Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Project Highrise: Architect’s Edition
Developer: Soma Sim LLC.
Publisher: Kalypso Media Group
Genre: Simulation, Strategy
Price: $39.99
Also Available On: Steam, PS4, XB1
Given the myriad similarities, Project Highrise’s pre-availability hype as a spiritual successor to Sim Tower: The Vertical Empire is well deserved. As with Maxis’ 1994 release, it delves deep into building construction and management, granting you absolute freedom to craft the skyscraper under your tutelage as you see fit and subsequently steering it to progression and sustainable development. And because of the two-decade gap between releases, developer SomaSim is able to take advantage of technological and technical advancements in the industry to present a stunningly immersive experience.
For simulation titles, the devil is in the details, and Project Highrise on the Nintendo Switch delivers in spades, and perhaps too much on occasion. Content wise, it’s the most complete; the Architect’s Edition boasts of all the five downloadable add-ons from the base game’s version on the personal computer, and thusly produces enhanced features perfect for gamers at home or on the go. It makes the work you do — which is exactly what your role as property manager implies — engrossing and fulfilling. There is so much micromanagement required of you over time that the crisp feedback and modern look and feel are what prevent you from deeming it interminable tedium.
Parenthetically, it helps that Project Highrise is aesthetically and aurally pleasing. Colors are vibrant, but from a set that emphasizes the title’s nod to realism. Meanwhile, the background music evokes pleasant, if snappy, rhythms, with the gameplay track providing appropriate action and control cues. The interface adjusts according to how you play. With the Switch docked, menus abound and allow you to direct proceedings with requisite promptness. That said, there is no handicap for you in portable mode; thoughtful changes are made to the setup in cognizance of the smaller screen, enabling magnification without sacrifice to accessibility.
Needless to say, Project Highrise hangs its hat on the way it provides you with a bevy of options from the get-go. Every decision you make has value and consequence. Would you like to build a mall? Are you more into housing? Do you go for a mixed-use structure? You can start big, but you run the risk of biting off more than you can chew. You can go small, albeit doing so likewise tempers the potential of your property. With great power comes great responsibility — and on such seemingly basic concerns as waste disposal, provision of electricity and water, and maintenance of phone lines. Soon enough, you’ll be taking care of tenants’ special and specific requests as well. And how well you do so will determine how much your coffers grow.
Considering the scope of your job, you’d think it easy to be buried underneath a pile of To Dos. And you would be right — but only if you fail to take advantage of the information Project Highrise dutifully provides you. It doesn’t cheat you by hiding it in a ton of submenus that serve to hinder and not help. Rather, it keeps the playing field level by ensuring that you thrive — or subsist, as the case may be — not because of the knowledge you are provided, but because of what you do thereafter.
Needless to say, Project Highrise isn’t for everybody. If you’re into adrenaline-pumping fare, you’re far better off with shoot-‘em-ups and fighting games. If you’re out to be wowed by emotionally charged narratives, you’d do well to chase adventure classics. If you’re a nuts-and-bolts type who gets engaged by sims, however, it’ll be worth your while. At $40, it’s a decided steal that figures to keep you glued to your Switch long before the sun is up and way after everybody else has turned in.
All told, Project Highrise lives up to billing as Sim Tower Junior, but on ‘roids. Once you get hooked, you’ll be hard-pressed to escape its clutches. You’ll find yourself moving to accomplish set goals in order to advance through game scenarios, so much so that, at some point, you’re ready to accept going through its rigors as success in and of itself.
THE GOOD
- A technological and technical marvel
- Runs smoothly
- Outstanding interface appropriately adjusted for play at home or on the go
- Pleasing aesthetics and sounds
THE BAD
- Micromanagement is a must
- Detailed goals make the accomplishment of scenarios an exercise in patience
- Random events increase difficulty
RATING: 8.5/10
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