News Tower Review: It’s Like The Sims Meets Citizen Kane, and I’m Addicted
I have always wanted to ruin my journalistic integrity for a quick buck, and this game finally let me do it.
I’ve had News Tower on my wishlist for what feels like a decade. I skipped the Early Access period because I wanted the full, unadulterated experience, and now that 1.0 is here (thanks to a key from the devs), I can confirm: the wait was worth it.
This isn't just a "put desk here, make money" simulator. It is a chaotic, charming, and surprisingly deep dive into the messy world of 1930s New York journalism.
You start with a run-down office and a dream. You end up juggling the mafia, the mayor, and your own reporters' bladder needs while trying to break the story of the century. It is stressful, it is hilarious, and it is fantastic.
The Daily Grind (Literally)
The core loop is pure dopamine. You have one week to build your Sunday paper. The clock is always ticking. You send reporters out to chase leads across a map of New York, hunting for everything from "cat stuck in tree" to "Al Capone arrested."
But it’s not just about finding the news; it’s about processing it. You need telegraph operators to find scoops. You need copy editors to polish the text. You need typesetters to lay it out.
And amidst all this, you have to physically build the tower. It feels like SimTower had a baby with Citizen Kane. You are placing toilets, coffee machines, and pneumatic tubes to optimize your workflow. If your layout sucks, your paper is late. If your paper is late, you don't get paid.
Tetris with Desks
The building aspect is where the game gets sweaty. You are constantly fighting for space.
You need to fit the printing presses in the basement because they are loud and they make the writers miserable. You need the toilets accessible, but not too close to the break room because... well, gross.
Every employee has needs. They hate noise. They hate bad smells. They hate the dark. You spend half your time playing interior designer, trying to cram a lawyer's office next to a telegraph station without causing a riot.
It forces you to make tough choices. Do I build a new floor for $5,000, or do I just force the sports department to work in the hallway? I usually choose the hallway.
Ethics Are Expensive
The real genius of News Tower is the faction system. You aren't just reporting the news, you are shaping it.
The city is run by the Mayor, the Mafia, High Society, and the Police. They all want a piece of your front page. The mob might ask you to kill a story about their racketeering. The Mayor might want you to pump his tires before an election.
If you say yes, you get cash, influence, and unique upgrades. If you say no, the mob sends goons to smash your printing press, or the police raid your offices.
It forces you into these delicious moral dilemmas. Do I print the truth and go bankrupt? Or do I run a fluff piece for the gangsters so I can afford to fix the elevator? Spoiler: I took the mob money. The elevator was really slow.
The Sunday Puzzle
Sunday night is crunch time. This is when you assemble the front page, and it turns into a puzzle game.
You have a grid to fill. You get massive sales bonuses for matching topics. If you chain three "Crime" stories together, you capture the gritty districts. If you chain "Society" gossip, you win over the rich neighborhoods.
It is deeply satisfying to daisy-chain a story about a murder, a robbery, and a corruption scandal into a perfect "fear-mongering" front page that sells 100,000 copies. You watch the paper roll off the press, you hear the cash register ding, and you feel like a titan of industry.
Historical Easter Eggs
I have to give credit to the writing team. The game uses real historical events.
You cover the Great Depression. You cover the rise of the Nazis in Europe. You cover the death of Thomas Edison. It grounds the silly management mechanics in a reality that feels heavy.
Deciding how to spin these real-world tragedies adds a weird layer of responsibility to the game. You aren't just playing with stats; you are documenting history (or rewriting it for profit).
It’s Not Perfect (But It’s Close)
I do have some gripes. The difficulty curve is a bit weird.
The early game is a desperate struggle for survival where every dollar counts. But once you figure out the "meta" of balancing factions and get a few key upgrades, the threat of failure drops off.
You stop worrying about bankruptcy and start worrying about optimization. It turns from a survival game into a spreadsheet game.
Also, the manual grunt work can get tedious. Refilling the paper supply for the presses feels like a chore that should be automated earlier. And while the jazz soundtrack is a banger, after hour 20, you might want to put on a podcast.
The Verdict
News Tower is a gem. It oozes charm. The art style is adorable, the historical headlines ground it in reality, and the management mechanics are deep enough to keep you hooked without needing a degree in economics.
It’s not the most complex tycoon game ever made, but it has heart. It captures the frantic, cigarette-smoke-filled energy of a 1930s newsroom perfectly.
I sat down to play this for an hour and looked up to find it was 3 AM. That is the mark of a great management sim.
9.1/10 A delightful, stressful, and stylish management sim that proves the news never sleeps, but your reporters definitely need a nap.
We at NLM received a key for this game for free, this however didn't impact our review in any way.
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