Too Long; Didn't Play: Mini Metro

Sponsored By: Eleima

Time Commuting: 38 Minutes

Charlie Review

Before you get your hopes up: No, I will not be writing this review as a parody of "The MTA" by the Kingston Trio. The Chad Mitchell Trio already did that, and I don’t rub another man’s rhubarb.

MTA Review

It occurs to me how few developers realize that you can make an interesting game without particle effects and motion capture. Or, indeed, any frames of animation at all. Once in awhile, though, you encounter a game with a graphical design so simple it could have been done entirely in PowerPoint. Mini Metro is such a game.

Mini Metro is a mass-transit managing puzzle game, which is one of the reasons why the simple graphics work so well. The map looks like the sort of map you see on a subway wall, with each station represented by a simple shape, and every subway line represented by a different color. It’s reasonably intuitive, which is good because the game doesn’t spend much time explaining things to you. There isn’t a tutorial as I’ve come to understand the term. In fact, there’s very little text at all. This led to some confusion when I was trying to extend one subway line but ended up creating a new one instead, but after a couple of attempts I had most of the controls figured out to the point where I could focus on the game properly.

The player only controls which stations connect to each other and how. The station locations appear at irregular intervals in seemingly random locations. Perhaps, if I had ever been to London, I would know where to expect subway stations to crop up, but with my current knowledge of the Tube it just felt like they were being placed by orangutans throwing darts.

Of course, as a veteran of the MBTA during the Big Dig, I have to acknowledge that it’s entirely possible that this is how actual subway planning works: two people who don’t talk to each other taking turns trying to make each other’s lives difficult. It makes as much sense as any other explanation, and certainly more than if I try to convince myself that it was done on purpose.

At least the passengers don’t seem to mind. Every passenger is a shape that matches up with one of the subway station shapes and they don’t actually care which station they go to so long as it matches their shape. So round passengers will hop on a train and happily get off at whichever round subway station they stop at first. This makes my life easier, as a player, because if the passengers don’t care where they go, I sure as heck don’t.

The challenge lies in making sure that every station gets the appropriate amount of traffic. If you build a line that’s too long, the trains won’t embark often enough and the station will fill up. Once the station becomes overcrowded I can only assume the passengers riot because the station will be unceremoniously closed and you lose the game. Fear not, though. The only consequence of failure is having to start over, perhaps in a new city where they haven't heard of you.

And here we see the brilliance of the game’s design. For all of its abstract simplicity, Mini Metro is an uncannily realistic simulation of metropolitan subway planning. It truly is amazing what you can do without a physics engine or player models consisting of more than one polygon.

Will that be one more nickel?

I can happily say that I'll be spending more time with Mini Metro. In fact, I might even pick it up on a tablet, because it's the perfect game to have in your pocket with you when you're on the go.

Unless you accidentally try using it to plan your commute.

Is it the Dark Souls of Subway Maps?

Mini Metro has a place in any gamer’s library, but that place really should be on a tablet or other mobile device. It's a chill, soothing game with simple mechanics that is great for those moments when you're waiting for something else to happen. Like when you're lying in bed, or on the toilet.

Though why anyone would lie on a toilet is beyond me.

Comments

This led to some confusion when I was trying to extend one subway line but ended up creating a new one instead, but after a couple of attempts I had most of the controls figured out to the point where I could focus on the game properly.

Ah phew, i wasn't just me then!!!

Perhaps, if I had ever been to London, I would know where to expect subway stations to crop up, but with my current knowledge of the Tube it just felt like they were being placed by orangutans throwing darts.

Well, I don't know about London, but I do know Paris and its subway really well, and let me tell you, when I played that level, that's exactly how it felt!!

Great, great review, DoubtingT, and I heartily agree: after playing on my computer, all I could think of was "this should be on a phone or tablet!" Apparently, it's available there too.

It's a go-to on my iPad and phone.

I just picked this up recently too, and while I do appreciate the design, I feel strangely unmotivated by it. Yes, there are unlocks to access more maps, but I'm not sure what the point of that is. With the stations and traffic load seemingly random placements, you would still have infinite replayability with just a single map - especially if it was a randomly-generated map. I'm just not seeing the purpose behind real-world locations, so I don't really care about the next unlock. Score chasing in these types of games are almost useless - normal people are never going to come close to relevance on global leaderboards, so that's not a reason to keep playing. The only thing I could think of that might provide motivation is having a three-star ranking system for each level. What am I missing that is keeping you (and lots of people) coming back?

Though why anyone would lie on a toilet is beyond me.

Two words, buddy.

Bed pan.

*points to tag*

dewalist wrote:

I just picked this up recently too, and while I do appreciate the design, I feel strangely unmotivated by it. Yes, there are unlocks to access more maps, but I'm not sure what the point of that is. With the stations and traffic load seemingly random placements, you would still have infinite replayability with just a single map - especially if it was a randomly-generated map. I'm just not seeing the purpose behind real-world locations, so I don't really care about the next unlock. Score chasing in these types of games are almost useless - normal people are never going to come close to relevance on global leaderboards, so that's not a reason to keep playing. The only thing I could think of that might provide motivation is having a three-star ranking system for each level. What am I missing that is keeping you (and lots of people) coming back?

I think the variety comes with actual geography. Even if the position of the stations is randomized, the position of the rivers is not, and each map has different rivers to contend with.

They add some depth when you have to worry about the number of tunnels you have available to place, for example.

Of course, you could make the rivers random too, and maybe do a seeded daily map ala Spelunky. I don’t know if that would be more work than just having a few maps to choose from.

Eleima wrote:
Perhaps, if I had ever been to London, I would know where to expect subway stations to crop up, but with my current knowledge of the Tube it just felt like they were being placed by orangutans throwing darts.

Well, I don't know about London, but I do know Paris and its subway really well, and let me tell you, when I played that level, that's exactly how it felt!! ;)

Londoner for 13 years and, yeah, it doesn't help.

One of my favorite games, great review!

I love Mini Metro. You can pick up and play for five minutes as a break, or you can zone out with it for a longer zen-time.