The upcoming Urban Empire, at first glance, looks like another take on the city building genre so totally dominated by the SimCity franchise and the recent Cities: Skylines. But Urban Empire takes an entirely different approach to civic management, casting you not as a godlike builder, but a politician guiding the city’s development and jockeying for reelection.
You choose from one of four political dynasties, with the ultimate goal of keeping your family in the mayor’s seat through 200 years of municipal history. Through five different eras you’ll face the challenges of urban planning, political opponents, technological innovations, and radical shifts in social ideologies.
We’re big fans of city sims here at GameWatcher. Cities: Skylines took top honors in our 2015 Game of the Year awards!
The video above features the developers discussing what sets Urban Empire apart. Between tech trees, district planning and political maneuvering it seems that the game will offer a strong strategic aspect, and the notion of dynamic events and a political dynasty spanning two centuries seems like a strong narrative hook as well.
Urban Empire is set to release on January 20 for PC. Cities: Skylines practically perfected the traditional city sim last year, so it’s exciting to see a new title take the theme in a whole new direction.
