News Tower
- February 13, 2024
- Sparrow Night
- 11h median play time
Get on Steam"News Tower" is a simulation game set in 1930s New York, where you play as an influential publisher. Your goal is to define your editorial line, search the globe for newsworthy stories, and manage your team of reporters to beat deadlines. Be cautious of the mafia, mayor, and other factions trying to use your influence to print their version of the truth. The game allows you to follow key moments of the 1930s and decide whether to cover and influence them.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Engaging and addictive gameplay loop that keeps players invested in building their newspaper empire.
- Charming 1930s aesthetic with a fantastic soundtrack that enhances the overall experience.
- Well-designed mechanics that allow for strategic decision-making and resource management.
- Limited content currently available, with the game ending after a specific time period, which may leave players wanting more.
- Some UI and quality of life issues, such as difficulty in managing resources and navigating menus.
- Random events can feel punishing and may disrupt gameplay flow, leading to frustration.
- gameplay592 mentions
- 49 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "News Tower" is characterized by an engaging and addictive core loop that combines elements of management, strategy, and puzzle-solving, allowing players to build and manage their own newspaper in a charming 1930s setting. While the mechanics are easy to learn and offer a satisfying progression, some players note that the gameplay can become repetitive over time, and there are calls for more depth and variety as the game continues to develop. Overall, the game is praised for its unique concept, beautiful graphics, and a solid foundation that promises further enhancements in future updates.
“The gameplay is fun and interactive, the time crunches keep you invested, and the customization, requirements, and buffs all add to this game the feeling of completing a puzzle while you're waiting for your employees to complete their jobs.”
“News tower is a standout in the tycoon and management genre, offering one of the tightest, most streamlined gameplay loops I've experienced.”
“The core gameplay loop of receiving news, sending out reporters, arranging articles, and sending them to print for the week is incredibly satisfying and addictive.”
“The game lacks depth and variety, with repetitive gameplay that quickly becomes boring.”
“After you learn the basics, the gameplay rapidly becomes monotonous.”
“I enjoyed the game initially but eventually (after I unlocked illustration) the gameplay grew a little stale.”
- music400 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 39 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its jazzy, big-band soundtrack that perfectly captures the 1930s aesthetic. Players appreciate how the soundtrack enhances the immersive experience, with many noting its ability to evoke nostalgia and create a relaxing atmosphere. While some mention a desire for more variety, the overall consensus is that the music significantly contributes to the game's charm and enjoyment.
“I love the 1930s setting and the big-band jazz soundtrack is right up my street.”
“The music is perfect for setting the tone and atmosphere - it's jazzy, sleazy, and pops with the kind of noir and grime you'd feel typical of the depressing 30's when the game is set.”
“The soundtrack is incredible, really captures the era perfectly, as do the background animations and they create this perfect and charming aesthetic.”
“The music skips often, the save process takes a very long time and the print lever sometimes is very laggy.”
“There's a couple songs which sound more 1950s than 1930s but that's a minor gripe.”
“Graphics are cute, music is decent, and god help you if you forget to pause.”
- story362 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 79 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The game's story is described as surprisingly rich, blending elements of management and simulation with engaging narrative threads. Players appreciate the immersive experience of managing a newspaper, with various quests and storylines that unfold, although some express a desire for deeper narrative development and more varied content. While the game is still in early access, many find the current story engaging and look forward to future expansions that could enhance the storytelling experience.
“I really enjoyed playing the story so far and can't wait to see what else they are going to add to the game.”
“The storytelling is done in an excellent and graceful way, with the difficulty and possibilities slowly increasing as well.”
“It is thoroughly entertaining in ways I wasn't expecting - from the mafia constantly at my throat, the mayor and his demands, and all the breaking news events - it's a great story.”
“I love management games, but the game's story and the slow way it is presented gets in the way of the management gameplay.”
“Stories become 'old news' a week or two after their completion, which means you can stall the completion of a story to prevent it from becoming old news. However, a lot of stories become old news, and there's no easy way to bin these quickly; good luck dumping multiple old stories: click the story, click all of the bin icons (sometimes there's multiple per story), repeat 15 times.”
“While there is a 'story' to the game, it is introduced and never touched again or developed.”
- graphics276 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 1 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming and aesthetically pleasing design, effectively capturing the 1930s vibe with a unique art style and warm visuals. Players appreciate the combination of delightful animations and a fitting soundtrack, which together create an immersive atmosphere that enhances the gameplay experience. While some minor performance issues and graphical bugs have been noted, the overall visual presentation is considered a strong point of the game, contributing to its engaging and addictive nature.
“Beautiful graphics, amazing atmosphere, unique and engaging gameplay mechanic which sometimes provides a laid-back tycoon-like feel, but other times a race to the finish-line thrill.”
“The jazzy soundtrack, warm visuals, and detailed portrayal of a bustling, pre-crisis America are simply delightful.”
“The graphics are charming and well-designed, providing a visually pleasing experience.”
“This game has serious performance issues, and doesn't run properly even on the lowest graphics setting.”
“Now, let's talk performance—on my MacBook Pro (2019, i9, 64GB RAM, Radeon Pro 5500M), this game chugs like a snail, even at 800x600 with all the fancy graphics options turned off.”
“From the graphics, it's a little hard to tell what you are getting quality-wise.”
- replayability64 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
Overall, the game demonstrates a solid level of replayability, particularly for an early access title, with many players noting the depth of content and various ways to build and expand their media empire. However, some concerns arise regarding long-term replay value once the core mechanics are mastered, and the need for additional modes or multiplayer options to enhance replayability further. Despite these concerns, many players find the game engaging and addictive, suggesting that ongoing updates could significantly improve its replay potential.
“Even though it's in early access, there's already plenty of highly replayable content.”
“Despite being in early access, there's still plenty of highly replayable content, and the roadmap and development cycle is frequent enough to keep me returning and excited for release.”
“The core gameplay is fresh, surprisingly challenging, and replayable.”
“For both the news and tower parts of the game, you'll pretty quickly figure out the meta, and at that point, it stops feeling particularly replayable.”
“As it stands, the game is unique with a decent core mechanic, but business sims live or die on their replayability, and this game needs work on those fronts to earn its overwhelmingly positive review score it somehow has.”
“My only real concern is that the gameplay between learning new mechanics can be quite grindy, and I'm not convinced there will be much replayability to the game once you know how it all works.”
- atmosphere58 mentions
- 83 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive 1930s aesthetic, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack and beautiful graphics. Players appreciate the unique blend of engaging gameplay mechanics and the dynamic setting of a bustling newspaper office, which together create a captivating and addictive experience. While the atmosphere is a standout feature, some reviewers note a desire for more gameplay content to complement it.
“Beautiful graphics, amazing atmosphere, unique and engaging gameplay mechanics which sometimes provide a laid-back tycoon-like feel, but other times a race to the finish-line thrill.”
“Moreover, the game's soundtrack and sound effects contribute to an immersive atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience.”
“One of the standout features of News Tower is its ability to immerse players in the dynamic atmosphere of a bustling newspaper office.”
- monetization50 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is heavily centered around advertisements, which players find both essential for generating income and somewhat flawed due to a lack of reminders for ad production. While the ability to place high-value ads can lead to significant early profits, some players feel this creates a cynical experience, as the balance between news content and advertising can feel skewed. Overall, the game offers a fun and strategic approach to managing a newspaper, but improvements in user interface and ad notifications are needed for a smoother experience.
“Well good luck with the latter cause it seems that ads are the only way to make decent money, which is... concerningly realistic.”
“It feels a little cynical and un-fun to have putting an advert at the top of the first page, but that was basically always the most profitable way to go, because they have such high base monetary print-rewards and the really good news weeks only come every once in a while.”
“I feel like I regularly forget to actually put my ads in production in a timely manner, because I forget I've unlocked them.”
- optimization36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 64 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players report smooth performance and stability, others experience significant issues, particularly on lower-end systems and Macs, where performance can be sluggish even at minimal settings. Despite these challenges, the developers are actively updating the game, and core gameplay elements generally run well, allowing for engaging layout and resource management. Overall, while the game shows promise in its early access state, further optimization is needed to enhance performance across all platforms.
“Building up the tower and figuring out what objects and workstations to place scratches that SimTower itch for layout optimization, and figuring out whether a story is good enough to send your ace crime reporter is a complex decision to ponder.”
“We've got period-appropriate news (some of which just might have been lifted from actual headlines), production chain management optimization for any Anno veteran, and a gorgeous 1930's atmosphere.”
“The gameplay is simple and intuitive, but full of minute optimization and organizing.”
“This game has serious performance issues, and doesn't run properly even on the lowest graphics setting.”
“Now, let's talk performance—on my MacBook Pro (2019, i9, 64GB RAM, Radeon Pro 5500M), this game chugs like a snail, even at 800x600 with all the fancy graphics options turned off.”
“On my work PC (8700K + 16GB + 1060), the performance is weird - it's totally playable but sometimes it drops to 45fps for no reason, then goes back up to a smooth 60, then back down to 45 - that is everything on low.”
- grinding34 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 3 % neutral mentions
- 94 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience; while some enjoy the initial fast-paced leveling, many feel that it becomes excessively tedious over time, particularly with the management of old news stories and the repetitive nature of certain tasks. The lack of efficient tools for purging outdated content adds to the grind, leading to frustration as players accumulate more tasks than they can handle. Overall, while there are enjoyable elements, the grind can detract from the overall fun and replayability of the game.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“It's unnecessarily tedious, and a single button to purge old news items would be beneficial.”
“Its a fun management game that can make you lose track of time but then after a while it becomes grindy, very very grindy.”
“My only real concern is that the gameplay between learning new mechanics can be quite grindy and I'm not convinced there will be much replayability to the game once you know how it all works.”
- humor22 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its clever writing and humor, with many finding it both funny and engaging, particularly through its historical context and quirky character interactions. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone and amusing events, which enhance the overall experience without being overly political or distracting. The humorous dialogue and amusing scenarios contribute to a relaxing yet addictive gameplay, making it a standout in the management genre.
“Very funny management game.”
“A game well worth playing with a nice setting, funny events, and a good tutorial that helps you along the way without being obnoxious.”
“Absolutely love this little gem, super addictive and easy to get the hang of; reading the headlines is hilarious at times.”
- stability14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 71 % negative mentions
Overall, players report a stable experience with minimal glitches and bugs, especially for an early access title. While some users noted occasional visual glitches, the game runs smoothly and is well-received, with ongoing developer support expected to address any remaining issues.
“The game runs great; I personally have not run into any bugs.”
“It's not buggy at all for being in early access. It might need some more balancing and optimization, but the developers are still working on the game, so I don't think that will be a problem.”
“The game offers some nice graphics and a superb aesthetic, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
“So far, it feels great; I encountered maybe a couple of visual glitches, but otherwise, it nailed it for me.”
“There are sometimes glitches, but overall, it is an amazing game!”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game enjoyable and immersive, capturing the chaotic experience of being a business owner, enhanced by its wholesome art style and music. However, many reviewers suggest that incorporating plotlines or personal storytelling elements could deepen the emotional engagement and overall experience.
“The game has amazing vibes and atmosphere; the art style and the music are just wholesome.”
“Perhaps you could add some plotlines or the ability to write personal stories to add emotional depth to the game.”
“Enjoyable (but chaotic) management game, truly made me feel like a business owner who was at my wits' end.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users appreciate the character designs and building aspects of the game, indicating a positive reception towards the visual and aesthetic elements of character development.
“I really enjoy the building and character designs.”
