REVIEW: ‘Mini Motorways’ is a Top Tier Management Game (PC)

Management simulators are a somewhat niche genre, but they have a very dedicated and loyal fanbase. I recently had the chance to check out Mini Motorways on the heels of their new Challenge City update, and it might just be one of the best in the genre.

Created by Dinosaur Polo Club, Mini Motorways is an adaptation of their other hit game Mini Metro. The point of Mini Motorways is to build roads throughout several real-life inspired cities to take the citizens to their desired destinations. Specific color cars need to travel to specific color buildings, and you are given roads and traffic management tools to place down. Every time a driver reaches their destination, you get a point. Seems simple, right? WRONG. As the city grows, the challenges pile up and eventually reach a point where you just can’t keep it going anymore and lose. It’s not a matter of if but when you lose, but the gameplay loop is quite enjoyable.

The best part about Mini Motorways is the variety. There are a decent amount of color types that you need to match up with specific routes, and the confusion only grows as different types are tossed in. The maps, while there are only twelve at the moment, are all distinctly different. Some, like Zurich, feature mountains you’ll need to build tunnels to navigate through. Others, like Los Angeles and Tokyo, have rivers that can often get in the way if you don’t have enough bridges. It’s easy to get started when there are only a few options of buildings to place down, but the variety quickly makes the game quite difficult to get higher scores.

I keep coming back to the word “challenge” for good reason, since the newest update, Challenge City, features even more challenges to make the experience worth it. The concept of the update is adding weekly and daily challenges that pit the community against each other in a traffic management nightmare… er… I mean, contest. Each challenge is unique and can sometimes limit you, but I noticed a few that actually made it easier to progress at a faster pace. I really enjoyed the variety of challenges I was able to experience right off the bat, and I can’t wait to see what else they come up with next. You can also see how you stack up against the rest of the world when it comes to scores in the weekly and daily challenge cities.

Beyond just feeling good to play, Mini Motorways is an absolutely beautiful game. The atmosphere Dinosaur Polo Club created is immaculate. The minimalist design of each car, building, and road works perfectly and keeps the game from ever feeling too overwhelming. Even when your game is full of intertwined highways, the low key design makes it all completely manageable. The music, while I wish it was more varied, helps create a relaxed feeling in an otherwise chaotic game. The combination of a chill design and hectic gameplay works way better than I would ever expect.

While Mini Motorways isn’t going to present you with an incredible story or massively varied mechanics, the experience is one you’ll want to keep coming back to. There are seemingly countless options to choose from, and the new Challenge City update takes it to the next level. If you are looking for a game that can be played for 5 minutes or 5 hours, Mini Motorways is absolutely worth every second of your time.

Mini Motorways is available now on Steam and Apple Arcade.