NewCity

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"NewCity is a single-player strategy city builder that offers classic gameplay with a fresh coat of paint. As the all-powerful mayor, build your city from the ground up and manage every decision, from tracking individual citizens to planning traffic patterns and creating parks and schools. However, be prepared for some optimization issues and bugs as you play."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 377 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

optimization11 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and realistic approach to city building, focusing on organic growth and community development.
It features massive maps that allow for the creation of sprawling cities, providing a sense of scale not found in many other city builders.
The developers are responsive and actively engage with the community, showing commitment to improving the game through regular updates.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, with no updates or communication for an extended period, leading to concerns about its future.
Performance issues are prevalent, especially with larger cities, causing significant lag and crashes during gameplay.
The user interface can be confusing and lacks clarity, making it difficult for players to understand certain mechanics and manage their cities effectively.

graphics
82 mentions
22 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting a simplistic, low-poly art style reminiscent of older city builders, which some find charming while others consider it poor and lacking detail. Performance issues are frequently mentioned, with players experiencing lag and graphical glitches even on capable systems, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciate the unique aesthetic and the focus on gameplay mechanics over visual fidelity, suggesting that the graphics may appeal to fans of retro or minimalist design.
- “The voxel-styled graphics are charming and allow you to build expansive 3D cities on your PC.”
- “Newcity is a very creative game, and the art style gives the game a lot of emotion and feel that immerses the player in this world, with a unique art style different from other 'wacky, cartoonish' economy builder games.”
- “The graphics in Newcity are simple, but they have a certain charm that low-poly games tend to have.”
- “The performance is poor even though the graphics look like they come from a game from the late 1980s.”
- “This game offers you very low 1990's graphics and the ability to build a city.”
- “It needs a lot of work before being offered for sale, the interface is very poor, the graphics are poor, the game control is very poor, you can't control sectors of your choice, everything has to be filled in with odd shaped tools.”
optimization
55 mentions
7 % positive mentions
73 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, particularly as city populations grow. While some updates have improved performance, users still experience low frame rates and bugs, leading to frustration and recommendations against purchasing until further optimizations are made. Overall, the game shows potential but currently struggles with stability and efficiency, especially on larger scales.
- “For those worried about performance, the level of detail and map size can be adjusted along with the neighbors.”
- “The performance updates have significantly improved performance.”
- “I found the game to be quite enjoyable, with the simplified graphics allowing for larger and much more complex cities, without impacting performance too hard.”
- “Sadly, what remains is a badly mess of bugs and poor optimization.”
- “The optimization is terrible; the game also doesn't seem to behave the way you expect it to.”
- “I wanted to play this game, I wanted to like it, but I just can't because this game is oh so very poorly optimized and I'm getting 4-5 fps according to the options menu.”
gameplay
33 mentions
33 % positive mentions
58 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the city builder is described as a mix of solid mechanics and interesting concepts, though it suffers from a lack of polish and numerous bugs. While some players appreciate the minimalist design and engaging management systems, others find the absence of tutorials and the simplistic mechanics frustrating. Overall, the game shows potential for growth and offers a unique experience compared to established titles like Cities: Skylines, but it currently feels incomplete and requires further developer support.
- “All in all, it's a fun little city builder with refreshing mechanics.”
- “Once you get a feel for the game and its mechanics, you can really push the game in interesting directions.”
- “The economic system and heatmaps offer some unique gameplay which is both fun and challenging at times.”
- “Did I mention there's no intro/tutorial on half the mechanics in the game, so it's just... half-baked ideas everywhere and you have no clue what to do with anything?”
- “The problem comes in the lack of developer support and buggy infrastructure and gameplay.”
- “This game is empty as hell; don't buy it yet even if you like its concept. It literally hasn't achieved half of what city-building games have in terms of polish, visuals (no people, glitched neighbors, cars disappear when they reach their destination like in any other city-building game, buildings seem scuffed when you look a bit closer - no doors, look like Roblox free models, your city only has pine trees, mountains are a huge joke which I couldn't find the energy to laugh at), and some mechanics like the money system are poorly designed.”
stability
32 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous visual glitches, performance issues, and a lack of developer support leading to an overall unplayable experience. Many players experience frequent crashes, memory leaks, and a faulty grid system, which detracts from the enjoyment of building massive cities. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the overwhelming consensus is that it remains too buggy and poorly optimized for a satisfying gameplay experience.
- “This was one of my favorite up-and-coming city builders; however, I don't recommend a buggy, horribly optimized, and unfinished game to anyone.”
- “The bugs and glitches in this game are, at best, poorly done and, at worst, outright unplayable at times.”
- “The game is too buggy to play.”
music
17 mentions
24 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it catchy and enjoyable, while others describe it as terrible or repetitive. Many users express a desire for more variety in the soundtrack, noting that it can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the music is seen as a polarizing aspect, with opinions varying widely based on personal taste.
- “Simple graphics, catchy music, and really addictive.”
- “The music is great and the commentary is fantastic.”
- “I love the gameplay, graphics, soundtrack, everything.”
- “The artwork is null, the graphics are pretty poor and the music sounds like a random string of notes (it is impossible to play this game with the music on for more than 5 minutes).”
- “- Soundtrack: terrible; it's like Transport Tycoon's soundtrack reverb through an underwater accordion.”
- “The only con worth mentioning right now is that, in my opinion, the music is horrendous.”
story
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's story is centered around urban planning and disaster management, allowing players to strategically design and navigate their environments. Users appreciate the detailed statistics, heat maps, and planning tools that enhance the narrative of managing vulnerabilities and optimizing evacuation routes. Overall, the story emphasizes thoughtful design and proactive decision-making in a dynamic setting.
- “No more awkward skyscrapers transitioning into one-story houses.”
- “You can plan evacuation routes to other parts of the region, plot disaster zones, and see where each area is vulnerable.”
- “To help you garden, the game has tons of statistics and several relevant heat maps you can observe, an awesome route query tool, and stellar planning and design tools to help you plot your next move.”
replayability
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
67 % negative mentions
Players find the game highly addictive initially, but experience issues with lag that diminish long-term playability. There is a desire for additional replay value features, such as challenges and goals, to enhance the game's longevity as development progresses.
- “I am hoping that as development continues, there will be something in the way of replay value added, whether it's constraints like bankruptcy and disasters, challenging terrain, or needing to hit certain goals.”
- “Blown away with how addictive it is, but after a while, even on the lowest settings, it's too laggy to be more playable.”
humor
1 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally slow pace, which some players find amusing, though it may hinder their ability to fully appreciate the game's scale.
- “This is a hilariously slow speed, and you will never get to appreciate the scale possible at this rate.”
grinding
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it allows for significant progression as the city evolves from a farming community into a bustling metropolis. This transformation adds depth and satisfaction to the grinding experience.
monetization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization in this city builder is still evolving, but it is generally appreciated for its straightforward approach, reminiscent of classic SimCity games, avoiding the pitfalls of DLC, microtransactions, and always-online requirements.
- “It's a work in progress, but basically, if you like a simple no-nonsense city builder with positively gargantuan maps that harkens back to the SimCity games of old (before DLC, microtransactions, and always online ruined it), then this is your game.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is criticized for being basic, lacking in detail and immersive elements such as clouds and dust, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The lighting and atmosphere were very basic, and little add-ons like clouds, dust, etc. were non-existent.”
- “The overall ambiance felt flat and uninspired, lacking any unique elements to draw me in.”
- “There was a distinct absence of environmental detail, making the world feel lifeless and uninviting.”