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Rapid Review: City Story - Like Sim Town?

August 17, 2010

QuickAdvice: City Story™

City Story™ by TeamLava icon

City Story™ (Free) by TeamLava is a city building game that is closer to Sim Town than Sim City. The game is free to download, but there are consumable in-app purchases, like We Rule. In your city you can build residences, businesses, factories, and decorate it.

City Story™ by TeamLava screenshot

The main currency is coins which you earn by completing orders at your factory. The in-app purchase item is dollars which you can only get by buying them, and can't earn them in the game like you can mojo in We Rule. Dollars can level you up quicker, and you can trade them in for coins to buy objects, and expand your city.

The game is super simple as any building is just a tap away, and there are many different types of buildings. As you build up your city you'll be running low on coins quickly. The game also has a social element where you can add neighbors, and you can clean other city's buildings which earns a bonus for them.

The game is quite fun as you actually build every single building in your city unlike Sim City where you just add zones, and the buildings are added automatically. It's great to see different types of residences with coffee shops, retail stores, a school, office buildings, and more. Then you can add in parks, playgrounds, and pools to enhance the look, and of course roads to connect everything.

City Story™ by TeamLava screenshot

The game is fun until you run out of money which happens sooner rather than later. Then you'll need to wait for factories to earn money or you'll have to spend money. It seems this game really requires you to spend money which just isn't the case in We Rule.

There aren't many activities to do like you would have in Sim Town, and there is no activity in your city like in Sim City. Your city is dead, and once you've added a few buildings there isn't much to come back to as it's always just more of the same. Some buildings like the Police Station can only be bought using dollars rather than coins which is extremely disappointing.

There are better simulation games out there than City Story. It looks nice on the surface, but is made only with the intent for you to spend money with a lack of fun along the way. Thankfully you can try to get along for free, and if you do the iPad version looks great. The app is worth downloading, but not spending money in it.

Mentioned apps

$0.99
SimCity™ Deluxe
SimCity™ Deluxe
Electronic Arts
Free
City Story™
City Story™
TeamLava

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