Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Admit I Suck at the Game
I think it's time for a confession: I've never played a SimCity game before. Initially, I had interest in diving into 2013's SimCity iteration, but after reading about the complications and issues with that title, I chose to back away. Fast-forward almost exactly two-years later and we have Cities: Skylines; the exact game SimCity hypothetically should have been in the first place. The resulting product is a game that not only truly continues the legacy that Will Wright left behind, but may also be the end-all best mouse and keyboard exclusive of the year.
Cities: Skylines is a city-building construction and management video game, developed by the Finnish company Colossal Order, and published by Paradox Interactive. The game is situated top-down, giving you an adjustable overhead camera. At the start, the player is presented with a single square vacant map, which can be expanded upon obtaining larger populations. From there, it is your job to manage and provide all functions to your growing civilization; from the water flow and electricity to the very districts and roadsides they live by. Each element of the gameplay within Cities: Skylines is all around the management of significant variables. For instance, you need to prioritize the monitoring of your profit and current funds first and foremost. Simultaneously, you need to keep a constant eye on the average citizens migrating to your city or departing from it, as well as certain trade-off complications such as pollution. All of this is adequately addressed to you through the game's in-game twitter-esque feature which will alert you when disaster may be imminent. While a bit gimmicky and sometimes obnoxious, it's a nice touch that may have been bothersome if no equivalent was present.
Basics aside, Cities: Skylines exhibits a rather prominent issue in the form of a certain lack of communication to new players of the genre. On my first few attempts, I was instantly overwhelmed with the square's initial accessibility. I was unsure whether to start building the residential districts right by the road side or to build a main road to lead off from there, anticipating growth. It should be acknowledged that there is no set tutorial in this game, apart from the vague hints the twitter buzz may give. Just within my first session with the game, I had three cities go bankrupt almost immediately, making me yearn for some sort of tutorial for beginners. Fellow newcomers to the genre, I recommend discussing the fundamentals with those already familiar with the genre, or watching the variety of videos you can find on the topic. Either way, the interface is intuitive enough for you to grasp the concepts after short while; it won't be too long before learned the ropes and are able to start building a true city.
Steam is perhaps the greatest ally Cities: Skylines presents. Even if the final product was perfectly competent, Maxis' 2013 SimCity was plagued by being a subsidary of EA. While I intend no criticism of the company or its storefront, the game was forced to be distributed exclusively on Origin. The simple fact of the matter is that Valve's community is not only more abundant, but more accessible. With full access to features such as Steam Workshop, not to mention the general welcoming from individuals around the internet sharing their creations, Cities: Skylines couldn't have been released in a better way.
Aesthetically, Cities: Skylines evokes an interesting art direction, reflecting designs that you'd find as a replica model in real life. Zooming into these designs is visually appealing, adhering to all perspectives the camera may be situated in. This general look to the game is ideal in regards to its genre's calm nature, and I couldn't ask for a more fitting artistic vision.
Though occasionally rough around the edges, Cities: Skylines is overall a great game. However, it's not without its own set of problems. It was hard for me to grasp my early experiences with the game's initial ambiguity. Not to mention that the game's twitter feed can become a bit obnoxious upon seeing some of the posts repeated frequently. A known community problem is the flow of traffic; cars will always take the shortest route to a destination, with complete ignorance to the most relevant. Perhaps this particular issue can be resolved in a patch with a simple adjustment to their utilization of Dijkstra's algorithm, eventually making this criticism redundant. All that aside, Cities: Skylines is still by all means worth the price of admission. With it's seeming-endless access through various mods and other community-supported features, you'll almost definitely find it hard to put down.