City of Springs – Affordable but Undefined Dystopian Adventure

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• DEVELOPER: The Naked Dev, Alterego Games
• PUBLISHER: The Naked Dev
• PLATFORMS: PC
• GENRE: Dystopian Adventure
• RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2025
• INITIAL PRICE: €7.79
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

Playing City of Springs brought me a whirlwind of emotions. On one hand, it’s an extremely affordable game with more than 10 hours of main story, and probably more if you dive into side missions. On the other hand, the further you progress, the clunkier and more chaotic the game becomes. A lot is happening, but it simply failed to deliver what I expected. In short, it becomes too repetitive.

City of Springs is a steampunk action-adventure game with stealth elements, developed by The Naked Dev and Alterego Games. The plot is set in the oppressive city of Riveton, where you play as Val, a mechanic who builds her own robot army to fight against a corrupt regime. The game combines real-time combat with resource management, while also allowing you to explore a vast map.

Although the gameplay is solid, mostly real-time combat where you send small gadgets to destroy huge robots, the other aspects did not meet expectations. I tried to give the stealth system a chance, as it is a significant and unavoidable part of the gameplay, but the feeling is that it is predetermined by the placement of walls and blockades, which often make no sense.

The Stealth System Gives the Impression of Being Unfinished

The stealth system feels forced, as enemy robots can eliminate you with a single blow if you are not careful, and some, like the Enforcers, cannot be fought at all—you must completely avoid them. However, as the game progresses, this system does not improve. It all boils down to crouching and hiding behind walls or bushes, with full visibility of the robots’ movements and their cone of vision, which makes everything too predictable.

Here is an example: at the end of the first chapter, we have to sneak into the Minister’s office, which should be a large and well-guarded building, but there is almost no security. There are only two ordinary machines and a few Enforcers, which are easy to avoid. The cameras, which you can destroy using your flying companion, also pose no challenge—enemy robots don’t react at all, even if you destroy a camera right in front of them.

The cameras are incredibly easy to avoid, and I expected a greater challenge, especially considering the advanced robotic technology. After you complete your task, only one boss awaits you at the exit. And that’s it. Where are the other robots? Why does the game focus so much on fighting one piece of old iron? Why can’t I fight multiple robots simultaneously to make the gameplay more challenging?

And that’s just one example of the problems with the stealth system. Later in the game, you will use your companion to analyze enemies and check their stats. You will also gain the ability to instantly destroy enemy robots using your flying companion, which is a good mechanic and should have been available from the start.

But no, in the early parts of the game, if you get too close to an enemy robot, you literally point your finger at it and say: “Here I am, you’re looking for me, it’s time to fight!” and you are immediately thrown into combat. What kind of stealth system is that? If we don’t approach the enemy unnoticed, they eliminate us with one blow, but if we sneak up on them and simply mark them, we can start a fight with our smaller robots.

Repetitive but Strategic Combat

This is where the combat becomes too repetitive. As you progress, enemies get stronger, but so do you. You can upgrade your skills, improve your robots, and unlock different types with bonuses like increased speed, explosive damage, or extra health. However, you become incredibly powerful; there is even a skill that allows you to revive robots faster during combat. Although enemy robots become more resilient, have more health, and use various effects to weaken your gadgets, the combat can become unnecessarily lengthy, especially since enemies have multiple ways to thwart your strategies.

The repetitiveness stems from the fact that combat always looks the same, regardless of whether you’re fighting a regular robot or a boss. You constantly send your robots left or right, without much experimentation. Also, you will always use the same type of robot that you think works best, and you can’t even send them straight ahead. In some situations, enemy robots become so powerful that you are forced to use certain bombs, either to heal your robots or freeze the enemy. Although the combat becomes more interesting later on as it requires more strategy, the early parts of the game feel too simple.

The game features a combination of main and side missions, with 32 main missions and 43 side missions available in Early Access. These missions range from story-rich tasks, like reading plaques and statues, to more mundane activities, like catching chickens. In my opinion, the side missions don’t add too much to the game, although they can be useful if you choose to complete them. Some reward you with money, others involve collecting cassette tapes that allow you to watch a content creator discussing various topics, and most provide valuable insight into the world of Riveton. But, in the end, they don’t significantly impact the gameplay.

Exploration is Rewarding, but Presentation Falls Short

Exploration is rewarding, with collectibles like Scrap and Dreamstones scattered throughout the city. The game also features hidden chests, which are fun to find, especially since they provide valuable resources. However, exploration can become tiresome because there are too many of them, and they often seem to be randomly placed on the map for no real reason. Exploration also involves a lot of jumping and map navigation, but most missions are so simple that it quickly becomes monotonous. Also, I often struggled to find quest givers or specific locations.

The design, animations, and graphics did not meet expectations. It’s hard to know where to start. The character design feels shallow; most characters look almost identical, with only minor differences. The speech animations are particularly noticeable, as the mouth movements look unnatural. The same applies to the exaggerated hand gestures and head movements during dialogue, which often feel unnatural and uncoordinated. Our main protagonist is probably the most detailed character in the game, but even the running animations look clunky, just like many other aspects of the game.

The game’s presentation gives the impression of amateur work. However, given that the game is still in Early Access, there is still room for improvement. On the other hand, the world-building is solid; the details, the variety of buildings and locations, such as the prison and houses, contribute to the atmosphere. However, the story completely falls apart.

The Story is Solid, but Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

As mentioned earlier, you play as Val, a resourceful and talented mechanic from the slums of Riveton, a city ruled by the tyrannical Queen Alexandra. While the elite live in luxury, the poor struggle to survive on meager rations. Val’s life takes a tragic turn when a task goes wrong, forcing her to confront the regime. The story is compelling, with themes of rebellion, injustice, and resilience. The game does an excellent job of portraying the life of Riveton’s citizens, and the side missions further highlight the daily struggles of ordinary people.

However, the sound design is an area that definitely needs improvement. Enemies in combat constantly repeat the same few phrases, while the announcer on the loudspeaker relentlessly reminds you that you’ve been detected and urges citizens to report you to the authorities, which becomes irritating over time. Music is sparse, with only a few tracks during cutscenes and tense moments. The lack of a dynamic soundtrack makes the world less compelling and atmospheric. Although the voice acting is generally decent, some moments lack emotional depth, such as the argument between Val and Jakob, which felt rather superficial.

But the biggest problem I have with the story is the Resistance. They let Val do all the dirty work while they only busy themselves with assigning tasks. They leave her to risk her own life, to become the hero everyone needs. The ending of the game was particularly disappointing. And let’s not forget the massive, hyper-intelligent robot that, after countless calculations, suddenly changes its mind simply because Val manages to convince it.

“We created you, we humans want freedom and our own way of life.” Just because Val is the “chosen builder,” can a machine truly develop a sense of compassion and begin to question its own logic? The robot decides to give people freedom but won’t protect them from themselves. Although the ending makes some sense, it doesn’t fit the tone and logic of the story that had been established up to that point.

Final Thoughts

This is a promising game, but it still needs further refinement. Of course, not every aspect can be perfect. The real-time combat mechanics with the robots are definitely the most interesting part, while the stealth system feels superficial. I don’t expect Assassin’s Creed level of gameplay, but I wanted something more—something that would keep me engaged and make more sense.

Although the story mostly holds up, it still leaves many questions unanswered. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a true indie experience, with all its good and bad sides, City of Springs is a solid option. The dystopian atmosphere is striking, and if you are waiting for other games to come out, City of Springs is worth considering; it is extremely affordable and offers good value for its price.

Review copy provided by the publisher