Tigris & Euphrates creator’s legacy board game My City heads to mobile
My City; your phone.
Reiner Knizia’s award-winning My City will join the roster of digitised board games thanks to a translation for Android and iOS devices from the folks at Spiralburst Studio.
Having previously ported Alexander Pfister’s Maracaibo, an economic exploration board game of 17th century maritime trading and pirates, Spiralburst now has their sights set on My City. This more recent Knizia design from 2020 is a mixture of city-building via grid play and deck management and a 24-episode legacy format. Spiralburst says they are working directly with Knizia and UK distributor Thames & Kosmos on the adaptation.
It sounds like a hefty forkful when viewed from a distance, but the Spiel des Jahres nominee (and multiple 2021 award-winner) carries a vaunted place amongst board gamers - especially those wanting something lighter for the family - for its tight design, replayability and clever twist on the legacy genre.
Rounds begin with a card displaying the tile that all players must deploy to their boards, adding it to previous buildings and expanding their ever-growing city. The ultimate goal is to maximise points through several means, such as covering rocks, enshrining trees and linking buildings of the same colour in coordinated blocks. This fairly straightforward setup changes between rounds as more restrictive and challenging rules and scoring possibilities throw a wrench into your careful civic planning.
Spiralburst Studio’s digital version of My City will retain the 24-episode campaign structure and allow players to grow their city from a pre-industrial hamlet to a modern metropolitan sprawl. They can face off against other people in 4-player, cross-platform sessions or test their wits against an AI opponent. Other game modes include an Eternal mode that eschews the legacy component and a Randomised Setup exclusive to the digital version.
Daily challenges with random rules and board setups will give those players who prefer to arrange polyominoes over their first cup of coffee the perfect morning companion. A textured tile mode has been included as a visual aid that helps players differentiate between the various components, clearly communicating their size, shape and colour.
My City’s digital version does not yet have a release date, and more information can be found on Spiralburst Studio’s website. While you’re here, check out Dicebreaker’s list of other great digital board games to while away the days until you can construct your own tile-based town.