TOWNSCAPER
DEVELOPER Oskar Stålberg PRICE $8.50 AVAILABILITY Early Access
WEBSITE https://store.steampowered.com/app/ 1291340/ Townscaper/
Townscaper opened suddenly and spectacularly, like accidentally falling in love. The initial lack of familiarity meant that each investigation had a surprising outcome. I chose a colour, placed a piece and always ended up with something that was unexpectedly delightful; wonky dwellings on stilts, charming manor houses, rainbow coloured extensions, impossible bridges and complex structures I couldn’t even name for you. I made a temple, by accident. There was no no expectation, up front, beyond the clumsy creation of something beautiful.
As with all great infatuations, the risk of alienation exists, but remains invisible, for a time. I became tempted to see if I could create a more ordered town; houses in a row, districts based on some imagined idea of wealth, power, beauty or otherwise. To a degree, the game yielded. I started on a castle which inclined (somewhat) towards how I’d envisioned it. I became frustrated by irregular, star-shaped tiles along its walls and my complete inability to organise a more imposing design. My castle’s final iteration was a sort of halfhearted, pretty gaol.
I stopped playing and started looking at the castles of other players on Reddit. They were impressive. It was immediately obvious how much time, planning and care had been invested into their creations, as well as how intimate an understanding of the grid would be required to achieve these results. I searched for imperfections, initially in an envious manner, and found mostly trees that didn’t quite line up, or doors that weren’t symmetrically distributed across a wall. A rare, awkward angle seemed precious to my eye.
I’m incredibly torn on whether Townscaper is the kind of love one aspires to, or the kind of love one accepts, in all of its messy splendour. So far, I haven’t hit a hard boundary. There must be a limit for how high and how wide you can build, but (unlike my experience in almost every other game) curiosity feels disrespectful and counterproductive. When I arrive at Townscaper’s edges, it will be organic, or accidental. This experience is probably both loves, but I strongly suspect that pushing would only result in an ugly town with hypothetically sad residents. I’m not sure I’m a patient person, by nature, but I am sure we are attracted to those with the qualities we desire to possess, or who bring out those qualities in us. I think I’ll try to combine a more thoughtful approach to building beautiful castles with an appreciation for the unexpected, for a while longer. It probably doesn’t need to be said that many wouldn’t consider this “a game”. Its developer refers to it as “a toy”. But I suspect, after reading this far, you already know whether this is love or indifference, for you. Townscaper is perfect. Except to mention the one aspect that may prevent me exploring it forever; it doesn’t change over time. It’s still in Early Access, so there may be scope to add aesthetic elements. You see, falling in love is great. But so is waking up one morning, noticing your long-term partner has a new patch of hair, somewhere weird. Perhaps I load my town and a sea wall has crumbled away, or vines have claimed the bottom of my lighthouse. Perhaps the old town needs a scrub, in a way that requires a more deliberate kind of affection.
I stopped playing and started looking at the castles of other players on Reddit. They were impressive.