Summary
- Cities: Skylines 2 is expanding on the original game's simulation in exciting new ways, but some fan-favorite features, like the park area tool and props, have not been included at launch.
- The props feature in Cities: Skylines allowed players to customize their cities with fountains, benches, food stalls, and more, giving them immense creative freedom.
- While the prop tool is not currently available in Cities: Skylines 2, it should be added into the game in the future as it was a popular and beloved feature in the original.
Since its inception, Cities: Skylines has given players the creative freedom to design the city of their dreams. This starkly contrasted to SimCity's approach in 2013 as that game put massive barriers on players, which is partly why it fell flat and Cities: Skylines was able to rise in its place. Now, Cities: Skylines 2 is taking the strong foundations of that original game and expanding the simulation in exciting new ways. However, that also seems to be coming at the expense of some fan-favorite features from the original.
Not only has the park area tool not made a comeback in Cities: Skylines 2, but the props feature has also not been included at launch. While there is a chance that Colossal Order has plans to add it back into the game through a future update, right now there is no way to access them without messing with the settings. This seems like a strange decision after the mechanic was so popular with players throughout Cities: Skylines tenure as it gave them immense creative freedom, which is all that any City Builder fan really wants.
Cities: Skylines 2 Has Taken Away An Immensely Popular Tool
Cities: Skylines' Props Were a Fantastic Addition
Cities: Skylines gave players the freedom to build their own unique city while also giving them the tools to tailor every minute detail to their liking. All the classic city-building mechanics that genre fans could expect were here, but the studio tossed in a couple of tools that really took that freedom to new heights. Specifically, it allowed players to place down props throughout their city, which let them fill empty areas with whatever they wanted.
There were countless props in Cities: Skylines, with more added throughout the game's post-launch content stream. Through this system, players could place down fountains, benches, flowerbeds, food stalls, and even trash cans. Additionally, they could use this feature to place down natural elements like rock formations throughout their city landscapes. Plus, players could even customize their own using the in-game asset editor.
While these props were not the most useful, they did really help give players a lot more freedom in Cities: Skylines.
With these props, players could customize almost every tiny detail within their city to make it exactly how they imagined. That level of detail made players fall in love with the feature, and so many mods were dedicated to expanding it even further. Even with that popularity, it seems to have not been carried over to Cities: Skylines 2 yet.
Cities: Skylines 2 Needs Its Own Prop Tool
At launch, Cities: Skylines 2 does not feature a similar tool. Some players have discovered elements of one within the game files, and some have even found a way to access it by booting the game up in developer mode. However, that does not work every time, and players should not have to go through those extra steps. Instead, the props should exist within the base game, especially since they were such a hit in the original.
Right now, Cities: Skylines 2 is suffering from numerous performance and technical issues that need to be ironed out first before the studio focuses on new features. But once that is all fixed, it really should spend some time officially adding the prop tool back into the game. Being able to add the tiniest of details to a city in Cities: Skylines was a joy, which is why it needs to come back. Not only would players love to be able to do it once again, but Cities: Skylines 2 also has the chance to take the prop feature to an entirely new level.
Cities: Skylines 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 54%
- Released
- October 24, 2023
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Colossal Order
- Publisher(s)
- Paradox Interactive
- Engine
- Unity
WHERE TO PLAY
If you can dream it, you can build it. Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into the thriving metropolis only you can imagine. You've never experienced building on this scale. With deep simulation and a living economy, Cities: Skylines II delivers world-building without limits.
Lay the foundations for your city to begin. Create the roads, infrastructure, and systems that make life possible day to day. It's up to you – all of it.
How your city grows is your call too, but plan strategically. Every decision has an impact. Can you energize local industries while also using trade to boost the economy? What will make residential districts flourish without killing the buzz downtown? How will you meet the needs and desires of citizens while balancing the city's budget?
Your city never rests. Like any living, breathing world, it changes over time. Some changes will be slow and gradual, while others will be sudden and unexpected. So while seasons turn and night follows day, be ready to act when life doesn't go to plan.
The most realistic and detailed city builder ever, Cities: Skylines II pushes your creativity and problem-solving to another level. With beautifully rendered high-resolution graphics, it also inspires you to build the city of your dreams.
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- City Builder
