Cities: Skylines Industries DLC Review

“…a great choice for anyone looking to freshen up their now three-and-a-half-year-old game.”

Cities: Skylines continues to expand; three-and-a-half years after its initial release. Industries is the latest DLC package available for the game, this time offering players more control and customisation over the industrial goings-on in their cities. This new style of expanded content for the game begs a key question, though; does this add to the overall experience, or simply add a new level of micromanagement?

The big premise in Industries is that players have until now, had only a very limited hand in what the industries in their cities are doing. Indeed, this aspect has been a background process up until this point, and it is easy to see why it has been targeted to bring to the forefront.

The central selling point is the idea that you can manage your industrial cycles from start to finish, including influencing the goods which are produced in your industrial areas. This includes the stages of gathering resources to produce goods, storing these resources and, of course, production. It is good to finally have a clear and present use for the resources listed on the map selection screen, too. There is almost a sense of things finally coming together, even if we are, relatively speaking, quite late in the day at this point. The biggest payoff, however, comes after these efforts.

Once goods are produced, you can work to move them to your own commercial areas or export them from your city, using the various specialised transport options which are now available to you. This, too, gives the game a sense of cohesion, pushing a feeling of a more connected world outside of your personal grid. Up until now, a route to the highway or trainline has been the extent of your connection to any would-be outside world. This DLC has brought a welcome antidote to that sense of isolation, and perhaps suggests something about the direction this game is beginning to take. Could it be that we soon see the addition of Sim City-like trading systems, too?

Speaking of the interconnectedness that Industries brings to the table, the commercial benefits are only a part of the story. In fact, the social boons your city experiences as a result of these new inclusions are outstanding. More people will move to your city if the jobs are there to maintain them. Once they arrive, the new postal service will help you to keep your citizens happy; a simple, easy and friendly addition to the game which has a minor influence but makes a great deal of sense in its surroundings.

Add to this the new policies in this DLC, the majority of which are designed to protect your peoples’ rights and safety, and it quickly becomes clear what the concept of Industries is supposed to be. The impact of Industries stretches far beyond those yellow boxes you drew at the start of your game. In creating this expansion for Cities: Skylines, the developers have looked to add to all aspects of your gameplay and change the way you think about and design your cityscapes.

The best thing about Industries is the fact that all of the additional systems do work well together, and once again fit the original main-game model like a glove. Everything feels as though it is in its proper place and, indeed, almost as though it has been there all along. It is easy to get to grips with the changes or to pick and choose the new aspects which you want to use whilst side-lining any which you find overwhelming or unnecessary to your vision. Everything in Industries is a choice, and that shows a great understanding on the developers’ part of the type of people playing their game.

Ultimately, Industries is a solid, but subtle addition to Cities: Skylines. It is a great choice for anyone looking to freshen up their now three-and-a-half-year-old game, and at the same time keeps itself understated enough where it is not a requirement for your enjoyment. This feels like a DLC package aimed at those long-term fans who have stuck with the title from the beginning, and it does help to make the experience that much more “yours”, so to speak. If you have been playing this game for a while and have already picked up the shinier DLC packages, then Industries is very much for you.