ShantyTown Reviews
This is a game you can play in one evening, or for hours if you want to dive that deep. It's fun, well-made, and gorgeous when you finish a location. ShantyTown is a cozy town builder you can enjoy at your own pace, and that's something incredible.
ShantyTown is a compelling small scale building experience that captures the charm of diorama creation without the real world constraints. It’s perfect for a cosy afternoon to mill away a couple of hours away but it isn’t exactly ground breaking. Which in the noise of everyday life, might be exactly what you are looking for.
Is ShantyTown going to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards? No. But is it worthy of your time, and worthy of consideration of those numerous smaller indie awards out there? 100% it is! The beautiful designing aesthetics and relaxed vibes, coupled with a near limitless replayability, ShantyTown has definitely won over a fan of this genre of design game.
ShantyTown can easily take you much further than you intended. The goals and achievements keep you going, and seeing previous builds in the background makes separate locations more like one world. At the same time, some maps are simply less interesting and there are still some sloppy aspects to the construction itself.
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ShantyTown is a building game that is meant to be slow and focused, with an emphasis on mood rather than difficulty. ShantyTown is not like other games, as it eliminates factors such as combat, failure states and heavy progression and replaces them with a simple loop of placements, arrangements, and visual storytelling. You move through small spaces, slowly turning them into thick, layered scenes that feel personal and expressive.
Rempen’s dreamy city-block builder ShantyTown is an approachable adventure that cozy gamers will love, with content robust enough to deeply satisfy more seasoned surveyors.
Placing and stacking buildings, adding signs, and styling graffiti will soothe your woes and stress. ShantyTown is great for those who want a relaxing title to sit back and zen out to, but it doesn’t fully capture the creative experience for those who want more customization in their city-builder. The art style is serene, offering a peaceful environment for you to escape your everyday worries. If you enjoy building games but get decision fatigue, ShantyTown is the perfect game to pick up and mellow out to.