Citalis
- November 3, 2016
- Matt Hooper
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Citalis" is a single-player simulation game where you manage a city and businesses to avoid bankruptcy. Balance core aspects, such as building districts, monitoring water levels, and maintaining city beauty, to keep citizens happy and prevent criminal activity. With unlimited city building, 40 blocks, 700+ building combinations, adjustable UI elements, and 4 target modes, players face different city-building challenges. The game takes around 2 hours to complete.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has a charming art style and relaxing gameplay, making it enjoyable for casual play.
- At its low price point, it offers decent entertainment value, especially for those who enjoy simple management games.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and has shown potential for future updates and improvements.
- The game suffers from frequent crashes and technical issues, making it frustrating to play.
- Gameplay is overly simplistic and repetitive, leading to boredom after a short period.
- Lack of depth in mechanics and features, such as no achievement system or meaningful progression, limits long-term engagement.
- gameplay32 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Citalis is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, with many players finding it tedious and lacking depth. While some enjoy the charming art style and customization options, the mechanics are poorly balanced and often confusing, leading to a lack of clear objectives and engagement. Overall, the game fails to provide a compelling experience, with many players feeling that it quickly becomes boring and unchallenging.
“I liked the customization of the buildings and the general art style, but the mechanics need balance and refinement.”
“The game is fairly simple, but I find the art style charming and the gameplay relaxing.”
“The videos on the store page provide a very accurate explanation of what the gameplay is like.”
“There is no discernible point to playing the game, and after 45 minutes of gameplay, I can just leave the game on and come back later and have more money than I could ever spend on the simplistic buildings.”
“The lack of interesting game mechanics results in a tedious and boring game.”
“Simple concept, very limited options in terms of gameplay and quite repetitive.”
- graphics14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The graphics are described as cute and charming, with appealing artwork and potential for future development. While the customization options for buildings are appreciated, the overall aesthetic is somewhat undermined by the game's simplistic mechanics and the feeling of isolation created by the floating island design. Despite these critiques, many find the art style enjoyable and the gameplay relaxing.
“The graphics are cute, and I see the sprites used have potential if used correctly in the future.”
“The game is fairly simple, but I find the art style charming and the gameplay relaxing.”
“Mastering the game is very easy, and there might be some additional gameplay for someone who really wants to beat their highscores, or to genuinely make an aesthetically pleasing district, but after that there is nothing.”
“I liked the customization of the buildings and the general art style, but the mechanics need balance and refinement.”
“Even the art style of them being separate floating islands enforces the isolation.”
- music12 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players finding it relaxing while others criticize its repetitiveness and lack of variety, noting that it features only one track. While some enjoy the composition by Kevin MacLeod, many feel that the monotone nature of the music detracts from the overall experience, leading them to disable it after a short time. Players appreciate the option to turn off the in-game music and use their own, but a desire for more diverse tracks is a common sentiment.
“I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
“Of course you can turn off the music and put on your own.”
“My only complaint is the music - I disabled it after a couple of minutes, but it is so repetitive that it is currently burned into my brain.”
“There is not enough variation in the gameplay and the music is very monotone.”
“Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Kevin MacLeod a lot, but there's only one song and it's constantly on repeat.”
- story6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is perceived as lacking depth, with many users expressing a desire for a more developed narrative, skill trees, and upgrades. While some highlight a moral about perseverance and the unpredictability of life, the overall consensus is that the game could benefit from a more engaging storyline.
“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 would be better if there was more to do, skill trees or different upgrades - even a storyline would be nice.”
“No story also.”
“No story also.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and monotonous, largely due to a lack of engaging mechanics and strategy. The repetitive nature of the gameplay contributes to a sense of boredom, making the experience feel pointless.
“The lack of interesting game mechanics results in a tedious and boring game.”
“There's no strategy or anything; it's just incredibly tedious.”
“This is pointlessly tedious and monotonous.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users report significant stability issues, with frequent and persistent freezing problems affecting gameplay.
“It also freezes constantly.”
“It also freezes constantly.”
