Mini Metro

Mini Metro on the Switch is a fantastic and zen like strategy puzzle experience with elegant visuals and addictive gameplay.

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Mini Metro is a subway simulation game where you design the metro layout for a growing city, connecting stations with subway lines while managing commuters and resources. With increasing demands and limited assets, your network's efficiency is constantly tested, challenging you to balance and optimize your design. The game offers engaging, strategic gameplay as you strive to keep the city moving for as long as possible.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 6,040 reviews

gameplay226 positive mentions

story13 negative mentions

Mini Metro offers a charming and addictive gameplay experience that combines strategic metro planning with minimalist aesthetics.
The game features a soothing soundtrack and a captivating atmosphere, making it a perfect choice for casual gaming sessions.
Each city presents unique challenges and the randomness of station spawns keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging.

The game can become frustrating due to the reliance on RNG, as players may encounter clusters of the same station type that hinder progress.
Some players find the lack of a clear tutorial and the inability to delete specific lines or stations cumbersome.
While the game is enjoyable, it can feel repetitive after extended play, as the core mechanics do not significantly change across different maps.

gameplay
624 mentions
36 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Mini Metro is characterized by its minimalist design and simple mechanics that are easy to learn but difficult to master, creating a satisfying balance of strategy and challenge. Players engage in connecting stations while managing an evolving metro network, with each level offering unique challenges and a dynamic gameplay experience. While the core mechanics remain consistent, the game introduces enough variety through different maps and occasional gameplay tweaks to keep it engaging, though some players note a tendency for repetition over time.
- “The gameplay is intuitive without being easy.”
- “The gameplay of Mini Metro feels fantastic, striking a great mix between strategy and randomness, which makes it quite satisfying to complete challenges and chase high scores.”
- “The gameplay is simple enough to learn but it is incredibly deep and each level can be approached in multiple different ways.”
- “The gameplay starts extremely slowly, but ramps up until you're struggling to deal with the crowded stations.”
- “Once you've played every city, once you've discovered the extent of the content available, and once the minor annoyances of the gameplay become too familiar, it wears out its welcome and it is unlikely that I'd pick it back up for anything other than a passive distraction.”
- “The gameplay is repetitive after a while, even though I've only played around 8 hours, which is fairly disappointing.”
graphics
466 mentions
42 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Mini Metro" are characterized by a minimalist aesthetic that effectively conveys gameplay mechanics while remaining visually appealing. Players appreciate the clean, simple design reminiscent of metro maps, which enhances the game's strategic depth without overwhelming the user. The combination of soothing visuals and sound creates a relaxing yet engaging experience, making it a standout example of how effective minimalism can be in game design.
- “Mini Metro boasts a minimalist visual style that is both aesthetically pleasing and functional.”
- “The graphics are simple yet beautifully elegant.”
- “The graphics and sounds are pleasing to the senses as well.”
- “The graphics are nothing special, and there could be more difference between the maps, other than background color and river form.”
- “The graphics are absolute basic, almost comical, but that does not take away from the gameplay.”
- “If you are looking for fancy graphics, this is not it.”
music
458 mentions
33 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and soothing qualities, effectively complementing the minimalist gameplay and enhancing the overall atmosphere. Many players appreciate the dynamic, procedurally generated soundtrack that evolves based on in-game actions, creating a unique auditory experience with each session. However, some users find the music can become repetitive or annoying over extended play, suggesting a desire for more variety or the option to play their own music in the background.
- “The subtle soundtrack complements the gameplay without being intrusive, creating a serene atmosphere as you design your expanding metro network.”
- “The music is generated by your own actions, train movements, and the picking up and setting down of passengers, genius!”
- “The combination of a good, challenging game and the ambient music and sounds makes for an altogether pleasurable experience.”
- “The music, although soothing at first, quickly became a headache as the seemingly random dissonance roared in my ears.”
- “The only downside to this game is the lack of music, however you can easily fix this by playing a relaxed music playlist in the background.”
- “The music is automatically generated from train movement and passenger sounds, which might get grating after a while.”
replayability
132 mentions
59 % positive mentions
36 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its exceptional replayability, attributed to its procedurally generated levels, various game modes, and the challenge of improving high scores. Many players find it addictive and enjoyable, often returning for quick sessions or to explore new strategies, despite some noting a potential decline in replay value after mastering the mechanics. Overall, it offers a rich and engaging experience that encourages repeated play.
- “With procedurally generated levels and the option to play in different cities, Mini Metro offers substantial replay value.”
- “It's a beautifully simple game, infinitely replayable.”
- “The different game modes together with the daily challenges and the randomly generated stations make replayability higher than expected.”
- “It's lacking a bit of diversity in regards to the mechanics, so I don't find it all that replayable after you finish it, but still a decent game for its price.”
- “The main downside to the game is a lack of replayability; the repetitive play is the reason for this, but it still has a reasonable amount of playtime.”
- “But simple, repetitive gameplay prevents much replay value.”
story
54 mentions
13 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
24 % negative mentions
The game is characterized by a complete lack of a traditional narrative, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics and strategy. Players appreciate the simplicity and challenge of connecting train stations, but note that the absence of a story may lead to repetitive gameplay over time. While it offers engaging daily missions, those seeking a rich narrative experience will likely be disappointed.
- “As a railway enthusiast, I adore the game concept - it's not about a complicated plot or high-quality graphics, it's mostly about strategy and your creativity.”
- “When hundreds of developers are trying to tell confusing stories about characters no one cares about, Mini Metro shows us that the only story we need is the one we tell by playing the game.”
- “While the game does not feel like it is rushing you to do something or follow a quest chain or talk to dozens of people, neither does it feel like there is nothing to do.”
- “You won't get a story here; the task is simple: get as many passengers around to their destinations without overcrowding the stations. End of story.”
- “No plot to speak of, but that's not what you're here for this time.”
- “The only downside is that it gets a bit repetitive and that there is no story that will pull you through.”
optimization
36 mentions
33 % positive mentions
56 % neutral mentions
11 % negative mentions
Overall, the optimization aspect of the game is well-received, with players appreciating its smooth performance, minimalist interface, and engaging challenge of designing efficient subway systems. While some users note that the game may not fully satisfy hardcore optimization enthusiasts due to its random elements, many find it a fun and addictive experience that balances simplicity with depth. The game runs well on various platforms, making it accessible to a wide audience.
- “Fun optimization challenge to maximize throughput.”
- “Very high quality puzzle and optimization game with extremely effective and minimalistic UI.”
- “It's a relaxing game with reasonable goals... there is no right or wrong, only optimization strategy!”
- “It's not an optimization game, and they sell it as such.”
- “Even this basic concept, I think there could be more done, like having pre-set 'busy streets' based on the real-life traffic of how the cities operate, but instead the spawn points for the stations are still 100% random, so other than those natural environments, there's very little that deviates from the generic 'just make optimized paths'.”
- “The optimization game mode should really stop generating random points eventually, otherwise your rider count will start falling as the entropy becomes unmanageable.”
atmosphere
30 mentions
33 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a calming and serene ambiance, enhanced by a soothing soundtrack that complements the minimalist design and gameplay. Players appreciate the tranquil environment, which allows for a relaxing experience even amidst the challenges of managing a metro network. Overall, the game's sound design and aesthetic create a zen-like atmosphere that promotes a chill and enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The subtle soundtrack complements the gameplay without being intrusive, creating a serene atmosphere as you design your expanding metro network.”
- “The design and music create such a calming atmosphere that even when my train network is failing and there are four stations that are overcrowded, I can just sit back and enjoy the tranquility.”
- “Mini Metro’s sound design is some of the best I’ve seen in a game, creating a zen-like atmosphere while simultaneously aiding the player in determining where a new station has popped up or which line has a problem.”
- “As the game progresses and your transit systems become more and more complex, the atmosphere slowly and imperceptibly shifts until you find yourself racing to pick up passengers from an overcrowded station with the pace of the music matching your ever-increasing heartbeat.”
- “While in early access, the game has no sounds yet, but that's no problem; you can hear whatever you want and create any atmosphere to play.”
- “This game is surprisingly challenging, but provides such a relaxing atmosphere that the challenge does not lead much to stress.”
grinding
16 mentions
19 % positive mentions
44 % neutral mentions
38 % negative mentions
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and time-consuming, often describing it as requiring "a second life" to complete. While some acknowledge that it starts off enjoyable, many feel it quickly becomes bland and repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. Simple adjustments could potentially enhance the gameplay and reduce the grindiness.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A bit grindy sometimes.”
- “A bit grindy.”
- “Achievements are based on good challenges on each level, not some grindy nonsense.”
- “This starts out as fun enough, but becomes tedious and bland very, very quickly.”
- “This one is a little too boring and tedious to enjoy.”
humor
14 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it funny, relaxing, and addictive, often highlighting its quirky elements like amusing noises and unexpected train behaviors. While some achievements may detract from the overall comedic experience, the game's simplicity and variety contribute to its charm, making it a delightful choice for short, lighthearted play sessions.
- “I love building funny little public transit systems.”
- “Funny and relaxing game.”
- “Smart, funny, addictive, and indie.”
stability
13 mentions
15 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting frequent bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, such as trains failing to collect passengers and random freezes. While some players appreciate the fun and engaging aspects of the game, they acknowledge that it remains in beta and is plagued by design issues. Overall, while it runs well on certain platforms, the persistent instability detracts from the overall experience.
- “Runs great on Linux.”
- “Runs great on Surface 3.”
- “Love the game, but it's somewhat broken/buggy; trains randomly do not collect people they should.”
- “Reasonably fun, but remains buggy (trains will simply ignore passengers in stations causing you to fail levels, upgrades you purchase mysteriously disappear).”
- “The only issue I've had with the game is that it periodically freezes.”
emotional
5 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Players find the game to evoke a unique blend of emotions, combining relaxation with mild stress as they navigate through challenging and distinct levels. The experience is described as wholesome and engaging, providing a satisfying balance that keeps players hooked without leading to frustration. Overall, it successfully creates an emotional connection that enhances the gameplay experience.
- “Very simple and relaxing game, made me feel stressed and relaxed at the same time!”
- “It's a perfect amount of challenging and has never made me feel frustrated when I lose.”
- “A wholesome and relaxing game that will also test the organization skills and have you hooked for hours.”
monetization
2 mentions
150 % positive mentions
-100 % neutral mentions
50 % negative mentions
The game is priced at €8, which some users feel is steep given their expectations for enjoyment, especially since it lacks microtransactions. While it may serve as a casual mobile game, the overall value for the price paid is questioned.
- “There are no microtransactions, which makes the experience much more enjoyable.”
- “I appreciate that the game doesn't rely on microtransactions to progress.”
- “The absence of microtransactions allows for a fair and balanced gameplay experience.”
- “As a mobile game to fiddle with on the bus, it would be fine for me, but from the description and advertising, and the price of €8, I expected more enjoyment.”