Deal | This indie city builder game with deep resource management is 50% off on Steam this week

Let them Trade, developed by Spaceflower, a German game dev studio, is a cozy city-builder trading sim. Players can found and design cities across an enormous map, and link them via trade routes; the citizens themselves are managed automatically.

The cities you found trade resources and goods independently, and the player is given a percentage of that action in the form of taxes. Citizen satisfaction levels are important because satisfied citizens are more likely to pay more. However, with a prosperous settlement come the dangers associated with it. Robbers, attracted by the wealth, can come and pillage your cities.

The game is designed by Thomas Otto, the founder and CEO of Spaceflower, who collaborated extensively with another indie studio, Pixel Maniacs, which is also in the same building. The team spent 6 years developing the game, which was based on a board game prototype Otto had created at HTW Berlin while studying game design. 

With a cute visual style reminiscent of a cute toy chest, described by fans as “a tabletop game come to life”. Fans of production-chain games can expect deep, complex trading mechanics, such as self-adjusting market prices. With a slight emphasis on city design, trying to achieve an optimal layout in the given space, and a minimalist combat system, where you must defend your traders against marauding raiders, making sure players can focus on the management and city-building aspects of the game.

Let them Trade was generally well-received by fans, who praised aspects such as its very low learning curve, cozy atmosphere, and visual presentation. It received over 60,000 wishlists after releasing a demo. It is currently rated Very Positive with over 780 positive reviews on Steam. 

Some reviewers felt the game was a bit too simple and short, and didn’t require much thought or effort; just following the instructions was enough, a common theme amongst those who criticized its gameplay. 

Gamers can pick up Let them Trade on Steam at a 50% discount for $8.99, but can also play the demo for free before doing so.

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