SimTown

Maxis

Industry	Video games
Founded	May 1, 1987 (1987-05-01)
Founder	Will Wright, Jeff Braun
Headquarters	United States
Products	SimTown, SimCity series

SimTown is a 1995 video game released by Maxis, designed as a smaller-scale counterpart to the popular SimCity. It allows users to create and manage a community by constructing streets, houses, commercial establishments, and parks while overseeing the wellbeing of its inhabitants. Targeted at a younger audience as a "Sim" franchise spin-off, the Macintosh edition was launched in May 1995.

The Super Famicom adaptation, known as , was published solely in Japan by Imagineer.

Gameplay

In SimTown, players engage with a streamlined version of SimCity mechanics, tasked with developing a compact town on an empty land parcel by placing residences, workplaces, civic structures, roads, and ornamental plants. These components utilize resources such as water but primarily enhance visual appeal.

The main challenge involves sustaining resident happiness through effective management of essentials like water availability, forestry, agricultural crops, and environmental initiatives such as recycling and air quality control. Players are allocated periodic "credits" to support these services, with resource demands increasing as the town expands. Mismanagement can result in adverse effects including withering trees or parched ponds. Unlike SimCity, there is no monetary system for building or landscaping; only resource credits are used.

Maintaining equilibrium between population and employment is vital: each household comprises two adults, two children, and one pet. Adults must be employed within businesses or civic facilities to avoid prolonged unemployment, which causes housing degradation and resident departure. Likewise, under-resourced businesses gradually fall into disrepair.

A customizable resident avatar provides feedback through diary entries and a local newspaper offers summaries of the town’s status. Players can earn trophies and ribbons by achieving specific goals. The game also features several concealed easter eggs.

Reception

MacUser awarded SimTown a score of 3.5 out of 5 and listed it among the top 50 CD-ROM titles of 1995.

Conversely, Next Generation rated the Macintosh version 1 out of 5 stars, suggesting it primarily appeals to parents concerned about their children's computer usage.