Go-Go Town is a pretty cute name for a Animal Crossing-like town-building simulator. But I didn’t realise developer Prideful Sloth meant that literally.
When I saw the gameplay in a preview event courtesy of ID@Xbox, all I see is the player character go go going around town doing so many things, on so many modes of transport. Hop on a skateboard. Ride a scooter. or a cart, even a go-kart, because of course, this is Go-Go Town.
Throughout the hands-off gameplay preview, I keep seeing how the game exudes this upbeat vibe. From the bubbly animations from the player character putting effort into the many menial tasks to the objects shaking and, well, vibing as if it’s releasing all this pent-up energy. If Animal Crossing is cozy and comfy, Go-Go Town is cozy and comfy but with a caffeinated buzz.
And as newly-appointed mayor of Go-Go Town you are of course expected to do menial tasks, from chopping wood to mining stones. But the little giddy zip to its presentation makes it looks less like a chore.
The gameplay loop should be familiar to Animal Crossing fans, or fans of Prideful Sloth’s previous title, Grow: Song Of The Evertree. You build a settlement- in this case a city- and tourists will come by. If they like it, you can have them move in.
The way you build the settlement is entirely up to you. Plant more trees have a farm. Or pack buildings together with road networks that can double up as go-kart tracks when you play with other players. The goal is to increase the fame of Go-Go Town by building a clean and functional city for everyone to live in.
And yes, Go-Go Town has co-op. Split-screen (up to four players) as well as online co-op, the latter to be added post-launch.
Players can spread around town and have access to all the stuff a mayor have. You can have another player help decorate while you just zoom around in a cart or go fishing. Though some tasks can later be automated, so you can have a party of four just mucking about and admire the city you’ve built while resources gather in the background.
There are plenty of Animal Crossing-like town-building sims out there. Yet Go-Go Town looks set to be offering something special still to fans of cozy, wholesome “grower” games. It’s something to keep your eyes on when the game launches later this year on PC (Steam) and consoles.