ShantyTown

ShantyTown is very relaxing, atmospheric game that serves as a great way to unwind, while also giving you the freedom to experiment and transform ruins or uninhabitable places into charming little tourist attractions.

ShantyTown offers a different take on city-building games, one that’s more peaceful and relaxing. In fact, what we build on its maps are actual dioramas, each with a specific and highly original setting. It won’t take you long to complete the campaign, and it does lack a certain sense of challenge and difficulty to test your skills. ShantyTown is actually perhaps closer to a cozy game than to a game like Cities: Skylines. But if you’re looking for a pastime that lets you unwind for a few hours from the stress of everyday life, ShantyTown might be just what you need.

ShantyTown is clearly a passion project for Erik Rempen, born from love for the concept rather than market calculation.

"The Art of Quietly Building Urban Chaos" Shantown offers a completely different experience from traditional building games, focusing on transforming urban chaos into organized visual compositions. The game relies on tranquility, a slow pace, and restrained creativity to deliver a more contemplative experience than a technical challenge. Despite some limitations in tools and freedom, it succeeds in providing a strong artistic identity and a relaxing and distinctive experience for visual building enthusiasts.

ShantyTown is a simple and accessible game: there are no impossible challenges or complex mechanics to learn. It’s perfect for short sessions, ideal for unwinding and diving into something creative without stress. The replayability is high: every time you start over, you’ll want to try new combinations, experiment with different layouts, or tackle unexplored locations. It’s a game that invites you to come back, even just to add a small detail to a construction you’ve already started. The sense of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from watching a city take shape under your hands is hard to match. ShantyTown proves that a game doesn’t need to be complicated to be engaging: sometimes, all it takes is freedom, creativity, and a touch of magic to create an unforgettable experience.

Is ShantyTown going to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards? No. But is it worthy of your time, and worthy of consideration of those numerous smaller indie awards out there? 100% it is! The beautiful designing aesthetics and relaxed vibes, coupled with a near limitless replayability, ShantyTown has definitely won over a fan of this genre of design game.

ShantyTown can easily take you much further than you intended. The goals and achievements keep you going, and seeing previous builds in the background makes separate locations more like one world. At the same time, some maps are simply less interesting and there are still some sloppy aspects to the construction itself.

ShantyTown is a building game that is meant to be slow and focused, with an emphasis on mood rather than difficulty. ShantyTown is not like other games, as it eliminates factors such as combat, failure states and heavy progression and replaces them with a simple loop of placements, arrangements, and visual storytelling. You move through small spaces, slowly turning them into thick, layered scenes that feel personal and expressive.

Rempen’s dreamy city-block builder ShantyTown is an approachable adventure that cozy gamers will love, with content robust enough to deeply satisfy more seasoned surveyors.

ShantyTown is a compelling small scale building experience that captures the charm of diorama creation without the real world constraints. It’s perfect for a cosy afternoon to mill away a couple of hours away but it isn’t exactly ground breaking. Which in the noise of everyday life, might be exactly what you are looking for.