Mini Motorways (Switch) – Test: Traffic planning can be so addictive

Mini Motorways is more challenging than it looks: Transport planning has never been more exciting and satisfying than here.

So far I’ve been lucky not to have to stand in a traffic jam for hours. Which can theoretically happen at any time for a variety of reasons. Bad planning is the only reason for this in Mini Motorways. And when it comes to gridlock, it’s your fault. Don’t build up any pressure! But seriously: At a certain point, Mini Motorways can get really stressful, but it always remains exciting and tempts you with the next challenge.

It all starts so relaxed. At the beginning you have a house and a kind of factory that produces goods. Your goal is for cars to regularly pick up these goods from houses before a factory is full and reaches its limit. If that happens, it means game over for you. Again, this sounds relatively simple, but believe me, the beginning is always child’s play. Little by little your city grows, the map section gets bigger.

Colors connect in the big city

And, more importantly, new factories and houses in different colors are coming. You’ve probably already guessed it: You have to connect the buildings according to their color. A blue car cannot pick up anything from a red factory. And at the latest when a factory with a new or familiar color appears on the other side of town, your gray cells start to work.

What is the best way to merge the buildings? How do I build an efficient road network without everything collapsing? These are simple questions, but finding the answers to them is no longer so simple after a certain period of time. Especially since you don’t have unlimited material at your disposal. There are roads, roundabouts, traffic lights, bridges and highways. They will help you to set up the transport network. But you have to use everything wisely.

You will only receive supplies after one in-game week and you have to choose between two packages at such a moment. A ten-lane highway? Or would you prefer 30 individual street sections? That doesn’t make it any easier either, and requires careful thought on your part as to what you need now or may need soon.

Think carefully about what you are doing

It is therefore important to build as effectively as possible and to use what is available to you efficiently. In some moments, a touch of panic can arise when something new suddenly pops up and you are wondering how best to integrate it now. Luckily, there’s a pause feature that lets you take your time to survive.

When I look at other people’s high scores for each level, they are either better planners or have a better perspective than me. At the same time, it is an incentive to keep improving when you see what is possible. A few cities are unlocked for you right from the start, which are based on real metropolises – Beijing or Tokyo – you unlock more by playing the levels. There are also changing daily and weekly challenges that regularly present you with new tasks.

Mini Motorways style is simple but effective. Everything is clearly understandable and you have a good view of your city. There is even a night mode that can be activated if desired, as well as a mode for color blind people. There were no performance problems and Mini Motorways can also be played perfectly in handheld mode. Both the sticks and buttons as well as the touch control are used. If you want, you can also rely entirely on the latter.

Mini Motorways test – conclusion

Mini Motorways is far more exciting than I initially thought. In the beginning there is still pure relaxation, but the more minutes pass, the more stressful the event develops. You have to be willing to constantly change things up and adapt dynamically to new circumstances. That’s the key to success here and that’s what makes Mini Motorways such a good puzzle game. Transport planning has rarely been as exciting as it is here. You will definitely fail, sooner rather than later in the beginning. But with every level, with every attempt, you learn something new, you get better and you’re happy about rising high scores. Mini Motorways is a wonderful activity for in between and motivates with its simple and at the same time demanding gameplay again and again.