City Builders isn’t a genre of games I play often. It’s pretty easy for the game to be overwhelming, with too many tasks to manage. I have enough stress already, and I don’t need my games added to it. Another issue is that the games fall into a common trap: repetitiveness. However, when I found myself obsessing over the Republic of Pirates, I found myself wondering why. City Builders tend to have similar gameplay as there are only so many ways we can define a city. At its core, it has seen limited evolution.
I found the answer within Republic of Pirates and a few other titles we reviewed this year. These games showcase a City Builder’s capability to work with gameplay elements from other genres. I would even argue that City Builders needs elements from other genres, especially RTS games, to succeed and evolve.
What Is A City Builder?
City Builders are the most approachable and fascinating sub-genre of Simulation games. All of us live in a society, so we can understand the goals without introduction. However, it also has the most potential for complexity. It challenges the player to use the game’s rules to create a system, a living city, from scratch. Whereas other sims ask us to work within existing systems.
As a result, City Builders has the best aspects of a strategy game, like task management and planning. It also has the best element of simulations—recognizability. And it allows players the freedom of creativity to build the system as they please.
These strengths are also its weaknesses, forming a constraint on gameplay and on how we can build a city.
The Evolution Thus Far
City Builders usually start you off with basic structures and some resources, which draws in workers (population). You grow your city with them, assigning them to industry buildings to mine resources and make money. Depending on the game’s goal, you also care for their well-being with decorations, admin buildings, etc. Success is about finding the balance between economic and city growth and populace happiness.
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This basic gameplay hasn’t changed since its first iteration in Sim City (1989). Sim City’s biggest failing is that it had no goals. While it provided a lot of creative freedom, a key draw for this genre, players had to be self-motivated to keep playing. Without goals, there is no sense of progression, and the games feel repetitive.
So the devs delivered, creating the only way the core gameplay could change by adding Missions and Themes. Historical settings gave players time-accurate cities and constraints, and fantasy of sci-fi themes reimagined the cities and technology. We also saw developers change the level of complexity. There were complex titles whose details and the need for micro-management appealed to niche players. And simpler ones for casual gamers like me who wanted creative freedom without the stress.
The real evolution, however, happened when devs added in RTS elements like combat (simplified) or relationship building and diplomacy. And elements from other genres, of course. Let me walk you through three games from this year to show you what I mean.
Folding In The Special Sauce
RTS Inspired Combat- Republic of Pirates
Theme: Pirates! This is an immediate win in my book. Like… they sing sea shanties when you click on the ships! You play as a Pirate Captain trying to set up a Pirate Utopia in the Caribbean and get revenge on some other treacherous factions.
Gameplay: Standard, if simple, City Building fare. Build housing around a harbor to attract pirates. Get resources from industry buildings. Keep them happy with Taverns and Brothels. The game automatically assigns workers, so it’s relatively stress-free.
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Where it stands out: The real fun of Republic of Pirates lies in developing your fleet. You choose which ships to build, recruit captains, and then fight pirates or navy ships moving through the territory. The combat isn’t complicated but has enough strategy considerations to make it interesting. Captains provide different kinds of buffs, as do the ships. Then there is which enemy to attack, if they might have allies, and when to trigger special attacks to get through a battle. Your fleet is a real-time test of decision-making as well as the current prowess of your settlement.
As you grow, the game introduces other strategy elements: making allies with other pirate factions, Characters like the Madame of the Brothel, and even Royal Naval Units like the East India Company. So, while the City Building is a key aspect of this game, it serves as the foundation for these little tests.
Diplomacy & Relationships- Fabledom
Theme: You are tasked with creating a fairytale kingdom. Dragons, Ogres, and Witches are included!
Gameplay: This is a medieval-inspired city builder. It is pretty standard, if a little more detailed than ROP, where you have to assign the incoming population as workers, soldiers, etc. Since it is a medieval setup, you can also build housing based on nobility tiers, as long as you can get them. Finding them and heroes is based on simple click-through quests that might involve basic combat.
Where it Stands out: Fabledom is built around a robust relationship and trade system. As you build, you meet the rulers of other kingdoms on the continent. By expending resources, completing quests, and conversation options, you make allies/enemies and trades. Eventually, you can romance one to make them your Royal Consort, a key step in finding your ‘Happily Ever After.’ The relationship system changes the texture of the game, requiring you to strategize for more than just the development of your Kingdom.
Redefining A City Builder- Roots of Yggdrasil
Theme: Ragnarok is here, trapping all the realms in a never-ending look of destruction and rebirth as the world tree barely hangs on. You play as Sunna, as she leads her ship to the top of Yggdrasil looking for survivors and the magic, as well as answers, to survive the end of the world.
Gameplay/ Where it stands out: Roots of Yggdrasil is a turn-based, Deck-Building, Rogue-like City Builder. Yep, the game blends three genres and rethinks ‘City Building’ by adding goals from the other genres. And it plays like a dream.
You begin a loop with a companion who provides different development buffs and a deck of cards that indicate the types of structures you can build. To travel up the tree, you must refuel at different realm islands by developing them to tap into Yggdrasil’s energy.
Landing triggers your first turn, using cards from the draw pile to build (1 card = 1 structure; they all have different building requirements and effects). You end the turn when you run out of cards or building supplies. This resets your cards and moves time forward, bringing destruction closer. As you develop your might, and over the turns, you explore (to open the map and find artifacts), fight, and build until you meet each island’s goals. As you travel the tree, you also find upgrades and artifacts.
When you finally lose the race to Ginnungagap, you reset back at the base, where you can use collected artifacts and items to permanently upgrade the team, the deck, and your skills. You also gain permanent buffs by building a permanent settlement here.
