14 DAY TRIAL // I need to get a row of at least three buildings to turn them into a better version of themselves and open up some more space. But the coming pieces don’t suit my plans, so I am forced to dump a few of them into another area of the city, where I’m not sure I can generate any extra growth.
It takes some thinking and some rewinding, but I hit that initial goal and get a level four building in the middle of this second neighborhood of a desert city. My initial blunders mean I am unlikely to get any extra citizens in this area so I randomly drop some buildings to use up space and open up the third area of the settlement.
This is a bigger space, which means there’s more opportunity for careful placement and growth that can lead to bigger constructions and higher populations. Of course, none of it can happen if I do not carefully place my starting building and don’t plan ahead.
URBO is developed and published by Door 407. I played a preview version on the PC. This is a puzzle game with some city-building elements, a meditative theme, and a focus on gentle challenges.
Players will become a city's architect but there are no classic building mechanics. The experience features no roads to draw, no sellers to place, and no fire stations to put down as quickly as possible. There’s also no narrative setup in the preview version and no dialogue to engage with. The game is all about building cities using its unique approach.
The rules are relatively simple and emergent. Players get a constant stream of buildings, each defined by their size. Small houses that are connected in specific ways will turn into bigger ones. Doing so will clear spaces to place more buildings. An undo feature is offered and players see the next few incoming pieces.
The initial playing space is very small. Fill it and a bigger one opens up, opening up more possibilities. A final, third, neighborhood is then revealed. The rules do not change but laying down buildings feels different on each.
URBO is fun but feels a little limited. Cresting complexity in small spaces is a challenging task. But the game needs to add plenty of variety to keep the act of combining pierces interesting in the long run.
The development team promises that there are more worlds to see and create cities in, including the abyss of open space and the shores of the Mediterranean sea. The game really needs to deliver a lot of variety to keep players engaged, especially if there are no major shifts in terms of mechanics.
URBO’s look is very much in sync with the vibe of the game. The playing space is clearly defined, the various buildings have a clear style, and it feels very satisfying to plunk them down and see them morph into their best versions. The general minimalism suits the gameplay well. The soundtrack is relatively limited but evocative, designed to put the player into the flow state that will give him a shot at fitting as many people as possible into their city.
Conclusion
The full version needs to make sure that its other locations are paired with some interesting variations in the rules. URBO has a great core concept and I want to see how the developers at Door 407 innovate based on it.
A preview key was provided by the publisher.
