News Tower Review

Developer: Sparrow Night

Platforms: Mac, PC (Reviewed)

Genre: Simulation, Strategy

Publisher: Twin Sails Interactive

News Tower is a relaxing tycoon simulation game. This game was developed by Sparrow Night and published by Twin Sails Interactive. Similar games to News Tower would be Blooming Business: Casino. The game plays very similarly to other tycoon games but has its share of unique aspects. This review was done on the PC, but the game is also available for MacOS. The game is in early access currently on Steam.

News Tower is a single-player game where you take on the role of a news editor who is trying to manage a growing media empire. The story starts with postcards that you receive, which sets the setting of the game to be in New York around the 1930s. As you read through the postcards, you can name your media business and start on your journey. The story mainly revolves around the player starting with a small newspaper and working up their way to the highest media league.

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The controls to News Tower were extremely easy to get a hang of. When starting the game, you are shown the main controls and how to work around everything. It is quite important to understand the instructions thoroughly at first; otherwise, it’s difficult later on to grasp certain things. All you really need to do is use your mouse and keyboard. Main pointers are to use the mouse to point and click on objects as you build your ‘news tower’. The controls are not an issue whatsoever, which makes the game very easygoing. I like the feature where there is a girl NPC that can also help with tips if ever needed.

The art style of this game is cute and vibrant. There is a feel to a vintage look in the game, which goes well with the era the game is set in. I really liked the layout of the News Tower as it resembles the really tall buildings found in New York. The game features a cartoonish look with many minimalist elements that blend well together. The game is colourful, and all the characters have such unique personalities and designs. My favourite part about the art style of this game would have to be the main UI, where you make most of your decisions. It looks extremely pristine with a vintage vibe. Even with vibrant colours, there is a set of dullness, which is done well for the atmosphere of the game. There is a lot that can be done in this game, and the creativity is flowing once you start playing it. The soundtrack that plays throughout the game is also very lovely, as it consists of jazz mixed with heavy piano music. The music somewhat resembles music you would find playing at a casino but brings a calming mood to the game. The soundtrack is classical, instrumental and elegant. The sound effects, too, are so intriguing as a part of the game that just brings it more to life. The soundtrack that plays throughout the game is also very lovely, as it consists of jazz mixed with heavy piano music. The music somewhat resembles music you would find playing at a casino but brings a calming mood to the game. The soundtrack is classical, instrumental and elegant. The sound effects, too, are so intriguing as a part of the game that just brings it more to life.

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The whole premise of the game is that you start without an empty building, with roughly $15000. As you begin to hire the employees, you can also unlock accessories to boost their skills, which gives them different rankings. This is a really nice way to also properly manage the characters you hire, which is different from other tycoon games. The game has a lot of goals for you to achieve, and the mafia are a great help with this as well. As much help as the mafia can be, they can be just as destructive, which makes this so much more exciting. You also can adjust the wages for the employees, which I found so much fun to mess around with. The game does a great job of giving the player full control of everything to manage and grow their media empire.

What I liked about this game is that it is far more than just a tycoon game, as many challenges are faced throughout the gameplay. Decisions made in the game are quite important, as hiring the right people and buying equipment is essential for the growth of the business. Many elements of the game include the player choosing different news stories to cover, dealing with dilemmas and working around managing the income. It does a good job of creating a good balance between resource and strategy management. It gives much more integrity to the game. There are so many aspects of this game that I love, and the addition of unveiling a story is the best part. With many tycoon games, there is not much of a basis for a story, but this helps players unlock the story more by growing their media empire. So, with the story aspect of the game, I like that each newspaper follows a specific theme. For instance, the newspaper is specified to like crime, entertainment and society. This further delves into your being able to open small branches to run the specified newspaper for the week. The idea of opening up different branches is also so fun, as it allows you to manage multiple branches at one time. Personally, I found the game to be a bit difficult when it came to earning money, even when taking out a loan. It definitely requires time and has much repetitiveness to it, but can be great as a relaxing game you can turn back to.

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Overall, I do think it’s a very addictive game and has very easy gameplay that allows you to play for hours without getting bored. It’s really hard to get bored in this game as there is so much to do and many add-ons that extend the game, making it longer and more funner! This game can be hard, though, due to the limit of money. Some instructions aren’t fully explained, especially with the loan and proper breakdown of money deductions, but besides that, the game is extremely fun.

News Tower is a relaxing tycoon game that you can play by yourself when you want to wind down. You get to let your creativity flow and build up your media empire to make money and progress through a story. The visuals and soundtrack are elegant and classy, which can put you in the ultimate news publishing mood. The game does a wonderful job of creating a fun and lighthearted visual experience for all players! So, if you want to try out a well-themed tycoon game, then definitely go check out News Tower!

Overall: 8/10