Citystate II

About

Citystate II is a single player casual strategy game. It was developed by Andy Sztark and was released on September 22, 2021. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

"Citystate II" is a city-building simulation game that allows players to design, develop, and manage their own city. Create efficient infrastructure, balance budgets, and enact policies to ensure your city's growth and prosperity while dealing with various challenges and events. The game offers a deep and engaging experience with a focus on realistic city dynamics and simulation.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

+17

Skip User Reviews

72%

Audience ScoreBased on 549 reviews

gameplay19 positive mentions

stability26 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of city-building and political simulation, allowing players to manage both aspects effectively.
The graphics are visually appealing, providing a charming aesthetic that enhances the gameplay experience.
The developer is actively updating the game and addressing bugs, showing commitment to improving the overall experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, particularly with road building and saving progress, which can lead to frustrating gameplay.
The tutorial is lacking in depth, making it difficult for new players to understand the mechanics and fully engage with the game.
The gameplay can become repetitive and lacks the depth found in other city-building games, leading to a diminished long-term engagement.

gameplay
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its innovative political and economic mechanics that add depth and realism to the city-building experience. However, players have noted issues with bugs, a lack of clear tutorials, and some mechanics being poorly implemented or overly simplistic, which detracts from the overall enjoyment. While the game offers a fresh take on the genre with enhanced graphics and features, it struggles to match the depth and polish of established titles like Cities: Skylines.
- “With its enhanced features and expanded gameplay mechanics, it offers a fresh and engaging experience for both new and veteran players.”
- “The game's improved graphics, detailed simulations, and realistic economic systems provide a truly immersive and rewarding gameplay experience.”
- “Gameplay is addictive and pretty deep for a simulation game, especially when all city policies are unlocked.”
- “It is a great concept, but upon further gameplay, it was mediocre.”
- “Didn't care for the gameplay.”
- “While this game does have more political and economic mechanics than most city builder games, those mechanics are poorly implemented and unsatisfying to engage with.”
graphics
78 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
49%
5%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful visuals and unique art style that blend retro and modern aesthetics. While some players appreciate the game's optimization and detail, particularly in city skylines, others criticize the graphics for being less impressive up close and for occasional glitches. Overall, the graphics are seen as a strong point, especially for a smaller studio, but there are calls for further refinement and detail to compete with larger titles in the genre.
- “The graphics are great, there is immense detail in the game when you look around.”
- “The graphic style is also stunning; it portrays the modern vibe that gives the city a lifelike outlook.”
- “The game's improved graphics, detailed simulations, and realistic economic systems provide a truly immersive and rewarding gameplay experience.”
- “Brought this and the graphics are disappointing as is gameplay.”
- “System requirements are through the roof, while graphically this game is quite basic.”
- “Terrain graphics are shockingly bad.”
stability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting persistent bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, such as issues with road construction, public transport, and zoning tools. While the core concept is appreciated, many players find the experience frustrating due to frequent crashes, graphical errors, and unresponsive features, leading to a consensus that the game feels unfinished and requires substantial fixes. Overall, despite its fun mechanics, the game's stability issues detract heavily from the enjoyment.
- “I loved the governance and city-building mix; unfortunately, the game is abandoned and extremely buggy.”
- “But holy hell, this game is a buggy mess. Highways don't even work, deleting stuff sometimes bugs the game out, and airports don't seem to work at all sometimes.”
- “The idea of the game is good, but the finished product is poor. Glitches in the game make it impossible to play after a population of 28k.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
Overall, the game's optimization is praised for its impressive graphics and smooth performance, even on older hardware like the NVIDIA 1050ti. While some users noted that loading times and overall performance could be improved, these issues are considered minor compared to the game's strong visual fidelity and gameplay experience.
- “For the 3D and performance, just amazing; the code in general with this game has been improved a bunch.”
- “The graphics of the game are awesome, especially the ray tracing, which is somehow beautiful. This game has great optimization and runs smoothly on high settings with my quite old NVIDIA 1050 Ti.”
- “Performance-wise, if you have the recommended specs, it's okay.”
- “Loading times and overall performance could be better, but that's a minor rant.”
- “Performance is not a problem at all, and it all feels very smooth.”
grinding
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant time investment to manage city stability and population demands. While some appreciate the developers' efforts, many feel that the micromanagement and UI issues detract from the overall experience, making it feel more like a chore than an enjoyable challenge.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “While Citystate II definitely seems more polished all the way around, it seems to have lost the charm of the first game and instead created what feels like a tedious and repetitive chore a couple of hours in.”
- “The building in-game can be a bit tedious at times, and the problems in the game (like rioting, as I've heard) can be really annoying to deal with and can ruin the game for some people, as the farther in you get, the more you have to micromanage and watch your stability closely.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The reviews indicate a lack of a significant story element in the game, with users expressing a desire for more narrative depth, such as storylines and challenges, to enhance the overall experience. While some appreciate the variety in building designs and plot sizes, the absence of a compelling story is noted as a drawback.
- “The storylines are engaging and add depth to the gameplay experience.”
- “I appreciate the effort to provide variation in the plot sizes, which enhances the storytelling aspect.”
- “The mixed-use zoning adds an interesting layer to the narrative.”
- “No story.”
- “No story.”
- “Maybe it would benefit from storylines and challenges, too.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is highly praised, with users rating it 10/10 for its ambient quality that enhances the overall atmosphere. It evokes a relaxing vibe, reminiscent of soundtracks used in VR experiences, making it perfect for a cozy gaming session. Players report losing track of time while enjoying the soothing soundtrack.
- “The ambient music is 10/10.”
- “It reminds me of the music they use for Google Earth VR and is very fitting for the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Nice music, nice settings, chill, 'cup of tea game in the winter dark!'”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's replayability is considered lower compared to titles like SimCity 4 or Cities: Skylines, though it offers enjoyable gameplay and benefits from a monthly update schedule that enhances its longevity. However, players feel it lacks complexity and variety, particularly in political systems and nation interactions, which limits its overall replay value.
- “Not to forget the monthly update schedule makes this game very replayable, and one of my favorite city builders to date!”
- “It needs more complexity; running a socialist state or dictatorial state just doesn't have any benefit or fun to it in its current form, and being able to have different nations next to each other would add a lot of replay value.”
- “It needs more complexity; running a socialist state or dictatorial state just doesn't have any benefit or fun to it in its current form. Being able to have different nations next to each other would add a lot of replay value.”
- “This game's replayability is pretty low.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's unique emotional focus, expressing a desire for more titles that explore similar themes. However, there are frustrations with gameplay mechanics, particularly regarding the road tool, which can lead to confusion and disappointment despite the initial emotional engagement.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization approach of the game is viewed positively, as the developer actively engages with the community, distinguishing it from typical cash grab city simulation franchises. Players appreciate this commitment, suggesting it enhances the overall experience compared to other titles like "Shitty Skylines."
- “Much better than other city simulation games, but it still feels like a cash grab in my opinion.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is enhanced by music reminiscent of Google Earth VR, creating a fitting and immersive experience that complements the overall environment.
- “It reminds me of the music they use for Google Earth VR and is very fitting for the atmosphere of the game.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be unexpectedly entertaining, often stemming from absurd situations, such as the irony of extremist leftist citizens rebelling over relatively low taxes. This blend of political satire and comedic scenarios adds a unique charm to the gameplay experience.
- “Probably a bug, but it was still super funny until my now extremist leftist citizens turned on me because they thought 9% taxes were way too high despite them being communists.”