BalanCity
- July 29, 2016
- MeNic Games
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamBalanCity is a single-player city-building simulation game that combines elements of SimCity and Jenga. You must construct towering cities on a platform while keeping your citizens happy and avoiding various disasters. The game features Free Build, Missions, and Scenarios modes, offering a mix of sandbox and goal-oriented gameplay for players to enjoy. Gameplay lasts around 2 hours to beat.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Mobile Platform
Reviews
- The game is fun, addictive, and offers a unique twist on city building with its balancing mechanics.
- It has a variety of scenarios and missions that keep the gameplay interesting, along with cute graphics.
- Many players find it a great way to relax and enjoy short bursts of gameplay, making it a good time killer.
- The game can become repetitive quickly, leading to boredom after a short period of play.
- There are numerous bugs and issues, including crashes and problems with the tutorial, which can frustrate players.
- The controls can be unintuitive, and the game lacks features like a proper save system and volume control.
- story34 mentions
- 12 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal, primarily conveyed through tutorial missions and scenarios set in iconic cities like Tokyo, London, and New York, with a moral emphasizing resilience in the face of adversity. Players encounter various challenges, including unexpected disasters and balancing issues, which detract from the overall narrative experience. While the missions are engaging and offer a mix of fun mechanics, the lack of a cohesive story and frequent technical problems hinder the gameplay experience.
“Moral of the story: you never know what life has in store for you, and if I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
“It starts out simple, giving you some handy tutorial missions to show and unlock the basics, then goes crazy with fun, one-level gimmicks like altered gravity, a bizarre metaphor for bridging the gap between the rich and the poor, and playing as a giant fire-breathing reptile.”
“There are missions you have to complete to unlock more blocks, and scenarios where you build landmarks from famous cities... plus there's Godzilla.”
“☑ no story”
“Impossible to finish some missions or scenarios because the game crashes every time.”
“No proper audio settings; riots break out for no reason and destroy a well-balanced city. I don't want to play traffic cop all the time; suddenly half the city goes up in flames without forewarning. Give me at least a chance to fix things! Very infuriating and annoying, especially since most issues could be fixed easily but have been ignored for years.”
- graphics30 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as cute and simple, with many players appreciating the art style and smooth performance. While some users find the graphics adequate for the price, others criticize them as clunky or lackluster, particularly when considering the game's full price. Overall, the graphics contribute positively to the game's fun and addictive nature, though opinions vary on their quality relative to expectations.
“You can see the changes in angles so easily with the graphics the way they are and it runs so smoothly.”
“The cute graphics, good UI, fun mechanics, and challenging physics are just some of those reasons!”
“I've only played this game for 74 minutes but the game is actually really fun and the graphics and levels are nice. This game is just 10/10 perfect, especially for the sale price; I'd recommend it to anyone.”
“The graphics are supposed to be simple and the game clearly isn't hiding it...”
“There's a challenge in it, but the unintuitive interface and lackluster graphics for the current price don't cut it.”
“The graphics and controls are quite clunky, and the constant high-pitched 'help me' audio is downright annoying.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 58 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Balancity is generally described as fun and satisfying, featuring simple yet addictive mechanics and well-balanced physics. While some players appreciate the cute graphics and engaging UI, others find the gameplay to be somewhat boring or fiddly at times. Overall, it offers a mix of challenge and enjoyment, making it a worthwhile experience for many.
“Balancity is quite a fun game and I'd say it's worth the cheap price; it's quite satisfying and has some neat mechanics.”
“Simple, yet addictive gameplay.”
“The cute graphics, good UI, fun mechanics, and challenging physics are just some of those reasons!”
“Gameplay itself was fiddly.”
“Gameplay is pretty boring.”
“Please add a mechanic or a game mode where you need to buy buildings, and to do so, you need to tax the population.”
- music20 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as relaxing and enjoyable, with some users referring to it as "straight bangers." However, there are significant complaints about the lack of audio settings, as players can only toggle off all sound rather than adjust music and sound effects separately, leading to frustration over repetitive tracks and missed audio cues. Overall, while the music is appreciated, the limited control options detract from the experience.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“So much fun! Is it just me, or is the music straight bangers all around?”
“It has fantastic music and sounds and a unique concept, but there really isn't much variety.”
“No proper audio settings; the music is not that good. Let me turn it off and give me volume control for effects so I know what is going on. Frequent crashes, no save game, mission progress gets deleted, disaster settings are reset... very infuriating and annoying, especially since most issues could be fixed easily but have been ignored for years.”
“Music can get a little repetitive.”
“Music and sound muting is not separate, unfortunately.”
- humor12 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its chaotic disasters, such as giant monsters and random events like earthquakes, which provide amusing moments, especially when played with friends and family. However, while the initial hilarity is engaging, the precision required in building can become frustrating over time, diminishing the overall comedic experience. Despite this, many players find it a fun and entertaining way to pass the time.
“If you just want a building game that is funny while your friends and family are watching you fail, go for it.”
“Disasters are pretty fun to watch, especially the giant green monsters that rampage through your city causing hilarious havoc.”
“Hilarious and challenging!”
- stability10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report a lack of significant glitches, there are frequent sporadic freezes that require restarting the game. This inconsistency can detract from the overall experience, leading some to feel that the game feels unfinished or buggy despite its solid construction.
“I'm also surprised by how there are basically no glitches in the game while I've played it.”
“Immediately upon playing it, I realized, with joy, that the game was competently constructed and lacked glitches which would rain on my experience playing it.”
“Well, sometimes it freezes and you have to alt+f4 and restart, but otherwise...”
“I would say that this game is easily great value at that price, but after playing for 12 hours, I have to take issue with something that really breaks this game: the game freezes sporadically, maybe once every hour or so.”
“The concept is great, but the game is still a bit buggy and feels unfinished and cheap.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game has mixed reviews regarding replayability; while some players find it offers a lot of replay value through short matches, others criticize it for lacking content and overall replayability, questioning its value at the $8 price point.
“It consists of short game matches with heaps of replayability.”
“This game is not worth the $8 price tag; it doesn't have much content and little to no replayability.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, suggesting that it requires an unrealistic commitment akin to having a second life to fully engage with it.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally uplifting, often leaving them with a sense of joy and nostalgia reminiscent of childhood experiences. The charming novelty contributes significantly to this positive emotional impact.
“The charming novelty of it all had me walking away with a smile on my face, and made me feel like a kid again.”
