Urban Flow

Genre: Arcade / Party Game

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

(Note: This is included in 2 in 1: Trash Punk & Urban Flow, along with Trash Punk.)

(Note: Multiple versions of this game have been released. In addition to the original game, there is also the Extended Edition, which also includes the Expansion Pack, the London Extended Edition, which includes the London Rules Expansion, the Winter Extended Edition, which includes the Winter Expansion Pack, the Prime Edition, which includes the Streets Supplement, the Deluxe Edition, which includes the Expansion Pack and the London Rules Expansion, and Platinum Edition, which includes the Winter Expansion Pack and the London Rules Expansion. There were also at one time a Gold Edition and Complete Edition, but these appear to be currently unavailable. For the purposes of this review, I am only reviewing the core game.)

Urban Flow is an Arcade / Party Game released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in 2020 that has players using traffic lights to conduct traffic on various small sections of city streets, trying to ensure that the commute continues smoothly and without collisions.

Graphically, this game is simple but decent, showing a colorful isometric view of the various urban locations you’re controlling, with the lights you’re in charge of changing clearly labeled. The music, meanwhile, takes on chill, relaxing tones that work well when you can get into a good pattern of cycling through the lights you’re controlling, but feels a bit less appropriate when things get busy and hectic.

As for the gameplay, this is one of those “easy to learn, touch to master” sorta’ things. The gameplay here is instantly understandable – each light is tied to a specific button or button combination, which you press to change it from red to green or back. Keep traffic moving without anything crashing, and you’re good to go. But of course, it’s never really that simple, is it?

Complications start in the form of tricky street layouts that make the player consider where cars will go when you let them through and what they can be at risk of colliding with. Then there are special vehicles like ambulances that will wait even less than regular cars for a light change, light rail cars that won’t stop for anything, and when you start to get more than four lights and as a result have some that are operated with a combination of a trigger button and a face button, then you’re really juggling the game’s controls.

This last bit is made a lot more simple in handheld mode, where the game’s excellent touchscreen controls remove all confusion over the interface, simply having players touch the light they want to change. This is, in my opinion, the ideal way to play this game… which is a bit unfortunate as players can’t partake in the game’s crazy multiplayer mode if they do this, forcing them to choose between one or the other. Incidentally, the multiplayer here is good, forcing players to really coordinate to keep things working properly.

My main complaint regarding this game is how the game sometimes fails to convey important information to the player. Earlier I mentioned those unstoppable light rail cars, for example. Unfortunately, the game gives little indication when one of those is coming – there’s no visual cue, and the audio cue indicating one of these trains is approaching is so quiet it can be easily drowned out by the game’s other sounds and music.

However, while there are definitely parts of Urban Flow I would alter to improve the experience, overall this is a satisfying multitasking Arcade / Party game, especially if you play it in handheld mode or have some friends join you for couch co-op. If you’re looking for a simple game that can make for a hectic experience, Urban Flow should offer you a decent challenge.

tl;dr – Urban Flow is a game that has one to four players controlling traffic by turning on and off traffic lights. This is a decent simple game with a lot of potential for hectic hijinks, and while there are areas it could have done with some improvement, overall this is a game well worth trying if that sounds interesting to you.

Grade: C+

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