Because I am moderately poor, I consider myself a connoisseur of free apps for my iPod. No, this does not include the cheap knock-offs of popular apps (“Slightly-miffed Fowl”), but rather apps suggested by the likes of FAAP and BargainBin, both of which are great free apps to download (gateway apps, metaphorically speaking). Recently, FAAP had Tiny Tower up for free download and seeing the retro game art style, I was instantly interested. Little did I know that it would soon be my new addiction.
Tiny Tower comes from NimbleBit, who make a lot of free apps that are worth checking out. Regardless, Tiny Tower has you managing an ever-growing tower in a “god game” type of way. You start with two floors; one Residential and one Food. The goal is to move in more residents (called bitizens) into the residential apartments so that you can place each one of them into one of the many potential jobs available from 5 different categories: Food, Service, Recreation, Retail, and Creative. Every new floor you build can be designated to one of these categories, but what actual jobs or apartments you get are randomized. Each bitizen has specific, random stats in each of the categories (from 0 to 9) and one dream job. Each apartment complex can hold 5 different bitizens while each job floor can hire 3 different bitizens. Each job can stock 3 different products, as long as you have 3 different workers working at that store. To build more floors and stock more products, a specific amount of real time must pass. The ultimate goal here is to make money to build more floors and bring in more residents. At the time of this writing, I have 27 floors, and rising. The top player has 369 different floors -- the game is completely endless.
As confusing as it sounds, through an incredibly straightforward tutorial, the player will quickly learn the ropes and it becomes a really fun pick-up-and-play game. The most entertaining thing I’ve found is moving in residents to grant their wishes and place them in their dream jobs. It’s the perfect “anytime game” – I’m able to accomplish something during my play time, even if I’m just waiting for stock to come. Every few seconds, a bitizen will appear at the bottom floor and will ask to be moved to a specific floor. Upon doing so, you will receive a stipend or possibly a TowerBuck, which is this game’s currency you can buy with real money. If you’re lucky, a VIP member will appear instead, offering a specified bonus to whichever floor you decide to take them to.
Now, I know what you’re thinking – “This is Farmville in tower form!” As much as I hate to admit, I will agree. The timed elements are there and it’s ultimately just a grind game with no ultimate goal. To my surprise, however, is that given enough time, there’s no need to really purchase TowerBux ever, unless you’re looking to speed up a process. On top of that, there’s no punishment for not returning in time to restock a store. It has the casual feel of Farmville with a rather surprising level of depth.
The game can tend to get very confusing with its bitizens – more often than not I found myself writing down names and locations to rearrange people in their workplaces. On top of that, it can be frustrating to be banking on a specific job on your new floor to give to specific bitizens, only to get a totally unexpected job. Also, building a new residential floor almost always feels wasteful, and the more floors you have, the harder it is to actually move someone into that floor.
Regardless of a few things in question, this game really shouldn’t be free. It’s literally a steal because it is free, and if you, dear reader, haven’t downloaded this app or at least look into it, I cannot recommend it more. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a wedding chapel to stock.
If you want to add me, please GameCenter me at bradeustathios@yahoo.com.
Pros:
- Simple, casual game with a surprising amount of depth
- A good game to play when you have 1 minute or 1 hour
- Really satisfying to line up dream jobs or build new floors
- A pretty interesting art style (a newer style for the company)
- I have yet to see a repeat in floor style/job
- It’s free and there’s no reason to not give it a try
Cons:
- May feel like an unbearable grindfest for some people
- Random elements keep excitement, but are sometimes frustrating
- Residential floors become chore-like
- Necessary organization from time to time
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