Project Highrise launched in September 2016 and quickly became one of the best attempts at a modern SimTower game out there. The core gameplay of building up a tower with restaurants, apartments and offices was simply an almost addictive affair. Since launch, tons of fans have created their own content via Steam Workshop because they want to see even more available in the game. Developer SomaSim were aware of these desires and are sating them with the first batch of DLC. Project Highrise: Las Vegas adds two much-desired features - the ability to create casinos and hotels within a tower.

Current players will be pleased to know that their existing towers can be loaded up for continued play with the new DLC components. Of course, the more diehard fans may not want to do this. After all, they’ve spent months creating increasingly efficient and specific-purpose buildings. Simply slapping some casino items on top wouldn’t really make sense. It’s also worth starting on a new save due to the game-changing features offered by the new DLC. For example, you’ll now have to contend with the air conditioning utility to keep casinos, event rooms and more at a cool temperature. New NPCs will also end up milling about (and affecting hotel ratings) depending on how their experience turns out.

Building up a hotel is different from creating an apartment complex. After all, you need things like a lobby for folks to check in as well as a variety of room types for visitors to sleep in. There’s also a requirement to keep folks entertained. This is not the same as services required of tenants previously in Project Highrise. You’ll want to provide spaces from meeting rooms to huge showrooms to give them stuff to do. If you fail to please hotel goers during their visit, they’ll write up bad reviews on social media. The end result is that your rating will go down and people become less willing to visit at all. Creating extravagant hotels goes hand in hand with the casino items. What better way to create an all-encompassing trip experience than including venues for star singers and speakers, copious casino space and so much more?

Casinos prove an excellent way to generate more revenue because of visitors' willingness to part with their hard earned cash. This loop becomes stronger when paired with hotel rooms that keep guests in your tower for days at a time. Another allure of the Las Vegas DLC is the addition of VIPs. Local government officials, comedians and rock stars are all willing to show up in hotel/casinos and draw large crowds. However, there’s a whole system involved with getting them to show up at all. The basic requirements include the need for a venue as well as a free hotel room. However, this is only enough to get the least famous folks to visit. Higher powered characters have far greater requirements and expectations. It’ll likely take some time before your building is ready to accommodate someone akin to Lady Gaga.

Conference halls and event venues both add more potential reasons to draw hotel guests. However, it all comes with a cost. Hotel rooms may at times draw bedbugs that increase the cost of renovation throughout your tower temporarily. Players will also need to find room for service elevators (yes, another form of elevator) in order to get services to hotel rooms. Air conditioning is also a must for building any of these new rooms. Fortunately, any rooms that came standard with Project Highrise have not added an air conditioning utility requirement.

Closing Comments:

The Las Vegas DLC is absolutely a great addition for Project Highrise. Players have already been doing their best to make hotel-like atmosphere in the game, so this gives them an actual option to do so. SomaSim could have easily stopped there. Instead, they fleshed out these new room types out with additional gameplay in the form of VIP booking and visitors ranking your hotel. If you’ve fallen off the Project Highrise bandwagon over the past few months then this DLC will likely get you right back on. Any newcomers should grab the base game plus DLC as they provide a compelling package when combined.