Highrise City
- September 4, 2023
- Fourexo Entertainment
- 10h median play time
Get on SteamHighrise City is a city-building game that emphasizes production chains and economy simulations. With a focus on resource management, players must effectively manage production chains to allow their city to grow and thrive. The game combines elements of city builders and economy/resource management simulations for a unique and challenging experience.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of city building and resource management, reminiscent of both Anno and Cities: Skylines.
- The soundtrack and graphics are enjoyable, creating an immersive experience for players.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and actively working on updates, showing commitment to improving the game.
- Frequent crashes and performance issues, especially during autosaves, significantly hinder gameplay.
- The user interface can be confusing, making it difficult to navigate and manage resources effectively.
- Some mechanics, such as road building and resource management, feel unpolished and can lead to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- graphics49 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players finding them visually appealing and well-optimized, particularly praising the lighting effects and overall performance on high settings. However, many others report significant issues, including graphical glitches, stuttering, and crashes, which detract from the experience. While the game shows potential for improvement, it currently falls short compared to other titles in the same genre, leading to a general consensus that the graphics need further refinement.
“Impressed with the graphics and overall performance (now) even with large populations - something which can't be said with Cities: Skylines 2.”
“Addictive deep gameplay, with good graphics, this is a real hidden gem of a game.”
“I love the graphics and aesthetics of the game.”
“Graphically ugly.”
“The graphics engine doesn't run well, which is my biggest complaint; it makes the game slow and sometimes causes crashes.”
“The game frequently crashes, the graphics are too cartoonish, and the theme is based out of Europe, from the sirens to the cars and buildings.”
- gameplay47 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a blend of city-building mechanics reminiscent of Anno and Cities: Skylines, offering a rich and engaging experience with a focus on resource management and production chains. While players appreciate the depth and potential of the mechanics, some have noted issues with controls, clunky systems, and performance, suggesting that the game still requires refinement. Overall, it presents a unique and addictive gameplay loop that many find enjoyable, despite some early access limitations.
“Addictive deep gameplay, with good graphics; this is a real hidden gem of a game.”
“The mechanics are richly designed, there's loads of balancing done to make sure everything actually matters.”
“In order to build and grow, you have to meet the needs of your citizens and industry; the game does a good job of implementing this into the gameplay so the game feels balanced.”
“The mechanics of laying out a road seem completely borked to me.”
“I think its complexity is also its weakness; it's a very new game so people need to give it time to fix issues like the controls/gameplay mechanics being a bit clunky, or the tutorial not providing enough guidance on all the various aspects of the game, bus stations for example.”
“For my own experience with this game, I see that it has limited options/maps and other things since it's in early stages but also has annoying mechanics issues like not being able to connect roads or buildings through the grid if they are placed in a later stage and they are close.”
- optimization40 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players experiencing significant performance issues, particularly during busy gameplay and with larger cities. While some users noted improvements with specific settings and praised the graphics, others reported severe lag, crashes, and a poorly optimized UI. As the game is still in early access, there is hope for future updates to address these optimization concerns.
“Impressed with the graphics and overall performance (now) even with large populations - something which can't be said with Cities: Skylines 2.”
“Overall I could give a strong 8/10 thanks to the optimization that is outstanding vs. CS2... (btw I like also the colors in the game that are very calming and relaxing).”
“Aside from those matters, the game runs smoothly and it's been a pleasure so far.”
“Performance of the game is pretty bad.”
“The performance breaks down badly, and especially leveling tools are frustrating to use.”
“Game needs optimization; got halfway through playthrough and used all 64 GB of my RAM, making me unable to play further.”
- stability24 mentions
- 8 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The game's stability is a significant concern, with many users reporting frequent crashes and freezes occurring every 5 to 45 minutes, which detracts from the overall experience. While some players have had smooth gameplay, the majority highlight persistent bugs, particularly with road mechanics and graphical glitches, making it difficult to recommend despite its enjoyable aspects. Overall, the game is described as "buggy" and in need of substantial fixes to improve stability.
“Other than that, 90% of the time it runs great in a very big city.”
“It is remarkable that this game also runs great on older systems.”
“It's really a fun game, but the freezes that I have really often ruin it.”
“The game freezes every 5 - 45 minutes.”
“The only negative is that the devs need to fix the fairly frequent freezes and crashes.”
- story23 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth, with many players noting that there is no significant narrative to engage with. While there are various missions and quests that involve city-building and delivery tasks, they often feel disconnected and lack meaningful context. Additionally, technical issues, such as bugs affecting mission prompts and mouse functionality, detract from the overall experience.
“I love Cities: Skylines 2; I'm getting to where Highrise City is played more than the others now. It's very time-consuming, but in a good way. I like how the logistical part is in it, especially the delivery missions.”
“Some of the quests include things like building a unit or driving a truck to make a delivery.”
“The game also has a research tree, combined with small missions to gather research points.”
“There's a game-breaking bug with the game's story mode, where if you are moving or using your mouse (at all) when its immersion-breaking piece of paper flies in front of whatever you were just doing, it can make your mouse disappear and get stuck in whatever direction you were last going.”
“When the window opens up for the story, it shouldn't lock the mouse... but it does, and then you can't click continue.”
“☑ no story”
- music3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its fantastic soundtracks that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, making players feel as though they've been familiar with the tunes for years. Many anticipate that future content will enhance the musical experience even further.
“The soundtracks are fantastic, and I can only imagine what the game will look like in a few years with some new added content.”
“The music is immediately nostalgic.”
“I feel like I've been listening to some of these songs for years, and I can't really explain what I mean by that.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be time-consuming and challenging, particularly in managing worker flow and city layout. While the initial experience can be enjoyable, it often leads to frustration as players struggle to create cohesive urban centers without resorting to scattered small cities. Overall, the grinding can feel excessive, requiring significant investment of time and effort to achieve desired outcomes.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players highlight the game's significant replayability, noting that the inclusion of a workshop further enhances this aspect, but even without it, the game remains highly engaging and offers ample opportunities for repeated play.
“The workshop is already there; even without it, the game offers huge replayability!”
“Every playthrough feels fresh and exciting, making me want to dive back in again and again.”
“The variety of choices and outcomes keeps me coming back for more, ensuring that no two games are ever the same.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of hilarity and frustration, particularly evident in the car driving mode, which elicits both laughter and exasperation from players.
“The car driving mode is as hilarious as it is frustrating.”
“The witty dialogue and absurd situations had me laughing out loud.”
“The game's humor is perfectly timed, making even the most mundane tasks entertaining.”
