Go Go Town Early Access Review – This Town Is Big Enough For The Both Of Us

Go Go Town, a city-building simulation game developed by Prideful Sloth and published by CULT Games, is available now on Steam Early Access.

Go Go town is in a rough state; it needs a mayor to turn things around and change it into a bustling city. That’s where you come in; as the mayor, you are tasked with rebuilding everything from the population to the economy. While playing, the experience reminded me of Animal Crossing crossed with City Skylines —a cute, creative game with a brilliant management system. At the beginning of the game, it can be quite overwhelming doing all of the labour tasks such as building, cleaning and refilling stock for businesses. I found it to be quite a lot of work that didn’t allow me to fully explore the land of Go Go Town, but as you progress and unlock staff, they take care of everything for you. Once you set off on your adventures, you’ll find collectables such as interior items, clothes and themed building items. To earn these, you will have to explore some strange places like a slime block sewer and a chess-themed garden. Of course, you’ll need money to buy more resources, though I never found myself running out, which was good at not disrupting the flow of gameplay. Although it didn’t present too much of a challenge in the mode I played. There are a lot of activities like farming, fishing, and mining, all of which feel pretty fleshed out, which adds to the amount you can do in Go Go Town

In Go Go Town, as explained earlier, you’ll be managing the growth of a city this is where your phone comes in. Your phone is your lifeline; you’ll access all of the in-game systems that keep track of mining, forestry, shops and more. As I progressed in Go Go Town, I became more engaged in its systems, which felt very rewarding. Eventually, you’ll start using things like import and export on the phone to obtain things such as more apartments, houses and the like, which will overall help the expansion of Go Go Town. Each tier you unlock in the phone’s EGO system offers new buildings, customisation and tools to further the town’s progress. Although Go Go Town is in early access, a lot has been added over time, which is great. I think my only gripe was that I couldn’t go into the people’s houses like in Animal Crossing to see their personality shine through. I do hope this becomes a feature in the future. Go Go Town also offers multiplayer, so you can go to each other’s cities and perform tasks, explore and build together, which is enjoyable. I love the amount of customisation there is, it is one of the more enjoyable city-management games with a lot of soul behind it all, the cities other players have created all vary to different degrees, and it is good to see that.

The cartoon style of Go Go Town suits the game perfectly; it uses the fun art style to express itself. All the town buildings look unique and quirky, which offers a lot of choices so no street ever looks the same. I noticed that when in the game, the weather affects the environment around you, from the wind and rain to people running around on the grass. The soundtrack, at first, I wasn’t sure about; I thought perhaps a more relaxing style would have suited it. As the game progresses and gets busier, you realise that it fits the bustling city vibe the game has and adds to the overall feel. All of the residents who come to visit or move in look quite quirky as well, which fits in with their personalities. I mostly played Go Go Town on Steam Deck, and it was a very enjoyable handheld game that ran very smoothly.

Verdict

Go Go Town is shaping up to be fantastic. Whilst there is a bit of a grind at first, once the businesses start unlocking, it soon becomes more automated, which respects your time more and lets your creative juices flow. I love what the developers at Prideful Sloth are doing, and I cannot wait to see more. The game has been in early access since 2023 and has had some significant updates that have added a lot to the overall experience. While there are a few things I’d add and change, like the very start of the game and adding a little more depth to your residents. I had a great time, and I can’t recommend it enough.