SimCity BuildIt

 iOS
User Score
4.6

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 62
  3. Negative: 30 out of 62
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  1. CenkAlp
    Jan 3, 2018
    6
    Hikaye = -
    Oynanış = -
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    Keyif = -
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  2. lemans81
    Dec 28, 2014
    5
    Graphically this is a good game, it plays smoothly and for a grind style game is very good. The bad is pretty much everything else, when trading its a live deal so my experience has been 1 out of every 50 attempts to trade actually work, the other 49 I get a message saying the item is already gone.(I am using a Galaxy S4 and 30mb down/10mb up internet, so I doubt its the phone) If youGraphically this is a good game, it plays smoothly and for a grind style game is very good. The bad is pretty much everything else, when trading its a live deal so my experience has been 1 out of every 50 attempts to trade actually work, the other 49 I get a message saying the item is already gone.(I am using a Galaxy S4 and 30mb down/10mb up internet, so I doubt its the phone) If you don't trade you can expect a lot of days to make zero forward progress.… Expand
  3. Hypolite
    Mar 31, 2015
    7
    I've got to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by SimCity BuildIt. I clearly wasn't hoping for much after SimCity Social and the reboot of SimCity, but it turns out that Electronic Arts sort of learned their lessons since Dungeon Keeper Mobile. Every single classic pain point of freemium games (delays, item availability) have been circumvented one way or another, making for a veryI've got to say that I've been pleasantly surprised by SimCity BuildIt. I clearly wasn't hoping for much after SimCity Social and the reboot of SimCity, but it turns out that Electronic Arts sort of learned their lessons since Dungeon Keeper Mobile. Every single classic pain point of freemium games (delays, item availability) have been circumvented one way or another, making for a very respectable game time before being constrained by the building area.

    And the graphics are truly marvelous, so much that it makes my phone heat and melts the battery. Fortunately, it's a game that can and should be played in short sessions separated by 5-10 minutes of IRL living (I know, booooring), so it's not so bad.

    And in all, a solid game that allows for much creativity in the city layout and permit stingy players to enjoy most of the game without bumping too hard on a paywall.    … Expand
  4. Oolongsouchong
    May 25, 2015
    5
    I found this really fun up to the point I didn't.

    It's quite a departure from the normal Sim City model but you soon get used to the farming aspect of gameplay instead of the strategising and resource management. It's perfect to pick up and play for 30 minutes a day or so and you can actually get pretty far without paying, right up until the point you can't. I don't expect developers    I found this really fun up to the point I didn't.

    It's quite a departure from the normal Sim City model but you soon get used to the farming aspect of gameplay instead of the strategising and resource management. It's perfect to pick up and play for 30 minutes a day or so and you can actually get pretty far without paying, right up until the point you can't.

    I don't expect developers to work for nothing and I'm happy to pay for games, but this just develops into an example of Freemium at it's worst.

    You quickly run out of land, which necessitates items to get more land. These can only be purchased with in game currency, or traded in the market, or doled out by the game as you play. Forget about the market and the amount of free play you would have to do to get the items is impossible so I worked out what it would cost me to add about 20% to the size of my city.

    Probably around $100 with no end in sight to the paying. I'm giving it 5/10 because it was a lot of fun to play for a while, and it EA ever offer an upfront one off fee, I'll likely be back. But not like this.    … Expand
  5. SadlyLacking
    May 26, 2015
    5
    Not bad and I paid the minimum and got my money's worth. For a fan of the classic, this is Simcity flavoured Candy Crush. It beats the latter hands down as a mobile app, but isn't anywhere near addictive as the original PC game.
  6. maybethisweight
    Jun 8, 2015
    7
    I've been a SimCity'er since playing the first one on my sister's Apple IIC. I remember SimCity 2000, in its full color glory, and then from generation after generation, I kept losing interest. The charm wore off, and it just felt clunkier, more graphics heavy, and excuses to incorporate The Sims or other aspects that I was never interested in.

    This is the first SimCity that I've gotten    I've been a SimCity'er since playing the first one on my sister's Apple IIC. I remember SimCity 2000, in its full color glory, and then from generation after generation, I kept losing interest. The charm wore off, and it just felt clunkier, more graphics heavy, and excuses to incorporate The Sims or other aspects that I was never interested in.

    This is the first SimCity that I've gotten re-addicted to. The game is still not what it used to be, about collecting money, keeping citizens happy, and figuring out how to balance R, C, and I zones. The focus is now on farming commodities, and strategic placement of Police/Fire/Hospitals, or the city will just die. The commodities themselves can be sold or used for other achievements in the game.

    I think it's fun initially as you are unlocking new resources and a few new challenges (like the shipping dock, the HQ's for buying/selling, etc.)... each "level up" introduces new resources to gather. But after a while I started to dread the level up, which would tend to unlock things that I couldn't afford, add on resources that meant more work, and then also citizens would begin to expect new services, become picker about traffic etc. etc. The game progressed from novel to feeling a bit burdensome.

    I think if you're willing to play really casually, or you're ready to spend a few bucks to expedite the advanced parts of the game, then this game is awesome. But as a 100% free player who doesn't want to play all day and night to get ahead, it gets too taxing at a certain point. I realize that is probably the goal of the developers anyhow - make it tempting to spend money, or just quit, ya know?    … Expand
  7. Mpbpl
    Jul 11, 2018
    5
    Not SimCity worthy.
    I actually want to like this game but ultimately can only feel disappointment. It has all the features of all the SimCities games, but all the features are locked behind population cap, money cap, time cap, materials cap, level cap, which makes you feel like this is an obstacle course and every time you are hitting the bars.
    No longer you need to be wary of taxes and    Not SimCity worthy.
    I actually want to like this game but ultimately can only feel disappointment. It has all the features of all the SimCities games, but all the features are locked behind population cap, money cap, time cap, materials cap, level cap, which makes you feel like this is an obstacle course and every time you are hitting the bars.
    No longer you need to be wary of taxes and costs... there are no police, fireman, public transportation costs, nothing... you get taxes and they are yours, FOREVER. Building are locked into a size, so we are back to Super Nintendo like fixed boxes that destroy customization.
    To upgrade the residence building you need to make materials from industries and then turn them into tools in commercial places. Because of this, the number of industries and commercial places is heavily limited... no longer you need a good Industry/Commercial/Residence balance, build whenever you can.
    Microtransactions are not that much of a grievance, but they are EXTREMELY expensive and their worth is so low, worst cost/benefit I've ever seen... Free game though.    … Expand
  8. RavenclawGuy
    Mar 10, 2021
    7
    I used to love this game, but I see now it's not the best. Still, it is very good for IOS, so 7/10.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Most Discussed iOS Game of 2014
50
#50 Most Shared iOS Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. Multiplayer.it
    Jan 4, 2015
    45
    Simcity BuildIt is not a game with some timers, it's a huge timer with some bits of a game in between.
    Read full review
  2. IGN Italia
    Dec 30, 2014
    60
    This is the first "real" mobile SimCity and it's a nice game, but it's more Clash of Clans than classic Sim City and the free to play model doesn't work very well.
    Read full review
  3. Modojo
    Dec 27, 2014
    50
    Sim City Build It is a strange mishmash of free-to-play trappings, resource management, and other oddities that don't necessarily make sense within the context of the game as a franchise or even as a stand-alone app. Pass on it and choose something much meatier to spend your time with.
    Read full review
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