Indie Impressions - Mini Metro

Mini Metro

Now Available on Steam Early Access

Developed by Dinosaur Polo Club

Mini Metro is a zen-like strategy experience with pleasingly minimal visuals that utilizes the real-world simulation of public transit and the growing system of subways that every corner of the world has come to know. The simple metro-line style of the game is not only a minimal aesthetic, but a symbol of civilization that is powerful to those who have relied on it for a better portion of our lives.

Mini Metro does its part well in capturing the machine driven lifestyles of the modern world and infusing it with a tactical and addictive interactive twist that anyone from casual strategy fans to serious transit geeks can get excited about.

Although simple in appearance Mini Metro is nothing short of a complex affair with lots of little mechanics to learn as you delve deeper. The game is easy enough for players of any level to hop into but offers layers upon layers of choice and consequence that you will need to learn and master through hours of your own planning of expansive transit systems.

You begin by connecting differently shaped metro stations to other stations with similarly shaped passengers, which gets complicated as you notice your limit on metro lines you're able to make and the amount of trains you're able to have carrying passengers. Without an even balance between how much load each of your lines have you'll quickly have a station overcrowd leading to a Game Over.

Overcrowding can be avoided through careful planning as well as the help of upgrades you get to choose between at the end of each week. These can be very hard decisions as you'll be deciding between the ability to build another carriage to hold more of your overflowing passengers, extra bridges to allow you more tactical planning under rivers and other tracks, or a new line giving you a new color-coordinated track to work with on the constantly expanding map. Only one of these upgrades can be chosen and not using the chance efficiently will end your reign as a metro tycoon much quicker.

The game is currently undergoing some extremely ambitious and promising sound work, including a soundtrack being composed by the legendary Disasterpeace. Sound is a feature I am greatly anticipating, because while the silence serves the minimalistic approach to the aesthetics of the game it could really use a bit more atmosphere. Until this awesome addition I can easily throw on any appropriate Brian Eno or similarly ambient records and bliss-out to the creation of my own 'Music for Metros'.

There's already a wealth of maps allowing you to construct and plan anywhere from London to Hong Kong, as well as more than enough features like Leaderboards and alternative Nightmodes to play around with. Its state in Early Access is merely a sign of great things to come for an already blissful strategy game.

I'm extremely excited for what's in store and can't wait for the upcoming procedural soundtrack, additional features, and very hopefully some new maps. Two cities I'd personally love to see are Tokyo or Prague and with enough support Mini Metro is sure to deliver on lots of fresh content for an already hard to put down strategy gem.