Town to City's gorgeous twist on Minecraft's blocky aesthetic just became a must-play with new animal-themed update

Plenty of studios have adopted the blocky voxel look made popular by Minecraft, but few to such spectacular effect as Galaxy Grove's Town to City. This cozy construction sim landed on Steam just last month and it ranks among the most beautiful city-building games I've ever seen. Set in the 19th-Century Mediterranean, it reminds me a little of Anno if the world and everything in it was made from cubes. Its developer has just unveiled the first major update, which lands for free in November, and now I'm even more sold.

Before I dig into the Town to City Animals update that's on the way, I'll just touch a little on what makes it one of the best management games to hit Steam in recent months. Galaxy Grove has managed to strike the ideal balance between the coziness of Tiny Glade and Summer House, and the depth and customization of Cities Skylines and Manor Lords. There's the option for guided campaign play or a freeform sandbox mode, and the grid-free building means you can mold your settlement to your heart's content without awkward placement restrictions.

If you're mostly an aesthetics-driven builder, Town to City lets you pinpoint those fine details such as lanterns on walls, colorful flower beds, and winding backstreets through the countryside. Every piece of the toolkit is so lovingly crafted that I think it might actually be impossible to make anything that looks bad, but you can certainly design something stunning, and there's even a photo mode to show off your creations.

For those who like to meticulously plan out their economy, you can dig into the specific needs of your population, setting up production and commerce, assigning jobs across your community, and transforming your village into a bustling hub of activity and throughput. You can even expand to build other towns and then connect them with travel routes, opening the doors to both trade and tourism.

The Animals update does exactly what you'd expect, but then a little more on top. There are the likes of cows and sheep for your farms, along with cats and dogs that families can adopt as pets, and plenty of other wildlife besides. But then there are also new buildings including a dress maker, patisserie, and animal shelter, and a helping of additional props to further your customization options. Finally, a first-person mode will let you walk through the streets of your city and see life as your villagers do.

The Town to City Animals update is set to launch for free in November. The game is available on Steam for $24.99 / £21.99. You can also download a free demo if you want to try it out first.

Grab the best gaming handheld if you're looking to take your town planning on the go, or browse the best strategy games on PC for more ways to test your brain.

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