House flipping has become the subject of reality TV as well as a profitable business for those with the necessary skills to purchase old homes, fix them up and flip them for profit. Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe takes that premise and runs with it…all the way to Europe. The premise is simple and so is the gameplay, although once you get past the opening tutorials and start playing on your own the challenge level starts to rise.
The menus are simple and the interface is extremely streamlined making the buying and selling of properties and the renovations of said properties as easy as playing a game of Monopoly. There are various resources that you’ll need to manage such as building materials, workers, and blueprints as well as available cash to pay for upkeep on your growing real-estate empire. And much like Sim City, the occasional “emergency” may arise that calls for a quick response from the police or fire departments – at YOUR expense.
As you successfully complete each stage you’ll move on to other exciting locations around Europe which mostly means unique landscapes and various themed structures like Swiss chalets and Spanish haciendas. The retina graphics are simple, yet quite charming and surprisingly detailed with great animations for construction and demolition, and it’s all accompanied by realistic sound effects and delightful music.
There is no real story taking place, just a passport that tracks your various levels of success across Europe. You can play the campaign mode or just go for some casual play, and there are plenty of achievements to check off. With 45 levels spread across nine countries as well as six large sandbox areas, you won’t be completing this game anytime soon, especially if you are going for the Expert award on all the levels.
Build-a-lot 3: Passport to Europe offers up some great economic strategy cleverly disguised with a charming colorful interface and some intuitive real-estate gameplay that is perfect for the entire family. It might seem shallow and repetitive at times, but if it were any more complicated it wouldn’t be nearly as accessible or entertaining.
