I don’t usually gravitate toward cozy games, as I find them a bit boring. But when I came across videos of Town to City, I decided to give it a chance. After all, it’s not every day you see a title with such a distinctive visual style. And even better when it turns out to be something that can hold your attention for hours on end.

In this relaxing city builder from Galaxy Grove, you construct and develop visually charming residential areas. You start from a hamlet, which grows into a village, a town, and eventually a fully developed city. The building system is fairly simple and responsive – its basics can be comfortably grasped within the first thirty minutes without any frustration. First, you build the roads, then you place the buildings following a few simple rules.

A picturesque scene with two scarecrows.

The main driving force of the game is, of course, the residents, as they provide the workforce needed to develop your settlement. New families continuously arrive in an area and, at the beginning, they just need a house. In these cases, some additional requirements, such as plenty of greenery or a body of water nearby, must be met.

Assigning families remains part of the “in-between” tasks, done alongside other objectives. You also need to take care of a network of shops and services (such as clothing stores). These buildings must be placed close to residential areas and need to be connected to warehouses that handle supplies.

Plenty of goodies to invent and research.

A key aspect of Town to City is maintaining the aesthetic appeal of your settlement. The beauty of the environment increases the happiness of your citizens. The title offers a wide range of tools for decorating and enhancing your surroundings. These include natural elements like trees, bushes, and flowers, as well as numerous man-made objects: benches, arches, street lamps, and much more.

The pool of available buildings and objects starts off small but expands quickly. As time goes on, you unlock new items and abilities through research. If you have a slight talent for decoration and a sense of aesthetics, you can create genuinely beautiful spaces right away.

Building and connecting.

Playing Town to City was a genuinely pleasant experience. This title feels truly “cozy”, although, clear objectives guide your progression, there is no real pressure. If you prefer focusing more on aesthetics than rapid expansion, nothing stands in your way. You can play however you like. At the same time, tracking progress and developing the town remains highly engaging. It has been a long time since I played a game that felt both so relaxing and so addictive.

The title uses a beautiful voxel-based art style that makes its rural landscapes even more cozy and inviting. Interestingly, both buildings and environmental elements look gorgeous both from a distance and up close. It’s also delightful to watch the blocky little citizens rushing to work, enjoying amenities, and relaxing in their homes.

Terrain features matter as well.

The developers implemented a dynamic day-and-night cycle, which further enhances the game’s visual appeal. Seeing the voxel town bathed in the glow of a setting sun is pure poetry. And once night falls and your lighting decorations come to life, the effect is even more striking, with soft lantern shadows stretching across quiet streets. The unique charm and tone of the title is perfectly complemented by the beautiful and atmospheric music.

Town to City runs very stably at 60 FPS, although on the highest settings it feels slightly more demanding on hardware than other new titles. This is especially noticeable when the population grows and more buildings fill the screen, increasing overall activity.

Charming by day, cute at night.

Town to City stands as an excellent recommendation for lovers of beautiful games. It’s a feast for both the eyes and ears. The game’s simple yet engaging mechanics make it consistently enjoyable, while allowing you to unwind after a long day. Performance issues are perhaps the only notable drawback I encountered. Still, I recommend it – not only to fans of cozy games or city builders, but to anyone who appreciates thoughtful, beautifully crafted experiences.

Town to City is available now on PC.

Reviewed on PC.

A copy of Town to City was provided by the publisher.