An EA code was provided, and many thanks to Not A Shark.
Memoriapolis is a simulation strategy city-builder game released recently on Early Access by developers 5PM Studio. Its premise aims to blend city-building with historical progression.
Memoriapolis: City-Builder
In its current form, the game only includes the first two ages: Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Even with just half of its planned content, Memoriapolis is already shaping up to be an intriguing experience for fans of strategy and city-building games. Still, there are both strengths and areas for improvement in its current build.
Antiquity and the Middle Ages
Starting in the age of Antiquity, you are tasked with laying the foundation of your city. You’ll navigate early challenges like ensuring food production through farms, cutting camps, and quarries and managing the needs of a budding civilisation. As your city moves into the Middle Ages, the game introduces new mechanics, such as handling political centres and building administrative structures.
The most engaging feature here is how each Age introduces distinct gameplay mechanics and decisions. Antiquity focuses on essential survival and resource gathering, while the Middle Ages pushes you to navigate political challenges and social unrest.
What’s even more interesting is how elements from one Age can carry over into the next, adding a layer of strategic flow which adds a bit of depth to the game, as the decisions you make in earlier ages can influence your city’s development later on.
However, for players eager to jump into the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment, patience will be required as these eras are still under development. The good news is that the first two ages already offer enough content to explore and experiment with.
A Revolutionary City-Building Approach
One of Memoriapolis’s features, and the one that drew me to the game in the first place, is its unique city-building algorithm.
Unlike traditional city builders, where you need to plan roads and infrastructure, Memoriapolis takes a different approach. Roads and urban layouts are generated using a custom algorithm overseen by an urban planner. This means cities are not only functional but visually realistic, with winding streets, organic growth, and diverse architectural styles that naturally evolve with each era.
The lack of manual road planning might seem like a downside for some players who love close control over their city’s layout, but the algorithm generally does a great job of making your city feel alive, and I like the way it works. It also reduces the burden of micromanagement, allowing you to focus more on macro-level decisions like trade, diplomacy, and the well-being of your citizens, who, of course, all have needs to be met.
Real-World History Meets Strategy
The game doesn’t stop at city-building. Memoriapolis brings history into play with significant events like the Black Death, which forces you to manage diseases and their impact on your population. There are also internal challenges, such as riots and strikes, which can lead to game-ending consequences if not handled properly. These moments add a layer of tension and unpredictability, keeping you on your toes.
For example, during the Middle Ages, my city faced a food shortage that sparked unrest among the lower class. The challenge wasn’t just about fixing the food supply; it was about balancing political power to calm the masses while keeping the elite satisfied.
The Senatus building, in particular, allows you to propose and enact decrees that can change your city’s short-term future. I found myself using this feature often, whether to boost production or to quell dissatisfaction. The strategic possibilities here will likely expand as the game develops, but even in Early Access; it provides a fun and creative way to impact your city’s direction.
Visually Impressive and Historically Inspired
Visually, Memoriapolis is quite impressive looking. The buildings are historically inspired, and the game’s aesthetics evolve as you progress through different eras. Structures like the Great Library of Alexandria are very detailed, and I like how the city spreads out organically.
However, since the Renaissance and Age of Enlightenment have yet to be available, some players may feel like the city’s architecture and cultural progress stalled after the Middle Ages. This will probably improve as the game expands, but for now, there’s a slight lack of variety when it comes to late-game buildings.
Replayability and Future Potential
One of Memoriapolis’s promises is replayability through cultural choices. When you begin a game, you can choose to lead your city as a craftsman, philosopher, politician, and more. These choices affect not only the appearance of your city but also its economy, citizen needs, and political structures. Although the current Early Access build only hints at these deeper systems, it’s pretty easy to imagine how they will offer more strategic diversity as new ages are unlocked.
In terms of replayability, Memoriapolis already shows potential. Each playthrough can unfold differently depending on how you handle external events like plagues, internal unrest, or even how you balance different factions in your city. Additionally, combined with the distinct ages and cultural paths, it should keep players engaged for many runs, particularly once the final ages are released.
Final Thoughts
Memoriapolis has all the makings of a standout city-builder that mixes strategy with real-world history. Its focus on historical accuracy, distinct age-based gameplay, and unique city-building mechanics set it apart from other games in the genre. Although the game is still in Early Access, with only two ages available, it still shows a lot of promise. You can find the Memoriapolis’s Steam page here.
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