taking money and traffic management out of the citybuilder reduces tedium and increases pleasure. this is a brilliant change. replacing it with conditional upgrades based on surrounding tiles is even better. keeping up motivation through a series of objectives to tick off also helps direct a traditionally directionless genre.
yes, the game lacks some polish. i would like some more overlays indicating existing building radiuses, for example. but the important information is clear enough, and mistakes are relatively easy to correct. this is an easy-going, chill, engaging game that instantly became one of my favorite entries in the genre.