresh tiers of progression, such as adding a second storey to your houses or improving your roads down the track. Push far enough, and you’ll unlock entirely new areas to build upon. Each one asks you to start the process afresh while keeping the upgrades you’ve already earned, and these bring farming and crop management into the mix to keep your city fed and growing. Terraforming is another nicely implemented feature, and while the brushes take a little patience to wrap your head around, the payoff is worth it once you’re carving snaking paths and perching your mayoral home atop a cliff for that picture-perfect look. The customisation runs deep enough – meeting a good balance between customisability and accessibility, and whether you’re chasing a beautiful, orderly settlement or just want to see what is possible through organised (or disorganised) chaos, the tools are there to call it your own.
I think the big thing about Town to City isn’t its gameplay, but rather how the game looks and feels. The voxel pixel art style is a treat, and while not uncommon to see in the “indie” gaming space nowadays, it strikes a good balance between being its own thing and delivering detail, clarity, along with more than a little bit of quirkiness when viewed up close. The soundtrack embraces the same cosy mood with soft, soothing tracks that never demand your attention but quietly round out the atmosphere, and the same goes for the mild ambient touches in the sound design.
In the end, that city-building game itch isn’t always best scratched by another big-budget instalment with a fresh coat of paint, and Town to City proves a smaller, more refined experience can establish its own identity and stand tall beside the genre’s heavyweights. It prevails well past those first impressions, trading complexity for charm and affording a creative sandbox that respects both your time and your imagination. It won’t be for everyone, and those after deep strategy may find the tempo a little forgiving, but if you’re after something cosy and easy to lose an afternoon to, this one more than earns its place.
Final Score for Town to City
We would like to acknowledge the publisher for providing us with a digital code of Town to City to facilitate this review.
Town to City is now available, out of Early Access, for PC via Steam.
