Metropolis 1998 is a fetching isometric blend of SimCity and The Sims, with customisable house interiors

In certain Terran lore, it is said that God created the universe in seven days. However, this morning, I managed to create a small suburban village complete with a hospital, school, police station, and a cafe in just 20 minutes. Welcome to Edwitherington, a backwater burg with a population of 8 – one for each non-residential building in town. Our major imports include ornamental lampposts to create an old-timey atmosphere, while our major exports are traffic jams due to the layout of our village leading back to the freeway, causing two traffic light junctions within close proximity.

The once traffic-free freeway has now become a congested mess of cars, turning a serene woodland area into a chaotic traffic jam. The eight residents of Edwitherington move from one empty municipal building to another, with the hospital lacking doors in the bathrooms and beds overgrown with shrubbery. Please avoid the hospital at all costs.

The game I’m referring to is the demo for Metropolis 1998, a colorful city-builder with intricate interior layouts that allow for customization. While the game is still in development and lacks a complete game loop, it offers a glimpse into creating a unique cityscape with various building options. The developer, YesBox, plans to include features like citizen bank accounts, disasters, and celebrity visits in the final release.

YesBox is collaborating with external pixel artists to bring this vision to life, with plans for post-launch updates such as a zombie apocalypse button, visible crime, and a Sims-like mode for a more immersive experience. The game has been in development since November 2021, with no final release date announced yet.