Citizens is a blend between turn based city builder and a puzzler for strategy masterminds. Build a thriving settlement, extract and process resources and manage your population by catering to their needs, thus allowing you to build bigger and better!
The game blends turn-based city builder and strategic puzzler, challenging players to construct and manage a thriving settlement. Extracting and processing over 30 different resources, players must cater to their citizens' needs, unlock advanced buildings, and carefully plan their next move.
Reviewers praise the game's intricate resource management and production chain system. Players must extract, process, and manufacture a variety of goods, with a clear and intuitive presentation that eliminates ambiguity. The satisfying progression of unlocking new capabilities through the production chains is a highlight.
While the game incorporates city-building elements, the focus is on puzzle-solving. Each level presents a set of goals that require careful planning and strategic thinking to accomplish. Reviewers describe the puzzles as challenging yet fair, providing a sense of satisfaction upon overcoming them. The difficulty scaling, with standard and hard modes, caters to players of different skill levels.
Players appreciate the game's flexibility and replayability. The structured campaign offers quests and varying difficulty levels, while the free-build mode allows for unrestricted settlement construction on randomly generated islands. The dynamic level generation ensures that no two playthroughs are exactly the same.
Reviewers consistently highlight the game's minimalist and uncluttered design, featuring a clear and easy-to-use interface. The straightforward controls and gradual introduction of new mechanics through the tutorial make the gameplay accessible. The game's performance is also praised, running smoothly even on less powerful hardware.
While resource management and city-building are the primary focus, the game also includes a combat system that adds an extra layer of challenge. Reviewers note that the combat, though not the game's main emphasis, can be difficult and requires strategic planning to succeed.