Megapolis

Megapolis is a social economic strategy from the city builder genre, and a debut production of the Russian studio Social Quantum, released ont popular mobile devices and social networking websites.

Mechanics

Megapolis is similar to most social city builders, represented by such productions as CityVille from Studio Zynga or MyCountry by Game Insight. As we play the role of the mayor of a virtual city, our task is to make it flourish and turn it into a vibrant metropolis. We start the game traditionally from the moment when our estates consist of only a few residential and commercial buildings. It is up to us and our decisions how willingly new residents will come to the city and whether their work will enable us to balance the city's budget.

Megapolis offers several types of buildings connected by a simple network of dependencies, and in order to achieve success it is necessary to maintain an appropriate balance between the various elements of the infrastructure, in such a way as to meet the expectations of all groups of citizens. The foundation are, of course, residential buildings, which influence the number of inhabitants and allow for regular tax revenues for the budget. Another group are the production buildings, where we conclude various contracts, also powering the city's budget. The system is complemented by public buildings and decorations, the presence of which is essential for the satisfaction of all citizens. The game does not forget about such elements as the need to supply the city with adequate water and electricity sources or the creation of a well-functioning communication network. Throughout the subsequent stages of the game we are led by a typical system of tasks, the completion of which results in gaining experience and gradual advancement of the player to higher levels. These in turn unlock the access to more buildings and a number of new possibilities.

Game modes

Based on the rules of the genre, Megapolis is designed for a single player, but the emphasis on social options makes it necessary to make numerous contacts with friends and other players. However, this element allows for a significant facilitation of gameplay (e.g. by giving each other useful gifts) and partially bypassing the typical limitations of a free-to-play model.

Technical aspects

Megapolis is characterized by simple, but pleasing visuals, quite typical for most city builders, evoking irresistible associations with classics of the genre like the SimCity series. The production is distributed in the popular free-to-play model, in which - unlike in CityVille - the energy bar has been abandoned, and the only element limiting our achievements is the time needed for the construction or execution of a contract. There are two types of currency in the game: standard, from which we finance all our activities, and premium. The latter enables us to make gameplay much easier and faster, but it is extremely difficult to get it during the game, which forces impatient players to reach for their wallets and use the microtransaction system.

Last updated on 18 July 2016