A citybuilder that's mostly focused on resource balancing. Picked up after watching a video by the creator. Looks great, play not as satisfying or sticky as I'd like.
Core conceit seems to be that every building transforms one resource into another on every turn:
Some buildings don't have an input cost; some transform at an advantage (1 person → 2 food). As a result, you are mostly balancing and expanding your engine.
One of the key resources is Light, which is used to “unfog” map tiles and to combat natural disaster-type events that happen regularly.
There are also minigames - often manual resource gathering. In a cute design choice, these each play out within a single tile. They are usually simple timing or dodge challenges (think Oregon Trail hunting) and there's a tech tree item to not have to play them anymore, but research points are scarce and it feels nonoptimal.
I'm not sure why this hasn't clicked yet. The ingredients are there, but it's not quite as chill as I want? Nor does it have the satisfaction of watching a city grow organically (you build everything manually) nor is there much aesthetic play in choosing a layout, as practical needs seem to always take precedence. More deckbuilder than simulation.