How To Destroy A City Review Summary

A strong early hook and simple, relaxing, addictive loop make it a great time-waster, but repetitive gameplay, dragging mid-to-late pacing, and a full version worse than the demo hold it back.

Strong early game hook: The first 20-30 minutes are entertaining and engaging, with a satisfying hack-and-slash feel and novelty from progression. Many players note the game starts strong and opens up after the initial period.

Good value for price: Many reviewers consider the game fun and worth the money, often describing it as cheap and cheerful or a great little game. It is seen as a worthwhile purchase even after finishing.

Addictive time-waster: The game is highly addictive and great for passing time, often described as a decent incremental game or time-waster. It is simple yet engaging.

Fun overall experience: Overall, the game is enjoyable and satisfying, with a very fun gameplay loop. Players would buy a similar game.

Simple and relaxing: The game is simple and playable, oddly calming and minimalist, making it nice to play when tired or wanting to relax before sleep. It is not complicated but not hands-off either.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: The game becomes extremely repetitive quickly, with the same actions repeated and no new elements after the first hour. It fails to maintain interest.

Full version inferior to demo: Many features and elements present in the demo were removed or changed in the full version, making it less enjoyable. The demo misrepresented the final product.

Mid to late game pacing drags: The game becomes a grind in the mid to late stages, with runs taking longer and yielding small gains. This leads to boredom and a sense of slog.

Poor progression and high upgrade costs: Upgrade costs are excessively high, making progression very slow. Players feel that the pacing is designed to prolong gameplay artificially.

Balance issues in late game: There are balance problems in the last hour, with odd upgrade balancing and lack of smooth progression. This affects the overall experience.

Upgrade system with skill tree: The game features a skill tree that expands with upgrades, including hidden unlock tiles. Upgrades are unlocked via this tree and include items like inflation and increase height.

City destruction gameplay: The core gameplay involves destroying buildings, helicopters, and city districts. Players blow up randomly placed exploding buildings and destroy a big city by rolling a sphere.

Incremental progression core: The game is fundamentally an incremental game with repeated runs, upgrades, and escalating numbers. Players raise old-style upgrades and start new runs, with upgrade costs increasing.

Playable robots and support units: The game has multiple playable robot characters, including a wrecking ball and a drill. Support robots and new vehicles serve as NPC allies, with auto-piloting companions.

Progression and stage system: There is a progression system where things get better and better, with run length growing as the game progresses. Stage-based gameplay with repeated levels is present.

Wait for updates before buying: Some reviewers suggest waiting for updates if the game interests you, and one says do not play right now, indicating current issues.

Plain recommendation: Several reviewers simply recommend the game without additional details, indicating general approval.

Mid-game drag hurts experience: One reviewer explicitly does not recommend the game due to severe mid-game drag, indicating pacing issues that detract from enjoyment.

Not recommended, but watch it: A reviewer does not recommend the game currently but advises keeping an eye on it, suggesting potential for improvement.

No reason to buy after demo: One reviewer sees no reason to buy if you played the demo, unless you want to support the developer.

Game completion: 5.0h.

Endgame: 5.5h.

Most reports describe early fun that gives way to repetition, slow progression, and later tedium; one conflicting report says the game opens up after a mobile-like opening.

Friction: Repetitive core loop; Upgrades losing flavour; Glacial progression pace; Mobile-game-like early phase; Upgrades often feeling unhelpful; Later-stage slog.

Unlock drivers: Game opening up after the initial mobile-like phase; Progression improvements making things feel better over time.

Chill Controller Roamer: Roams the map casually with a controller and tunes visual comfort settings. Motivation: Relaxed movement and comfort while playing. Stance: sale.

Combat Depth Seeker: Focuses on attack options, smooth combat, and evaluating mid/late-game weapon payoff. Motivation: Meaningful combat variety and visible late-game attack upgrades. Stance: no buy.

Demo misled about full game: Players repeatedly note the demo does not accurately represent the full game, setting expectations that the final product fails to meet. Specific missing elements like movies and playable robots (UFO, drill) advertised in the demo are absent at release.

Low price point: Multiple reviewers highlight that the game is inexpensive, often comparing its cost to a coffee. The low price is seen as making the game more acceptable despite its shortcomings.

Developers responsive to feedback: Developers have addressed player feedback about repetitive upgrades, fixed the skill tree, added an intensity slider for screen shake, and promised to bring back missing robots. They also plan to add more updates.

Short completion time: Players report completing all achievements in around 4-5 hours, with some finishing the game in about 5 hours. This brevity is a common point of feedback.

Not a true idle game: Reviewers point out that the 'idler' tag is misleading; the game relies on instant gratification rather than clicker/idle mechanics. The gameplay does not match the incremental genre expectations.