Unveiling the Captivating Artistic Vision of Cities Skylines 2 – A City Builder Like No Other!
Cities: Skylines 2's hyper-realistic art style sacrifices the enchanting appeal found in other city builders, hindering its overall charm and immersive experience
Highlights
The art style of Cities: Skylines 2 is dull and lacks uniqueness, which may disappoint players looking for an engaging visual experience.
The lackluster visuals of the game, encompassing the map and structures, lack captivating details, ultimately resulting in a city builder devoid of personality. The unremarkable artistic approach of Cities: Skylines 2 impedes its overall enjoyment and falls short in comparison to visually captivating city-building games such as SimCity.
The presentation of a game is crucial, as it needs to captivate players and keep them engaged. While good graphics are not necessary, the overall look and feel must be compelling. Unfortunately, Cities: Skylines 2 falls short in this aspect. Although its gameplay loop is satisfying, the actual presentation is lacking and may be off-putting to some players.
Colossal Order seems focused on creating an incredibly realistic city builder with Cities: Skylines 2, which is intriguing. This emphasis on simulation improves the gameplay experience, but the art style appears dull. In their pursuit of realism, the studio seems to have overlooked the unique art style that made games like SimCity so popular. The absence of this artistic flair may make players hesitant to try out this new experience.
Cities: Skylines 2's Art Style Holds it Back
Upon launching Cities: Skylines 2, players are greeted with a rather lackluster landscape. The natural elements of the map consist mainly of a monotonous green field scattered with trees and shrubs, lacking realism and appearing as if someone simply painted a flat surface green. Despite adjusting the graphic settings, the map's aesthetic does not improve, which is disappointing. While the original Cities: Skylines was not particularly praised for its visual style, the sequel, being released in 2023, should have a noticeably cleaner appearance.
Not only does the map suffer from a mediocre art style in Cities: Skylines 2, but as players construct their city, they are confronted with an abundance of plain gray and blue buildings. The repetitive colors and uninteresting designs contribute to the overall dullness of the cities. Although it may attempt to emulate reality, the visual presentation becomes unengaging after extended periods of viewing. Furthermore, as the city expands, there is little change in this unremarkable presentation.
The lackluster graphics of Cities: Skylines 2 result in a city builder that lacks character. Unlike popular franchises like SimCity, which gained popularity not only for their city building mechanics but also for their unique art styles and flairs, Cities: Skylines 2 fails to make a lasting impression. Games like RimWorld and Prison Architect were able to stand out with their distinctive 2D art styles, but Cities: Skylines 2's graphics feel unremarkable. Even its predecessor had more character, with vibrant cities, colorful buildings, and objects flying through the skies. In contrast, Cities: Skylines 2 presents players with a concrete jungle of grays and blues, lacking the visual appeal. Although it may be difficult to completely change the art style at this point, future titles in the Cities: Skylines series should strive to have a more distinct look. Alternatively, the DLC for Cities: Skylines 2 could incorporate visually striking buildings to enhance the overall experience.
Cities Skylines 2 is available now on PC with a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S version launching Spring 2024.
