Steam free download is Stardew Valley meets Sim City, and it may consume our lives

If you're of the opinion city simulation games have gotten a little bit too shiny and complicated for your own good, we might just have the game for you.

Over on Steam there's currently a free demo that might just have slid under your radar. It combines the hearty retro pixel-art aesthetic of Stardew Valley with the hustle and bustle of the original Sim City.

Take a look at Metropolis 1998 below!

"Metropolis 1998 is a fresh take on the modern city simulation experience in a retro pixel art style," developer YesBox Studios explains on Steam. "Design your buildings, grow and maintain your city, manage real time traffic, and fulfil specific citizen needs in this massively simulated game!"

The big selling point of Metropolis 1998 is the way in which it marries the level of detail offered by newer city sims with the uncluttered aesthetic of the classics. You can design and build pretty much every single aspect of your virtual city as you tend to the needs of your citizens.

"Metropolis 1998 is a fresh take on simulation games from the 90s and 00s while applying modern-day features to the city builder genre," the dev continues. "As the player, you will be able to see inside of your citizens homes, featuring two different camera modes: classic isometric and top down. Demand is no longer zone based, but driven by your citizens specific needs. As the mayor, you'll be able to set aside land and designate where specific businesses can open up their doors."

YesBox also promises "state of the art traffic simulation, capable of pathing around 100,000+ people/vehicles", which means you have incredible scope to build a gleaming metropolis with very few limits.

Metropolis 1998 is aiming to launch in Early Access on Steam (date TBC), but for now you can dive into the free demo and have a play around. If YesBox pulls off everything it's trying to do, we could be looking at the next great city builder here.