Gaming culture, and many of the popular genres that dominate Steam, have become familiar and codified. You hear the term ‘strategy game,’ ‘RPG,’ or ‘FPS’ and you know immediately what to expect. City builders, likewise, come with expectations. Cities Skylines 2 is a distillation of the form – Frostpunk 2 seeks to challenge assumptions with a denser narrative and darker tone, but remains mechanically true to traditions. Speaking exclusively to PCGamesN, the creator of 2024’s most unique city building game thinks more can be done to shake up the triple-A.

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