Be Richer! Game Review

Rating: 4.0/5.0

Be Richer! is a town building and management game, the sequel to one of the best contenders to the Build-a-Lot games. You create thriving towns complete with residential, commercial and monumental constructions… on your quest to build a real estate empire!

Like its predecessor Be Rich!, the sequel follows a similar story. You run a small-time real estate company that has been tasked with improving neighborhoods with better housing, commercial property and landscaping. As you become more successful, your jobs become more lucrative and more difficult, letting you play with the big boys in the property industry.

That’s where the similarity ends. Be Richer! has so many new features compared to the original that you’d be surprised it was produced by the same company. Furthermore, the game seems to be moving towards a more high-level simulation-based game, similar to the legendary SimCity games.

You start the game as a fresh real estate wannabe, keen to get into the lucrative industry. Your first decision is to choose who will be your advisor/mentor. This will the person who will give you helpful hints and advice throughout the game.

You progress through the career neighborhood by neighborhood. In each neighborhood/scenario, you are tasked by the mayor or local civic leader to increase the value of the location. You will be given tasks for each scenario, whether it is by upgrading houses, building them or erecting commercial properties or landmarks. You will also need to make a profit, achieveing a target rental income before the scenarios’ time limits are reached. As expected, the further you progress in the game, the more types of buildings you will need to build/manage, and the more complex and difficult the scenario tasks are.

The scenarios progress through different neighborhoods, each with a distinct feel and atmosphere – from the grassy and quaint to the modern steel and glass inner city precincts. You will also encounter scenarios where you are tasked with constructing a “centerpiece” for the neighborhood, such as a shopping center, a zoo and even a stock exchange! In addition, as you progress through the career, you will also be able to unlock huge sandbox mode neighborhoods that you can design and build to your heart’s desire.

What makes this game unique among other town-building games is its move to become a more simulation-based game, similar to the classic SimCity. In Be Richer! almost every spot on the map can be used for construction or beautification. You can construct your buildings anywhere as long as there is enough space. You can even bulldoze roads to free up space for your buildings, though you will still have to build enough roads to connect all the buildings in the neighborhood. Just like in real life, the roads now deteriorate over time and need to be maintained!

Another new and very much appreciated feature is the ability to hire specialized managers to help you in earning your millions. You have a slowly-growing number of manager “slots” where you can hire managers with specific skills. Do you want a manager that makes construction faster, or do you prefer a manager who can find the best deals anywhere? There are so many managers that you won’t be able to hire them all, so choose wisely! The managers also customize your gameplay so much that you can create a whole different game by choosing a different set of managers.

There are many more things going for Be Richer! Even little things like citizens walking around town going about their daily lives to the helicopters flying overhead. This game is a real gem in the town-building and management genre, with a healthy dose of strategy and simulation thrown in. A must-try for any fan of this game genre.