SimCity BuildIt soft launches, starts building on Android, iOS

Mayoral duties can follow you everywhere in SimCity BuildIt, EA's new urban spread that has soft launched in Canada on Android and in New Zealand on iOS. BuildIt is a free download with in-app purchases, and while EA's reveal post in September mentions the presence of an offline mode, "many of the coolest features do require an online connection."

EA's reveal notes that longtime fans should find threads of the PC games in BuildIt, adding that they've been "streamlined to make the experience more fun and manageable on touchscreens." Players can tend to zones, roads and traffic, services, city specializations and data layers of their metropolis, and the familiar goal of landmarks returns. Of course, should you need to start over, disasters are still a therapeutic tool to help clear the grid.

BuildIt's store listing adds that you'll be able to "trade resources with friends and other cities," so maybe consult with a neighbor before letting your frustration fuel the death of hundreds of Sims. Unless your authoritative, do-good role is just a guise for your eagerness to be the kid burning ants with a magnifying glass, that is.