Written by 
If I had a penny for every deckbuilder released recently I would have at least several shiny pennies. That’s not to say we’re overwhelmed with them by any means, but deckbuilding games are definitely a genre on the rise. Thankfully, there are several titles that are aiming to provide unique variations, and Technotopia is one of them, wrapping up its deckbuilding roots in some very smart decisions.
The way Technotopia manages to balance being a deckbuilder with a city building game is in how it approaches limitations. Set in the far future, you play as an AI who is tasked with building the perfect city. Unfortunately you can’t just plonk down whatever you like in the quest for perfection – you instead have to draw from a series of cards which determine what you’re able to build. If that were all that Technotopia was then it would be an intriguing enough concept, but there’s more going on under the hood.
As a kindly AI you’ll also spend your time ensuring that the denizens of your city have their needs met, as best you can. This helps you decide what to play each time you’re able to build something, as you’ll need to take your citizens into account in order to choose the right building and the right place for it. In addition to the people living there, there are four factions vying for their independent visions for the city. Balancing these factions will also prove key to your success, as you’ll need to make sure that none go neglected or rise to be too ascendant.
So while on the surface Technotopia looks to be a matter of simply drawing cards and placing buildings, there are a lot of variables to consider and a ton of information you’ll have to account for if you want to build a truly brilliant city. With its focus on limitations it’s almost the obverse of more traditional city-builders like Cities Skylines 2 or Tropico 6, while still allowing for a wide degree of creativity and flexibility in your approach.
Technotopia is out now and you can save 10% until Wednesday November 6. Take a peek at its Steam page to learn more, and see if you fancy your chances as a benevolent computer running your own art deco city.
Our guides to the best roguelike games and the best strategy games will also be sure to fulfill your needs for your next brilliant gaming experience, if you need to continue your search.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.