Among Watermelo's recommendations for those looking to spend the weekend discovering new games, Microlandia stands out for offering an unusual take on the city building genre. Available for PC on Windows, Mac, and Linux, the title, developed by Information Superhighway Games, combines a socioeconomic simulation based on real world data with city management where political decisions, budgeting, and quality of life determine the success of your administration.

The concept originated from a reflection by the project's director, Cristián, about the games that shaped his childhood. "When I was a kid, I could spend the whole day playing SimCity, but when I went outside, I saw graffiti, people living on the streets, and a lot of other things that the game left out, which, in my opinion, was giving me a false understanding of how a city works.", the director said, explaining that his goal was to create an experience capable of portraying aspects that traditional city builders often leave out.

The simulation is built using data from institutions such as the World Bank, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Organisation for Economic Co operation and Development, and other international databases. This foundation allows social and economic factors to directly influence the growth of each city, while a humorous narrative layer emerges through the local press, which follows every decision with sensational headlines and serves as a valuable tool for understanding what is happening across the municipality.

Public administration plays a central role throughout the experience, as staying in office depends entirely on public approval. Every five in game years, an election determines whether the mayor remains in power, based on ratings in housing, employment, safety, basic needs, parks, and healthcare. A live polling system lets players monitor public opinion, while the local newspaper holds the government accountable for every decision made.

Managing the city's finances requires careful planning, since roads, pensions, and public services consume a significant portion of the budget. At the same time, attracting businesses becomes essential for keeping the economy growing, preventing financial crises, and reducing the risk of unemployment caused by insolvency.

The housing market also plays an important role in the simulation. Housing shortages drive rents higher, encourage speculation, and turn rehousing unhoused citizens into an ongoing responsibility. Meanwhile, hospital capacity, ambulance coverage, and public transportation planning directly affect mortality, migration, citizen satisfaction, and the overall performance of the local economy.

Unexpected events further increase the challenge by introducing economic crises, heatwaves, and ransomware attacks that demand quick responses from the administration. Every situation is closely followed by the city's newspaper, which praises successful decisions or harshly criticizes failures, adding even more pressure to every choice the player makes.