NewCity

About

NewCity is a single player city builder game. It was developed by Lone Pine and was released on June 12, 2020. It received neutral reviews from players.

"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

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59%

Audience ScoreBased on 387 reviews

graphics18 positive mentions

optimization11 negative mentions

The game has a lot of potential and offers a unique take on city building, reminiscent of older SimCity titles.
The scale of the maps is impressive, allowing for the creation of large, sprawling cities.
The building mechanics are intuitive, and the game provides a satisfying sense of progression as cities develop.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, leading to numerous bugs and performance issues that make it frustrating to play.
Many players report crashes and instability, especially when cities reach larger populations.
The lack of updates and communication from the developers has left the community feeling neglected and disappointed.

graphics
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
71%
7%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many users noting a simplistic, low-poly style reminiscent of older city builders, which some find charming while others consider it outdated and lacking polish. 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 art style and the focus on gameplay mechanics over visual fidelity, suggesting that the graphics may appeal to fans of retro aesthetics.
- “The voxel-styled graphics are charming and allow you to build expansive 3D cities on your PC.”
- “All in all, I think it's a great game; I dig the art style, color palette, and perspective.”
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
7%
73%
20%
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 calls for the developers to prioritize optimization over new features. Overall, the game is seen as having potential, but its current state is marred by poor optimization that detracts from the gameplay experience.
- “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 so very poorly optimized and I'm getting 4-5 fps according to the options menu.”
gameplay
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
59%
9%
The gameplay of the city builder is described as a mix of interesting mechanics and standard simulation elements, offering a fun experience despite some bugs and a lack of polish. While players appreciate the engaging mechanics and unique economic systems, many note the absence of tutorials and developer support, leading to a somewhat frustrating experience for newcomers. Overall, the game shows potential with its innovative concepts, but it requires further refinement to compete with established titles like Cities: Skylines.
- “All in all, it's a fun little city builder with refreshing mechanics.”
- “The mechanics are very well thought out and engaging.”
- “The sense of scale this city builder provides is unprecedented and the gameplay is quite addictive.”
- “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), some mechanics like the money system are scuffed, tax your people for 3 years to build a single bridge from the entire budget you collected.”
stability
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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 freezes, crashes, and significant frame rate drops, particularly when managing larger cities. While some acknowledge the game's potential, the overwhelming consensus is that it remains too buggy and poorly optimized to recommend in its current state.
- “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 Positive Neutral Negative
24%
47%
29%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it catchy and enjoyable, while others describe it as terrible or annoying, likening it to random notes or poor quality soundtracks. A few users appreciate the music's charm, suggesting it enhances the gameplay experience, but many express a desire for more variety and improvement. Overall, the music seems to be a polarizing aspect, with opinions varying widely among players.
- “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.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Current reviews indicate that the game lacks significant replayability, with limited asset variety and diminishing engagement after initial city growth. While players find it addictive, performance issues arise over time, and there is hope for future updates to introduce more replay value through challenges and goals.
- “In its current state, there's not a lot to see here once you've grown the city; there's not much asset variety or replayability.”
- “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.”
story
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's story is centered around urban planning and disaster management, allowing players to strategically design and navigate a city while addressing vulnerabilities and evacuation routes. It emphasizes the use of detailed statistics and heat maps to enhance gameplay and decision-making.
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is criticized for its basic lighting and lack of additional environmental details, such as clouds and dust, which detracts from the overall immersive 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 players in.”
- “There was a distinct absence of environmental detail, making the world feel lifeless and uninviting.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its intentionally slow pace, which some players find amusing, though it may hinder the appreciation of 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 Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it allows for significant progression as the city transforms from a farming community into a bustling metropolis. This evolution adds depth and satisfaction to the grinding experience.
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization in this city builder is still evolving, but it appeals to players who prefer a straightforward experience reminiscent of classic SimCity games, free from the complications of DLC, microtransactions, and 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.”