City Block Builder

About

"City Block Builder" is a tycoon game set in 1950s Los Angeles, where you follow the life of Joey, a war veteran starting his real estate business. The game blends micro and macro-management elements, allowing you to build your own business, develop properties, and navigate personal and financial struggles in a vibrant, growing city. Available for Windows, with Linux and Mac OS versions to follow.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+12

18%

Audience ScoreBased on 11 reviews

music3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game has an interesting concept, exploring a rarely tackled niche of economic simulation set in the 1950s USA.
Building mechanics are smooth, and the AI simulation generally works well, with customers not getting stuck in loops.
The visuals and music are appealing, creating an engaging atmosphere for players.

The game is plagued with numerous bugs and glitches, making it frustrating and often unplayable.
Development has been halted, leaving the game feeling incomplete and abandoned, with many features missing or broken.
The user interface and tutorial systems are poorly designed, leading to confusion and difficulty in progressing through the game.

story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The story aspect of the game is marred by significant bugs, particularly in the "a spatula and a dream" mission, where players report issues with guest counts not registering, hindering progress. Additionally, the tutorial and mission system is criticized for being unclear and frustrating, leading to repeated reloads and confusion about game mechanics. Overall, these technical issues detract from the narrative experience.
- “The 'A Spatula and a Dream' mission is bugged; it didn't count the ten guests that I fed, so I can't proceed any further in the mission.”
- “I have had to reload the game many times for anything to register in order to move on with the missions, as it asks to serve ten people but doesn't count any.”
- “The tutorial and mission system is just bad; it took me a while to understand how to collect money from missions.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game currently suffers from numerous minor bugs and glitches, such as issues with room resizing, clothing clipping, and technology unlocks, which detract from the overall experience. However, reviewers believe that with future updates and improvements, it has the potential to be a worthwhile game.
- “Needs a lot of polishing to get rid of small but irritating bugs and glitches (resizing rooms damaging their decor, clothes clipping with furniture, unlocks not unlocking technologies), but surely worth giving it a chance after an update or two.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it frustrating to progress.”
- “I encountered several game-breaking bugs that ruined my experience.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The music in the game received positive feedback, with users appreciating its quality and how well it complemented the overall aesthetic of the city.
- “I really liked the music and overall how the city looked.”
- “The soundtrack perfectly complements the game's atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “Each track is beautifully composed, making exploration a joy.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users criticize the monetization strategy as deceptive, highlighting that the game relies heavily on ads and social media promotions while offering minimal engagement, leading to a frustrating experience.
- “They scam people with ads, posts on Instagram and other media, and they let junk that only comes on, because further interaction in the game is mothballed.”
- “The monetization system feels exploitative, pushing players to spend money just to enjoy basic features.”
- “It's frustrating how much the game relies on microtransactions, making it nearly impossible to progress without spending real money.”