12. Urban Empire

Urban Empire Trailer

Leaving the pioneers of the Wild West behind, we find ourselves contemplating another pioneer; this time not in terms of geography, but in terms of style. Urban Empire by Reborn Games Inc. presents us with a very interesting take on city-building—a very realistic take. What I mean is, this is the only game on the market that lets you in on the actual politics of running a city. That puts Urban Empire literally in a class of its own.

One of the really strong points of Urban Empire is its story. You start out by choosing a family you will belong to, and seek to establish a mayoral dynasty as you focus on building up your city over the span of 200 years. Along the way you must make various decisions, all of which will have some impact on the overall story of the game. For instance, you could choose to send your oldest son (your heir) to boarding school or keep him close to home. Either decision can have important effects in the future. This makes for engaging play.

Urban Empire departs from the norm in that, instead of being the godlike, autocratic puppeteer building up cities to your liking across several maps as in other games, you are tasked simply with the far more democratic and human responsibility of being mayor of a single town, which you must build up through successive generations over 200 years. Also unique to the game is its emphasis on politics—Urban Empire foregoes certain aspects of city-building itself in favor of focusing on the reality behind the scenes. As mayor, you’ll find yourself in constant council meetings about everything from whether to build a new police station to child labor policies in your city. Your power will be checked here.

As you progress through the game, you’ll find that you need the council’s approval to do practically anything. Yes, any grand and not-so-grand ideas you may have for your town must ultimately be put to a vote. You can influence proceedings through threats, incentives, alliances and the like, but, just as in real-life politics, you’re sure to step on more than a few toes no matter what route you take. There’s always opposition—this is a democracy! Urban Empire drives that point home with sometimes a bit more vigor than you’d like.

The council in the middle of voting about important issues. Note the existence of Conservative, Liberal, Right Wing and Left Wing ideologies in-game.

Turn your tiny little town into a grand city with strong leadership and shrewd politicking. It’s in your hands, Mayor! Oh, right—the Council’s hands too!