River Towns

About

River Towns is a single player casual puzzle game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Frogsong Studios and was released on March 24, 2025. It received very positive reviews from players.

River Towns is a city-building puzzle game where you place uniquely shaped buildings to restore and grow vibrant riverside towns. Each play features randomized district shapes, ensuring a fresh challenge every time you combine districts to score points and unlock new levels. Watch the towns come alive as you solve puzzles and bring life back to the river.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 152 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

Charming visuals and soothing music create a relaxing atmosphere, making it a great game to unwind with.
The gameplay combines strategic tile placement with Tetris-like mechanics, offering depth and challenge as players aim for high scores.
The game is easy to pick up and play in short sessions, with a variety of levels and mechanics that keep the experience fresh and engaging.

The game is relatively short, with many players completing it in under 10 hours, leading to concerns about replayability.
Some levels can feel frustrating due to reliance on random tile draws, which can hinder achieving higher scores.
The lack of an undo button can be punishing, as a single misplaced tile can ruin a carefully planned layout.

gameplay
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
59%
5%
The gameplay is characterized by its engaging mechanics that blend puzzle-solving with city-building elements, reminiscent of Tetris, while introducing new challenges and mechanics at a comfortable pace. Players appreciate the straightforward yet strategic tile placement, which encourages improvement and offers a satisfying progression experience, although some find the gameplay can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of relaxing visuals, soothing music, and well-executed mechanics creates an addictive and enjoyable puzzle experience.
- “The combination of sim build with Tetris is just perfect, and the gameplay is really straightforward.”
- “The core concept is simple, but the game stays engaging thanks to its unique level design and introduction of new mechanics.”
- “Great puzzle game that blends interesting mechanics and calming aesthetics.”
- “Either way, you can't design your game around an RNG mechanic only to then design levels that punish you for having bad RNG, causing numerous restarts unless you accept that you will only get 1, maybe 2 stars quite often.”
- “Sure, it aids the storytelling as you try to move towards the center of the world to restore the river heart, but it doesn't aid the gameplay and often feels frustrating and senseless.”
- “The background music is almost nonexistent during gameplay—better have an external playlist ready.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
35%
11%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their vibrant and charming art style, which enhances the overall aesthetic experience. Players appreciate the cute and colorful visuals, along with smooth animations that bring the gameplay to life, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The combination of pleasing graphics and soothing music contributes to an engaging and satisfying puzzle experience.
- “A solid, easy to get addicted puzzler with very nicely executed stylized visuals and practically bug-free gameplay.”
- “The graphics and music are very pleasant, and it's great seeing the buildings plop up and link together when you place a tile.”
- “The art style is pleasantly colorful and inviting, complemented by small animations that bring the city to life.”
- “The gameplay loop is fairly limited, but the musical ambiance is soothing and the graphics are pleasing to look at with enough variety to not become stale.”
- “It's not a long game, and I was happy with the presentation in both sound and visuals, but as you go on and the levels become more complex, you start to wonder why the game went with levels instead of just having a more 'open' approach.”
- “The colourful art style is a feast for the eyes, but the UI (which was a bit rough and hard to maneuver in the demo version) is very smooth and easy to navigate.”
music
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
52%
16%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience without being intrusive. Players appreciate the enchanting and cozy soundtrack, which complements the gameplay and visuals, creating a relaxing ambiance. However, some users noted that the background music can be minimal at times, suggesting the need for an external playlist for a more engaging auditory experience.
- “There's an enchanting music loop playing, making me want to never take my headphones off, be careful! :D”
- “The music is lovely and the general vibe is very chill as there's no timer, so you can work out your approach in your own time.”
- “The soundtrack is relaxing and unobtrusive, complementing the atmosphere of the game without getting in the way, a perfect fit.”
- “The background music is almost nonexistent during gameplay—better have an external playlist ready.”
- “❎ Technically, there's music.”
- “I normally play with the sound off, but I adore the music.”
story
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game's story is praised for its solid foundation and integration with gameplay, featuring randomized elements that enhance storytelling but can also lead to frustration. While the overarching narrative is engaging, it is described as somewhat shallow, focusing more on atmosphere than depth, with players expressing a desire for a longer story mode. Overall, the lore is seen as a strong aspect that supports the game's design, despite some critiques regarding its execution.
- “The pieces are randomized, so even in the same mission, every game is different.”
- “Compared to other puzzle games where the backstory sometimes can feel shallow and added on afterwards, you can feel that the story and lore is actually a solid foundation on which the game is crafted and built upon.”
- “Ok, I backed Rivertowns on Kickstarter because the concept sounded good and the story interesting.”
- “Sure, it aids the storytelling as you try to move towards the center of the world to restore the river heart, but it doesn't aid the gameplay and often feels frustrating and senseless.”
- “It's cool that they got a level editor and challenge mode into the main release, although I would have preferred a longer story mode instead.”
- “Each stage comes with a short narrative snippet, contributing to an overarching but shallow story that’s more about atmosphere than depth.”
atmosphere
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The atmosphere of the game is characterized by a relaxing and immersive quality, enhanced by a fitting soundtrack and light narrative elements. Players appreciate the cozy environment, which complements the gameplay and encourages enjoyment, even for those who typically do not engage with puzzle games. Overall, the focus is on creating a soothing experience rather than deep storytelling.
- “The soundtrack is relaxing and unobtrusive, complementing the atmosphere of the game without getting in the way; a perfect fit.”
- “I was gifted River Towns as a surprise, and while I don’t usually play puzzle games, I found myself really enjoying its cozy and relaxing atmosphere.”
- “While the narrative is light, it enhances the game’s relaxing yet immersive atmosphere.”
- “Each stage comes with a short narrative snippet, contributing to an overarching but shallow story that’s more about atmosphere than depth.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers decent replayability, allowing players to achieve 100% completion in about 7-8 hours, with opportunities to improve scores on levels. However, some users express a desire for additional content, such as new maps or elements, to enhance replay value further. Overall, it remains enjoyable and encourages players to revisit for better scores.
- “This game is a lot of fun and has good replay value.”
- “And while you don't have to get perfect stars, it does provide a lot of replayability to hit all 3 score goals for each level.”
- “I was able to 100% the game and all achievements in 7-8 hours, and while there is replayability to the game, it would be cool if new maps or elements were added at some time.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its charming design and engaging optimization puzzles, making it an enjoyable experience for players who appreciate strategic challenges.
- “A very cute optimization puzzle.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates excellent stability, running smoothly on various platforms, including the Steam Deck, and is praised for its engaging and addictive puzzle gameplay.
- “Runs great on the deck too and is a really chill and addictive puzzler.”