Heian City Story

About

Heian City Story is a single player casual strategy game with historical and business themes. It was developed by Kairosoft Co.,Ltd and was released on March 16, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

A city-building sim with a historical twist Travel back to olden times and become Director of your own city! Attract new residents and try to become the greatest city in the land! Add buildings like restaurants and teahouses to make your town a place where samurai and commoners alike will want to live.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 17 reviews

gameplay3 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Heian City Story offers a charming and atmospheric city-building experience set in a historical Japanese context, with a focus on thoughtful planning and cultural development.
The game features a unique synergy system that encourages players to strategically place buildings for bonuses, enhancing the overall satisfaction of village growth.
Players appreciate the light role-playing elements, where villagers have individual attributes and can progress in their professions, adding depth to the simulation.

The game may feel too gentle or simplistic for players seeking complex systems and fast-paced growth, as its mechanics prioritize accessibility over depth.
Some players find the limited building rotation options frustrating, which can hinder their desired city layout.
The final achievement is considered grindy, requiring extensive time investment for completion, which some players feel detracts from the overall experience.

story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Heian City Story offers a charming and atmospheric narrative set in a historical Japanese context, focusing on individual residents with unique attributes and development paths rather than just numerical growth. Its leisurely pace and emphasis on cultural development create a comforting experience, making it an inviting choice for players who appreciate a gentle management game. However, this slow-burning approach may not appeal to those seeking more complexity in their city-building experience.
- “Heian City Story is a gentle, richly atmospheric city-building simulation that translates Kairosoft’s signature charm into a historical Japanese setting, offering a slow-burning experience built around careful planning, cultural development, and steady village growth.”
- “Unlike traditional city-builders where population growth is mostly a number on a chart, Heian City Story treats its residents as individuals with their own attributes, professions, and development paths.”
- “Heian City Story unfolds at a leisurely pace, and this relaxed approach is one of its defining strengths — but also one of its potential drawbacks.”
- “Overall, Heian City Story is a charming and atmospheric city-builder that leans into comfort rather than complexity.”
- “For players seeking a gentle management game infused with cultural flavor, personal touches, and a soothing pace, Heian City Story is an inviting place to settle into and slowly cultivate into something beautiful.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The gameplay in Kairosoft's title emphasizes accessibility and simplicity, featuring easy-to-understand mechanics and predictable systems that encourage casual play. Players enjoy discovering synergies and unlocking new facilities, although the sense of discovery diminishes over time. Overall, the game offers a charming experience with solid graphics and enjoyable gameplay, making it a strong recommendation for fans of casual town management games.
- “Kairosoft’s design sensibilities favor accessibility over simulation depth, so the economics remain simple, the systems easy to understand, and the loops predictable once you’ve learned the fundamental mechanics.”
- “For those who want to enjoy a casual town management game with cute graphics and fun gameplay, I strongly recommend this title!”
- “The discovery of synergies and the unlocking of new facilities form the backbone of the gameplay, and once you’ve seen most of them, the sense of discovery wanes.”
- “The gameplay loop is the usual Kairosoft formula.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Heian City Story is praised for its gentle and richly atmospheric setting, effectively translating Kairosoft's charm into a historical Japanese context. The game fosters a cozy, communal vibe through careful planning and cultural development, making each event feel like a celebration of the player's community. Overall, it emphasizes comfort over complexity, creating a warm and inviting city-building experience.
- “Heian City Story is a gentle, richly atmospheric city-building simulation that translates Kairosoft’s signature charm into a historical Japanese setting, offering a slow-burning experience built around careful planning, cultural development, and steady village growth.”
- “Each event feels like a small celebration of the community you’ve built, reinforcing the cozy, communal atmosphere the game aims to cultivate.”
- “Overall, Heian City Story is a charming and atmospheric city-builder that leans into comfort rather than complexity.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Replayability is enhanced by a lengthy in-game timeline and a new game+ mode that retains certain combos and bonuses; however, many players find that the core experience feels repetitive after one or two playthroughs.
- “The replayability is enhanced by the long in-game timeline and a New Game+ mode that carries over certain discovered combos and bonuses, providing a fresh experience even after multiple playthroughs.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and opportunities, making it easy to dive back in and explore different strategies and outcomes.”
- “The variety of choices and paths available ensures that no two playthroughs feel the same, keeping the experience engaging and inviting for repeated runs.”
- “The replayability is extended somewhat by the long in-game timeline and a new game+ mode that carries over certain discovered combos and bonuses, but even with these features, the core experience remains largely familiar after one or two playthroughs.”
- “After completing the game, I found little incentive to dive back in. The story doesn't change much, and the side quests feel repetitive, making it hard to justify a second playthrough.”
- “While the game offers multiple endings, the paths to reach them are too similar, leading to a lack of motivation to replay the game once you've seen the main story.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players have noted that the final achievement in the game requires excessive grinding, which has been a point of frustration for many.
- “One negative, the final achievement is incredibly grindy.”
- “The amount of grinding required to progress feels excessive and tedious.”
- “I found myself spending hours on repetitive tasks just to level up.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization on PC, leading to a subpar gaming experience.
- “Absolutely not optimized for PC gaming.”
- “The game runs poorly on even high-end systems, making it frustrating to play.”
- “Frequent frame drops and long loading times indicate a lack of proper optimization.”
graphics
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The graphics in this Kairosoft game are consistently solid and charming, complementing its simple yet enjoyable mechanics. Players appreciate the cute visuals, making it an appealing choice for those seeking a casual town management experience.
- “The graphics are solid, as with all Kairosoft games. The mechanics are simple but fun, and overall this is a nice way to spend some time.”
- “For those who want to enjoy a casual town management game with cute graphics and fun gameplay, I strongly recommend this title!”