Towns

About

Towns is a single player role playing game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Xavi Canal, Ben Palgi and was released on November 7, 2012. It received negative reviews from players.

The game brings a fresh new take on the city building/management genre by introducing many RPG features. In Towns you manage a settlement on top of an active dungeon. Instead of playing the hero who delves deep into the dungeon, how about playing the town that houses and caters to the hero's needs? Both the RPG and strategic aspects will be fleshed out over a series of sprawling dung…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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25%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,080 reviews

graphics38 positive mentions

stability200 negative mentions

The game has a unique concept of managing a town above a dungeon, which can be engaging and fun.
Despite its flaws, some players have found enjoyment in the game and appreciate its potential.
The game allows for creativity in building and managing a town, providing a sandbox experience.

The game has been abandoned by the developers, leaving it unfinished and full of bugs.
Many players report poor AI behavior, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
The user interface is clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult for players to navigate and manage their towns effectively.

stability
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game is widely criticized for its severe instability, being described as "buggy," "unfinished," and "abandoned" by developers. Many users report frustrating glitches, unresponsive AI, and a lack of updates, rendering the game nearly unplayable in its current state. Despite some players finding enjoyment in the concept, the overwhelming consensus is that the game's numerous issues significantly detract from the overall experience.
- “Not buggy (not seriously buggy, however it would be more enjoyable if you could think of all the problems as just a mistake).”
- “The game has a solid foundation and runs smoothly without major issues.”
- “Overall, the stability of the game allows for a more immersive experience.”
- “The product was extremely buggy and unpolished to the point of being unplayable in the long term, but it was still sold on Steam as a finished game.”
- “The first and most infamous game to come out of Steam's 'Greenlight' program, this game is an incomplete and buggy mess, released in a beta state that never was completed, but rather abandoned by its programmer in a miserable state.”
- “It's unfinished, unpolished, buggy, and will probably never, ever see what it was to become.”
gameplay
203 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
62%
19%
The gameplay of the game has been described as having potential but is marred by numerous bugs, incomplete mechanics, and a lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. While some enjoy the depth and casual town management aspects, others find the mechanics overly complicated and the user interface clunky, making it difficult to engage with the game fully. Overall, the game offers a mix of fun and challenge, but its unfinished state and reliance on community mods for improvement detract from its overall enjoyment.
- “Sufficient depth of gameplay and buildings to stay busy quite a while.”
- “It's a casual town management game with decent building and fun mechanics.”
- “Gameplay is solid and generally fun, takes some getting used to, but it's a great concept.”
- “But I could never get very far without having everyone die, and the mechanics being very broken.”
- “The gameplay is nowhere near polished to be sold on its own.”
- “The tutorials were shamefully unhelpful, the gameplay was unintuitive, and the art style was unique but led to an overall crude feel due to the game's clunky play.”
graphics
153 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
62%
13%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the nostalgic isometric style reminiscent of classic games, while others criticize them as rough, poorly polished, and lacking in detail. Many reviewers noted that the graphics do not meet modern standards, often describing them as blocky or reminiscent of early 90s titles, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, some players found the art style charming and enjoyable, suggesting that those who prioritize gameplay over visuals may still find value in the game.
- “The graphics are impressively detailed and cute.”
- “I enjoyed the graphics, since they reminded me of the good old isometric era.”
- “While the art style may not be to everyone's taste, it's easy on the eyes and makes the world interesting to look at, providing you with plenty of colors to play with and enjoy.”
- “In general it is rough and not very polished in both graphics and gameplay, and everything can very quickly become a tedious task without planning.”
- “The graphics are so bad, the text is hard to read.”
- “Game is locked to 30 fps, graphics are sub-par, and tutorial and instructions nonexistent.”
story
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
75%
10%
The game's story is widely criticized as lacking depth and coherence, with many reviewers expressing disappointment over its unrealized potential. While there are hints of character arcs and a backstory related to the developers' struggles, the overall narrative feels disjointed and unsatisfying. Players suggest that the absence of a meaningful story detracts from the experience, leaving it feeling more like a sandbox without direction.
- “Df has literal story arcs for its characters, almost purely by accident.”
- “It told the backstory of what happened with the devs for this game and how they abandoned it (surprise? it just happened again).”
- “I know it's a sandbox game, but maybe a bit of a story would have been nice, or perhaps some rewards for reaching certain achievements.”
- “Terrible story of a game that genuinely had a lot of potential.”
- “The game has no depth in story or play since.”
- “It told the back story of what happened with the devs for this game and how they abandoned it (surprise? it just happened again).”
grinding
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and unpolished, with players noting excessive micromanagement and a clunky user interface that detracts from the overall experience. Many find the gameplay to be a frustrating mix of idle time and overwhelming tasks, compounded by numerous bugs and glitches that hinder progress. While there are elements of depth and potential fun, the grinding nature of the game often leads to a lack of engagement and enjoyment.
- “To maintain a mix between idleness and workload, you have to insanely manage and switch work groups of citizens in a tedious, time-consuming, boring, and annoying way.”
- “This game is a tedious unpolished mess, filled with either insane levels of micromanagement or giant periods of idle time.”
- “There's a kernel of fun to be had in the game, even in this pathetic state, but it will be obtained through a terrible UI, broken game mechanics, tedious micromanagement of the most simple of tasks, and poor game design.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
67%
13%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature, as there is only one short loop that plays throughout. While some find it tolerable and fitting for a casual gaming experience, others describe it as annoying and lacking variety, suggesting that it detracts from the overall enjoyment. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a weak point that could benefit from more diversity and polish.
- “It had promise and I still really like the music.”
- “I wouldn't say it's intrusive but you won't remember it either, which to me is a good point for game music.”
- “Yeah, I might be one of the few who loves this game, the art style fits the soundtrack so well.”
- “Finally, there is only one, one single 2 or so minute long music loop that plays throughout the entire game.”
- “There is exactly one music track that will drive you absolutely crazy after a few hours of playing.”
- “Oh, and it's also set to some mind-numbing repetitive music barely above 'bad MIDI song' level.”
monetization
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
92%
The monetization of the game "Towns" has been heavily criticized, with users labeling it a blatant cash grab. Many reviewers express frustration over the game's unfinished state and lack of progress, suggesting that it was released without proper development and marketed misleadingly, leading to a perception of exploitation rather than genuine value.
- “Towns is and was little more than a cash grab.”
- “Complete rip-off; there is no way this should be on sale without an 'early access' tag, and seeing as it will now likely never be finished, it is difficult to see how even that would be fair advertising.”
- “Incomplete, unfinished and a blatant cash grab with the 'beta' mentioning conveniently hidden on release.”
replayability
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The game offers a mix of replayability, with some players enjoying the variety of challenges and frequent updates, while others feel it lacks long-term engagement due to repetitive gameplay and slow progression. Although mods can enhance the experience, many users express that the initial fun may not sustain interest over time. Overall, opinions on replayability are divided, with some rating it highly and others finding it limited.
- “There is definitely replay value as well.”
- “The game is highly replayable with different challenges rising, and some just repeating.”
- “The game is a lot of fun and offers some replayability.”
- “Overall the game is very fun at first but doesn't really have any long-term replayability.”
- “Though it has mods to take its replayability and value up a notch, it is not going anywhere beyond the most recent update.”
- “-not replayable (since you can't really ever do much in the first play or second or third or fourth.. you will achieve very little in this game as everything takes forever)”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is noted to be hit-or-miss, with some players finding it amusing, particularly in relation to gameplay scenarios like looting and health management. However, there is a sentiment that the humor may not justify the game's price point of $15, suggesting a disconnect between comedic elements and overall value.
- “It's like, 'Oh, I'm low on health, I should just keep fighting the monster' instead of just running away. Oh, and you wanna know the funny thing?”
- “About the loots, here's the funny part.”
- “Sometimes this is funny, but it just isn't proper for a game that costs $15.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The game's optimization has been inconsistent, particularly struggling with performance as towns and dungeons grow larger, which can limit the duration of playthroughs. However, despite these issues, the game remains playable throughout its development.
- “Throughout its development, the game has had its ups and downs in the performance department, but it has never been unplayable.”
- “My only gripe is poor performance when your town (and the dungeon) gets very large, which limits how long a play-through can last.”
- “Throughout its development, towns have been all over the place in the performance department, but it has never been unplayable.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players express a deep emotional connection to the game, feeling a sense of heartbreak over the original developer's abandonment and the subsequent sale of rights. This sentiment evokes strong feelings, with many stating that the experience is moving enough to bring them to tears.
- “This game makes me want to cry.”
- “Reading about how the original dev abandoned the game and 'sold' the rights to someone else is almost heartbreaking.”