SimTower
| SimTower: The Vertical Empire | |
|---|---|
Box cover art
|
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| Developer(s) | OpenBook Co., Ltd. |
| Publisher(s) |
Maxis OpenBook Co., Ltd. (Japan) |
| Director(s) | Yoot Saito |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh System 7, Game Boy Advance, 3DO, Saturn, PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Construction and management simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |   |
| Dragon | 3 & 3 1⁄2 of 5 |
| Entertainment Weekly | B- |
| Next Generation |
(MAC) |
SimTower: The Vertical Empire (known as The Tower (ザ・タワー Za Tawā?) in Japan) is a construction and management simulation video game developed by OpenBook Co., Ltd. and published by Maxis for the Microsoft Windows and Macintosh System 7 operating systems in November 1994. In Japan, it was published by OpenBook that same year and was later released for the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation in 1996. The game allows players to build and manage a tower and decide what facilities to place in it, in order to ultimately build a five-star tower. Random events take place during play, such as terrorist acts that the player must respond to immediately.
Critical reception towards the game was generally positive. Reviews praised the game's formula, including its open-ended nature and its ability to immerse the player into the game. Criticism targeted the game's lack of documentation, which some reviewers found made it harder to learn how to play the game. The in-game speed was also criticized for being too slow, which was a crucial issue in the game because time must pass for the player to earn income to purchase new facilities.
SimTower allows the player to build and manage the operations of a modern, multi-use skyscraper. They must plan where to place facilities in the tower that include restaurants, condominiums, offices, hotel rooms, retail stores and elevators. To prevent tenants from vacating their properties, the player must keep their stress low by fulfilling their demands for medical centers, parking lots, recycling facilities, clean hotel rooms with the help of housekeepers, and an efficient transportation system, which involves managing elevator traffic.SimTower, which was built around an elevator simulation program, places a strong emphasis on good elevator management.
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