Constructor HD – PC Version – Review

Constructor HD was released (after a lot of delays) on May 26th. A much-anticipated title, it was hoped that this would breathe new life into a loved franchise. So, how did they do? Is this going to win any building awards or is it doomed to be condemned?

I’ve never heard of Constructor, let alone Constructor HD!

Yes, this wouldn’t be surprising. The original Constructor was released on PC and Playstation 1 in 1997. It was a popular alternative to other construction/city based games. The best description would be if Monty Python made Sim City.

The basic premise is that you must build a city (or an estate), make it work and beat your rival estates. Format kinda familiar so far right? Well, throw in Bay City Roller (ask your dad) style thugs, killer clowns, maintenance problems, shoddy workers, hippies, serial killers etc. and you have Constructor. The game is different as it also places you in the role of a landlord. Your tenants will moan, complain, rip up the place and you’re going to need more than a court order to get them out peacefully.

Like many games from the 90’s, Constructor has a small, but fiercely loyal fan base. Having played the original constructor back in 1997 on the PC, it was alright, but I recall it being overly difficult. The memory I took away was that it was fun, had its moments, but ultimately just felt like crisis management. Tenants were never happy and you were always (both literally and figuratively) putting out fires.

I did mention Constructor HD in my monthly outlook on new titles. I did have high hopes, but I did also add the caveat that it could very easily also be awful.

So, let’s get down to it!

So, is it any good?

Nope. Sorry. While the creators have taken care and attention to emulating the original look and design as much as possible, unfortunately, this is a buggy, glitch-ridden, hellhole of a game.

Firstly some positives, they have emulated the feel of the original remarkably well. If you are familiar with Constructor, this is going to feel like slipping into a comfortable shoe. Unfortunately, it’s at that point the fun largely stops.

Positives and (a lot of) negatives.

Let’s start with some positives.

• It is a faithful remake.
• The game, while not groundbreaking, looks nice (in a cartoony style).
• The emphasis on the game is very much on being fun.
• The game has genuinely funny moments.
• Those new to the series will have no problems, those familiar with it will be happy with the effort made.

Now, the pitfalls.

• On release, the game was a glitch filled mess.
• Random crashes.
• Awful graphics optimization.
• Multiplayer practically unplayable.
• Overpopulation bugs.
• Bugs
• More bugs

It’s a sad and annoying familiar story. It’s another game that had promise but ultimately has been rushed to release.

So many issues present could have been fixed, all it needed was a little QA. The lack of any care or attention in giving a game a polished feel is becoming a really, REALLY annoying thing. If you’ve read this far, please let me know in the comments the last game you can remember that was perfect or at least great on release.

Now, there has been a patch, they’re almost obligatory on release these days and the patch has corrected some of the more annoying issues. Only some. Not all. I’ve only had about 2-3 hours of play since the patch and whilst there are improvements, this game is still a long way from being ready.

Overall thoughts?

Put simply, I can’t recommend it. As I suspected when I briefly spoke about it last month this could have been the gem of the month, but in its current state, it isn’t even a polished poop.

Multiplayer, even post patch, is still almost entirely unplayable.

When one of the discussion boards reads “Anyone up for TRYING some multiplayer” it gives you a good idea where the game is currently at.

Constructor HD – PC – Score = 4/10 – The game’s tagline was, “It’s your city, deal with it!”. I have made my own amendments to show how I think they really feel.

I haven’t tried the console versions, hopefully, they are better, but I doubt it.

The Steam page is here for all masochists who fancy a go.

I shall conclude with just 4 words – Disappointing, but not surprising.