The Beauty of City-Building in Mini Motorways (and Mini Metro)

Why these two iOS games are mobile gaming perfection

I’m writing this post to ask a simple question that I’ve been pondering for a few days — why is the city-building challenge of Mini Metro and Mini Motorways so appealing? I don’t see myself as an overly analytical person, but I’ve been drawn into both of these games (which ask players to design either a highway system or a subway map). Built from the ground up for iOS devices, each app is a shining example of the best that mobile gaming can offer.

Let’s start with a quick overview: Mini Metro (2014) and Mini Motorways (2019) are both puzzle/strategy games designed by Dinosaur Polo Club for phones, tablets, and computers. Motorways is only available via Apple Arcade, at least for now, but Metro has found its way to a variety of other platforms (though I’d argue it’s best experienced on a phone or tablet). Both games as minimalist and simplistic in design, and require players to design and maintain an ever-growing map of subway and highway destinations. Eventually, and invariably, the map will become too crowded to be viable, but the journey to get to that point is a whole lot of fun and has won the developers a lot of recognition.

I’m no pro at either one of these games, though I’m usually able to at least get the minimum score on each level to unlock the next (in other words, I’m not terrible either). I usually try to get the maximum amount of usage out of each subway line or highway and often fail to plan for the next population boom. So, my fatal flaw is usually that I don’t plan ahead enough (which is why I’m usually somewhat limited at strategy games as a genre). But, despite my limited skill, I’m a huge fan of both games.

Whenever I fire up Mini Metro, the early stages of a game are incredibly satisfying. To see all my little passengers go from point a to point b is mesmerizing, especially when I’m able to keep up with the population for a few minutes. It won’t last, of course, but it’s a deeply rewarding feeling that’s also deeply and uniquely relaxing. When everything runs perfectly, and is running perfectly because I planned it well, Metro and Motorways are both deeply calming.

In fact, I think Motorways may be even more engrossing. Unlike Metro, the sequel shows homes and destination for your travelers. Even though it’s hard to fully keep track of the hundreds of little people going to and from work and home every day, it’s still calming to see an entire little city run perfectly, even if it’s just on the screen of my phone. I think that might be why I slightly prefer Motorways right now — I can see more of my planning play out.

Of course, this sense of calm is always undone at least a little bit by the halting crash that overpopulation brings to my little subway systems and highways. At least in the game world, no city can handle the indefinite population boom that never slows down, no matter how clogged the pathways are. But, even scrolling through the maps after a loss is still, somehow, calming. I imagine all the cities running smoothly, even if it’s just in my head, even if it’s just for a few minutes.

Like many good iOS games, Motorways also leads to a fierce sense of competition. I’m currently going back and forth with various family members trying to top each other’s high scores, something I haven’t done in quite a while. A phone game certainly doesn’t have to lend itself to score chasing to be fun, but it’s a good way to increase its staying power. The thrill of competition is always a welcome addition.

And finally, there’s something that just feels so rewarding about planning and executing one’s own little civic designs. Finding the optimal path for multiple different cars and subways trains to run on is wholly engrossing, even for someone like me who would usually not be interested in that kind of challenge. Part of this excellence speaks to the beautiful design of the game — the developers clearly put a lot of heart and energy into this product. The art style is also another reason these games work. It’s simple and beautiful, as are the animations that power each title.

I love when I find a game that feels perfect for the platform it’s played on. I get that feeling a lot with games for the Switch, which is uniquely suited for several different genres. Often, games on a phone or iPad feel shoehorned in, squeezed into a screen and touch controls that they were never meant for. That isn’t the case with Mini Metro or Mini Motorways. They’re both perfect games for these platforms, and they’re perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.