Townscaper Critic Reviews

This is a very unique and beautiful concept that rewards the player even when they don’t know what they’re doing. A great choice if you just want to relax and let your imagination flow.

Townscaper is a product that draws its strength from self-imposed limits. It should be approached as a tool for relaxation, not as a game to be dominated.

Oskar Stålberg has made a charming and compelling toy for imaginative play. Anyone willing to project themselves into its worlds and tell stories to themselves as they build will have a great time (although young kids might need assistance with the controls). Raw Fury claim to care about “experiences and emotions” not “genres or mechanics”. If that’s where your priorities lie, too, then give Townscaper a shot.

If you just want to build, there’s nothing wrong with that, and Townscaper will provide you with exactly the kind of non-directed gameplay you’re after. But if you want anything of substance, or even just a city-builder that feels like you’re creating an actual city, keep on looking, because you won’t find that here.

You can make all sorts of island towns in Townscaper. Large and full of detail, small and cute, or messy piles of colourful rock. Your imagination is the limit… unless your boredom wins first. Oskar Stålberg's creation doesn't give you much to work with, and the end result always looks the same, no matter how extravagant and imaginative it is. As a whole, this is like a tiny sample of a meatier game. Fingers crossed for that ever becoming a reality, because it would then be a high recommendation.

Townscaper offers little to keep players engaged and seemingly never will. I have to call it what it is, an early access Steam experiment trying to pass itself off as a full-fledged Switch release. Since the developer admits no DLC’s on the horizon to address expected features that are MIA, this incomplete title’s one to skip, even at just $5.99.

This is an art toy to savour, and a time-waster of great power.