SimTower

When it comes to forgotten gems of the 90s, SimTower is a game that would 100 percent make my list! Fans of stuff like Sim City, Theme Park, and Theme Hospital more often than not have no clue that this one here even existed. Well, I am here today to tell you that this is a super fun game and the kind of game that when you are playing can result in an intended 20-minute play session lasting an hour or more.

From The Bottom To The Top

The idea of the game is one that sounds strange and simple. You need to build a skyscraper, but this is the greatest skyscraper ever created and you need to make fat stacks of cash as you go. The game gives you a bit of land and a handful of cash and this is where your skyscraper starts. You need to start right at the bottom with a lobby and then from there, things can get pretty crazy.

Moving On Up

One of the things that I feel SimTower does better than many other sim style games is the way it allows you to progress. The game has this star-based ranking system and the ranking you are at allows you to do certain things. For example, at one start you can have offices, fast food places, and condos. However, as you get more money and your tower expands you can start to add some really cool stuff to your tower like a movie theatre, a nice restaurant, and more.

Of course, you need a steady flow of income so that you can keep progressing in the game. You can do this in a few ways. For example, you can sell condos, but these are a one-off type of deal. Places like a restaurant and a movie theatre and so one will give you a steady flow of income.

Happy Faces

Keeping people happy is just as important as building up your tower. SimTower has some pretty interesting little people. These need to be kept happy and there are many ways that you need to do this. Keeping things clean and making sure that new stuff is added is a great way to keep people happy and interested. The way I found people would get mad is with the elevators. I was surprised at how much strategy was required when it came to the elevators! You can have these stop that they only stop at certain floors and you need to do this as nothing makes these little pixelated people madder than waiting for an elevator!

Shinning Tiny People

As far as the presentation goes, SimTower certainly has that “Maxis” look and charm that we would expect. I will say that this game has tiny sprites, much smaller and less detailed than games such as SimCity and Theme Park. The little people do have some charm to them, but I do wish that the game went a little bit more in-depth with the presentation. The sound can get pretty annoying and there is not a proper soundtrack so make sure you are rocking your own tunes as you play.

I would certainly say that SimTower is a fun time. It is one of those weird 90s games that does not get enough love. For me, it came out at a time when people were just starting to expect 3D in their games so maybe that is why not as many people were as hooked by this as they were Sim City? If you like Sim City and games like Theme Park or even that Tiny Death Star iOS game that came out a few years back. I am 100 percent certain that you will have fun with this.

Pros:

• The whole game has a ton of charm to it
• You will be amazed at how addictive this game can be
• I liked being able to add all kinds of cool stuff to my tower
• It is very easy to get into
• You can waste many hours playing this

Cons:

• It could have a tad more in the visual department
• It is the kind of game that is super addictive, but then you just stop playing

SimTower? While many people will fondly talk and reminisce about games like Sim City and Theme Park. There was actually another very popular and fun sim/building game that was released in the 90s and that game was SimTower.

If You Build It They Will Come

The goal of SimTower is to build the world’s largest, coolest, craziest and most profitable skyscraper the world has ever seen. You start off by just having a bare piece of land and some money, but that piece of land is your canvas. To start off you will need to build your ground floor lobby and then you can start to plan how you are going to design your skyscraper.

It Is All About The Stars

SimTower features a pretty good progression system. You are always working to have your skyscraper move up in the star ranking system. When you are only rated at one start you can build condos, offices and some pretty janky fast food type places. As the money comes in and more people move in, you will eventually move up the ratings. You make money by selling condos. These are a one-off payment, but you get a steady income of money from places like shops and restaurants. As you progress you can start to add things like hotel rooms, medical facilities, carparks, a movie theatre, fancy restaurants, a subway station and much more! Of course, you need to also have staff there to keep the place running and to make sure that the people who live there and the people that visit are happy.

Watch The Elevators

Believe it or not, the elevators play a huge part in the game and you will have to keep an eye on these. The people visiting places like the shops and the movie theatre as well as the workers can get stressed if they have to wait too long for the elevator. You have to be very clever about how you organize your elevators. For example, you can have one that will only stop on odd floors, one that only stops on even floors then maybe one that is only for the higher floors.

How Does It Look And Sound?

The presentation of SimTower does have a certain 90s charm to it. the little people who come to your skyscraper have a lot of personality and you can see them going about their day and they do have some pretty fun animations. There is not a lot of detail here and some of the places can look the same, but as I said there is a certain charm to the basicness of SimTower. The sound though is one area that the game is lacking. There is not an actual soundtrack to the game. There is ambient sound and the sound of people going about their business which can get annoying after a while. This is certainly the kind of game where you need to have Spotify or something like that on while you play.

While it may not be as fondly remembered as games like Sim City and Theme Park. I think that SimTower is a really fun and addictive game. While we are looking at the PC version today it was actually released on many consoles as well like the PS1, Saturn, Gameboy, and even the 3DO! I really feel that this one is worth checking out and I am surprised that it has not been re-released as it would work perfectly on a phone or tablet.

8.5/10

Pros:

• Building your skyscraper is very addictive
• The game has a lot of personality
• It is crazy how high you can build your skyscraper
• You can be a real micromanager if you want
• It can be found pretty cheaply

Cons:

• There is no soundtrack
• It is not the best looking game