Here, it means scoring along a few parameters and then progressing to the next stage of play by paying money to reveal one of the other game boards. If this term seems slightly odd, it’s because it’s inherited from the video game’s leveling system. The third and final option on a player’s turn, provided a sufficient number of polyominoes have been placed in each available district, is to End a Milestone. The game ends in failure whenever a player is unable to take an action on their turn, so keeping a reserve of money as well as one or two easy-to-play cards is vital. This offers some much-needed flexibility, though players who abuse this option will soon bankrupt their city. If none of the cards in hand seem appealing, the player can instead spend money to trade one card for another (either a blind draw from one of the game’s three construction decks or a pick from one of the face-up exchange piles). A sample hand, including one of the optional policy cards Zones allow the player to choose from among the color-coded piles of unique polyominoes, with rewards often based on synergy with previously-laid pieces. For every easy-to-fit rectangle, there’s another oddly-shaped obstacle to your city’s perfect layout.īuildings require a specific shape and size determined by type and generally offer a set reward for their cost. The other players can (and should!) offer input on how best to proceed, because optimizing the city’s growth will take more than one person’s brainpower. On each turn, the active player will look at their handful of cards representing various buildings or zones, decide which one to develop, then place an appropriate polyomino onto the board. Players can compare their ending Happiness to a chart in the rulebook to rank their city.īut first they’ll have to build it, a process that’s completely cooperative: no hidden information or ulterior motives here. Completing the city is the primary goal, but having a higher Happiness at the end is a definite plus. The resultant sprawl will be measured in its residents’ Happiness, a specific attribute that can be raised or lowered through various actions. Like many city-building games, Cities: Skylines asks its players to balance a variety of real-world problems, like crime or overpopulation, in the pursuit of utopia.

You can also check out our video review of Cities: Skylines.

This fully cooperative game can accommodate between 1 and 4 prospective urban planners, so grab your zoning permits and get to work! A budding metropolis Unlike its distant cousin, the dynasty-building Crusader Kings, players need not be familiar with the PC game, as the board game version steps into a well-established genre that includes popular titles like Sprawlopolis and Suburbia. Cities: Skylines is one of the latest titles from KOSMOS and it’s also the second board game to be adapted from a Paradox video game.

Cities skylines review