Cities: Skylines 2 is the biggest city-building game out there today, but that wasn’t always the case. Created by Will Wright and Maxis, SimCity was an important part of popularizing PC gaming. In fact, she founded a new genre dedicated to the construction of residential and industrial zones, the design of energy networks and water supply systems, and even the taxation of citizens. And the subsequent SimCity 2000 and SimCity 3000 brought everything together, expanding the scope and providing even more possibilities.
And given the popularity of games from the 90s, especially among shooters, it is not surprising that simulators also receive attention. If you want a new SimCity-inspired game with modern gameplay but classic 1990s style, it’s on Steam now demo available such a title.
Metropolis 1998 from independent studio Yesbox Studios is a city builder in the vein of Cities: Skylines, SimCity and other games in the genre, combining the best of two of the genre’s greatest eras into one very beautiful old-school experience.
The simulation is quite detailed – residents sleep, eat, go to work, relax, and so on. There is also a detailed routing system for more than 100,000 machines and people. The needs of citizens are worked out to the smallest detail and divided into dozens of categories. You can even look inside their homes, or switch between the isometric views of modern city builders and the overhead views of classic SimCity games. In addition, the game includes the ability to completely customize buildings, right down to the interiors.
But all these modern features and technologies are wrapped in retro pixel graphics. The biggest influence is SimCity 2000, but Theme Park and Theme Hospital are also recognizable. Fans of pixel art will appreciate it.
Unfortunately, there is no release date yet. Download demo on Steam.
