Review: Cities

Introduction & Overview

The City Council has commissioned you with the urban development plan to renovate an entire neighborhood in the city. You will have the opportunity to build new housing, office blocks, parks, and leisure areas along the waterfront. If you manage to meet the City Council’s requirements and expectations, you stand a great chance of taking the lead!

This is the premise behind Cities, designed by Phil Walker-Harding (Sushi Go!, Bärenpark) and Steve Finn (Nanga Parbat, Floriferous). It was first published in 2024 by Devir in several languages (including Spanish). The artwork is illustrated by Jorge Tabanera Redondo (Barrio).

It accommodates 2 to 4 players, with a recommended minimum age of 10, and an approximate playing time of 30 minutes. The suggested retail price is €28. For this review, a copy of the Spanish edition by Devir was used, kindly provided by the publisher as a review copy.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom) measuring 23×18×5 cm (a medium square box similar to Calico or PARKS), we find the following components:

• Game Board (cardboard)
• 36 City Tiles (cardboard)
• 48 Feature Tiles (cardboard)
• 4 Double-sided Achievement Boards (cardboard)
• 36 Cards (44×68 mm):
  • 32 Scoring Cards
  • 4 Aid Cards
• Starting Player Marker (cardboard)
• 100 Building Blocks (25 in each color) (plastic)
• 32 Workers (8 in each color) (wooden)
• 12 Achievement Discs (3 in each color) (wooden)
• 4 Score Markers (1 in each color) (wooden)
• Bag (cloth)
• Rulebook

How to Play

Cities is a light-medium weight game in which, over a set number of rounds, each player builds a city by connecting nine tiles featuring four spaces each—which may show park, water, or building zones—into a 3×3 tile grid. On these spaces, players place building blocks of matching colors onto building foundations (which can be stacked higher), feature tiles onto park and water spaces, and scoring cards that award end-game points according to various criteria. Throughout the game, players compete for three shared goals with decreasing point values, determined by the chosen city board. Each round, players have four meeples to place across alternating turns. On their turn, the active player chooses one of the available options by placing a worker on that space, which prevents them from drafting another item from that same row for the rest of the round.

Key Concepts

Let’s begin with the City Tiles. Each player must assemble a city, and these tiles serve as its core foundation. They feature four spaces and are connected orthogonally to form a grid of three tiles per side (meaning six spaces along each edge). Each space displays one of three zone types: building zones (in one of four colors), park zones, or water zones.

Players place two types of components on top of these spaces. First, there are the Building Blocks. These come in four colors and must be placed either on a matching foundation space or stacked on top of an existing block of the same color, raising the building’s height. The maximum height for any building is four blocks.

Second, we have the Feature Tiles. These are divided into three types: monument tiles (which must be placed on unoccupied building foundations), park tiles (placed on empty park spaces), and water tiles (placed on empty water spaces). Monument tiles provide direct points, whereas park and water tiles reward diversity. Each connected group of orthogonal park or water spaces will score based on the number of unique feature tiles present in that area. Placing duplicate features within the same connected zone grants no additional value.

The final element players collect are the Scoring Cards. These depict specific patterns or conditions that award points each time they are satisfied across the player’s city.

All these items are arranged on the Game Board, which contains four supply rows dedicated to scoring cards, city tiles, feature tiles, and building blocks. For feature tiles and building blocks, different spaces offer varying quantities of items. The final space of each row contains a face-down item, meaning players drafting it will take a blind draw (and drafting the final building block space also awards the starting player token for the following round). Running along the left side is the score track, numbered from 1 to 50.

Players draft items from this board under the rule that they cannot draft more than once from any single row per round. In other words, during each round, every player gains exactly one scoring card, one city tile, one or two feature tiles, and between two and four building blocks (depending on the chosen space). To track which rows a player has already chosen from, each player uses Workers of their color. Drafting an item requires placing a worker on that spot. In a two-player game, each participant has twice as many workers and can select two items from each row.

Attached to the top of the main board is one of the Achievement Boards. Themed around various global cities, these display three shared scoring objectives, each with three tiered point values. At the end of their turn, players can claim points if they meet one or more of these criteria.

To mark a completed milestone, players use Achievement Discs. Once an objective is fulfilled, the player places one of their discs on the highest-scoring available slot for that achievement. Players tally the points from all their claimed achievements at the end of the game.

Naturally, the ultimate goal is to amass the highest score by the end of the match. Points are earned through city achievements, feature tiles, and scoring cards. Every player uses a dedicated Score Marker in their color to track their progress.

That is enough to get started.

Preparación de la Partida

1. Place the main board in the center of the table.
2. Select one of the city achievement boards and insert it with the chosen face showing into the main board slot.
3. Shuffle the 32 city tiles and place them in a draw stack in the reserve area of the main board.
4. Shuffle the feature tiles and stack them in the designated reserve space on the main board.
5. Place all building blocks into the draw bag.
6. Shuffle the scoring cards and place them face down in the supply area.
7. Each player chooses a color and receives: one starting tile (placed in their play area), 4 workers (8 in a two-player game), 3 achievement discs (placed near the achievement board), and one score marker (placed at the start of the score track).
8. Randomly choose a starting player and hand them the star marker.

We are ready to begin!

Game Flow

A game of Cities lasts eight rounds with 3–4 players, or four rounds in a 2-player game.

At the start of each round, the supply rows on the main board are replenished, placing the specified tiles and cards face down as indicated (the final building space is also left empty until drafted).

Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise, players take turns. On their turn, the active player chooses one of the available options from the main board, placing a worker of their color onto that slot. A player cannot draft from a row where they already have a worker (in a two-player game, each player drafts twice per row, meaning they cannot choose from a row once two of their workers are placed there).

Finally, if the player has fulfilled any unclaimed achievement criteria, they place one of their discs on the highest remaining point slot for that achievement. Play then passes to the next player to the left.

A round ends once all players have placed all their workers on the main board. In a three-player game, one unchosen option in each row is discarded.

A new round then begins, with the player who occupied the star token space becoming the new starting player.

Game End

The game concludes at the end of the eighth round (the fourth in a two-player game), leading into final scoring. Each player tallies:

• The points shown under their discs on the achievement board.
• For each connected group of water spaces, 1/3/6/10 points if it contains 1/2/3/4 unique feature tiles.
• For each connected group of park spaces, 1/3/6/10 points if it contains 1/2/3/4 unique feature tiles.
• 2 points for each monument feature tile.
• Points earned from their scoring cards.

The player with the highest score wins. In case of a tie, the victory goes to the player with the most points from the achievement board. If the tie persists, the players share the victory.

Variants

Extended 2-Player Game. Instead of 4 rounds, players play 7 rounds and build a city measuring 3×5 tiles.

Personal Opinion

You already know I have a soft spot for Phil Walker-Harding as a designer of accessible family games that work like a charm. While he has a few titles that didn’t entirely click with me, his track record is remarkably high considering how prolific his catalog is.

With Steve Finn, my connection might not be quite as deep, but several of his titles have found a very comfortable home on my shelves—such as Nanga Parbat (check out my tocho-review here) or Floriferous (tocho-review here), the latter co-designed with Eduardo Baraf, which elevates a simple drafting mechanic to impressive heights.

Devir decided to commission this duo—marking, if I am not mistaken, their first collaborative design. Here, we have a family-weight city builder themed around the very cities where Devir has offices. Add Jorge Tabanera handling the visual presentation, and you immediately have my full attention. Let’s see how it plays on the table, but not before thanking the publisher for providing the review copy that made this write-up possible.

Cities is built around drafting, tile placement, and pattern building, closely following the lineage of other Phil designs like Bärenpark (tocho-review here), Gingerbread House (tocho-review here), or Autumn (tocho-review here). Players take turns drafting components from a central display and arranging them into a personal grid representing a city district.

You draft several distinct components: city tiles (the foundation grid, arranged 3×3 with each tile divided into four spaces), features (single-space tiles that enhance your layout), and building blocks (stackable plastic pieces that must be placed on matching foundation colors).

There is also a fourth element gathered throughout the game: scoring cards. These present specific criteria that reward points every time their pattern is satisfied in your city, often pointing toward certain building colors at specific heights (blocks can be stacked up to four high per space).

Across a fixed number of rounds, players alternate drafting one item of each type to optimize their layout around their scoring cards. Simultaneously, everyone races to fulfill three shared city goals as quickly as possible (selected from eight available city setups).

These shared criteria yield decreasing points, rewarding the fastest player with the top payout while latecomers earn less. And that is essentially the whole framework.

If you’ve played any of the titles mentioned earlier, the core DNA will feel instantly familiar. Take Bärenpark, for instance: we see matching concepts like diminishing point goals, drafting from a supply, and placing tiles onto a personal board to fulfill public milestones first.

Yet key differences certainly exist. The primary highlight is the drafting system. Because drafting from a category locks you out of that row for the rest of the round, timing becomes critical. On every turn, you aren’t just deciding which piece you want, but which category is your highest priority. That dual decision creates genuine tension and keeps everyone engaged.

The flip side is that round endings can feel somewhat anticlimactic. Once you are the only player left who hasn’t drafted from a specific row, you know that piece is guaranteed to be yours. You can safely leave it for last, which makes those final selections feel automatic. It doesn’t break the experience, but it does cause occasional pacing dips.

Turn order plays a major role as well. When a freshly refilled market opens up across four categories, picking first offers a huge advantage. In fact, it becomes paramount from the mid-game onward. Maximizing your scoring cards is undeniably the main path to victory, since feature scoring and common goals rarely create large enough margins to overcome a strong card engine.

Drafting duplicate scoring conditions saves a ton of effort by letting a single structure trigger multiple payouts. If those cards happen to have high point values, you’re already in a great position, as fulfilling the requirements afterward isn’t overly difficult. This creates a fierce battle for turn order, even if taking the first-player slot means walking away with fewer building blocks than the largest pile offers.

A third neat touch is the inclusion of blind drafting. Every row includes a hidden, face-down option, giving players the chance to gamble on the unknown if the visible choices don’t fit their mid- to long-term plans. Offering that push-your-luck alternative works nicely.

When it comes to scaling, the game runs smoothly at any player count, though I find the 2-player mode particularly tight and controllable, as it minimizes the variance of card availability. Conversely, four-player games bring out the sharpest competition for common goals, since one player will always be left out entirely (there are only three reward slots per achievement). Overall, it holds up well across the board.

In terms of replayability, beyond the typical draft variability, having eight different city boards with varying goal difficulties gives each match a fresh angle. While these goals take a back seat to personal scoring cards, they become decisive tie-breakers whenever players end up closely matched in card points.

Let’s talk production. Devir delivers competent quality relative to the price point, highlighted by the clean, sturdy plastic building blocks that feature no rough molding edges. The cardboard components have good thickness and density, while the wooden pieces are solid and functional. On the downside, the cards feel lackluster: the cardstock is thin, the surface texture is slightly rough, and they lack springiness. The edges scuff rather easily, making card sleeves a sensible recommendation. The rulebook, on the other hand, is well laid out and crystal clear.

Where Cities truly shines is in its art. Jorge Tabanera Redondo’s work is nothing short of spectacular. The cover feels like an intricate city puzzle bursting with charm and detail, and that same craftsmanship carries over into the city achievement boards. It’s an eye-catching visual treat that makes you want to hold the box and admire every little detail. Wonderful work.

And let’s wrap this up. Cities aligns right with what we expect from its authors: accessible family games, clean rules, brisk playtimes, and engaging tactical decisions. These qualities make it an easy game to bring to the table and one that routinely leaves a pleasant impression. While it might seem like another iteration on drafting, tile placement, and pattern matching, it manages a notch of extra variety through its city boards and draft order dynamics. On the negative side, the heavy focus on scoring cards overshadows public achievements, letting luck of the draw exert substantial influence and making higher player counts feel slightly looser than the tighter 2-player setup. Still, it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. For all these reasons, I give it a…