Monument Builders: Rushmore

Monument Builders: Rushmore is a city-building and time management game set in North America, where players oversee the construction of the iconic Mount Rushmore monument. The game tasks players with managing resources, constructing buildings, and completing various objectives across different levels, each representing different stages of the monument’s creation. Players must strategically gather materials like food, cement, and wood while managing workers to ensure the project stays on track.

Monument Builders: Rushmore: Review

Introduction

Mount Rushmore, with its colossal granite faces gazing eternally over the Black Hills, stands as a testament to American ambition and engineering prowess. In 2016, Shinypix SARL (under publisher Anuman Interactive) invited players to step into the boots of a foreman and participate in this monumental project through Monument Builders: Rushmore. As the twelfth entry in the Monument Builders series, this time management game promises more than just resource queues and deadline dash—it offers a meticulously researched journey through history. Drawing from true accounts of the monument’s construction, Monument Builders: Rushmore balances educational depth with accessible gameplay, creating an experience that feels both historically resonant and playfully engaging. This review deconstructs its legacy, mechanics, and cultural impact to determine whether it carves its own niche in gaming history or remains a footnote in the genre’s evolution.

Development History & Context

Monument Builders: Rushmore emerged from the prolific Paris-based studio Shinypix SARL, a developer with a track record in casual historical simulations. The project was helmed by a core team including Project Manager Olivier Bouton and Artistic Director Ludovic Rivalland, working within the constraints of mid-2010s casual game development. Technically, the game leveraged lightweight 2D graphics with a diagonal-down perspective, targeting modest system requirements (1.3 GHz processor, 512MB RAM for Windows) to ensure broad accessibility. Its release on Windows and Mac in 2016, followed by a Nintendo Switch port in 2019, reflected a deliberate strategy to capitalize on the burgeoning casual market on consoles.

The game’s context is deeply rooted in the Monument Builders series’ identity, which began with Titanic (2012) and Statue of Liberty (2014). Shinypix’s vision was to merge historical authenticity with approachable gameplay, avoiding the complexity of hardcore strategy simulations. This philosophy aligned with a gaming landscape where time management games like Delicious: Emily’s Tea Garden dominated the casual space, but few integrated real-world narratives so seamlessly. By 2016, the genre had matured, with players seeking both escapism and educational value. Monument Builders: Rushmore positioned itself as a bridge—educational yet unburdened by the steep difficulty curves that often alienated newcomers. Its legacy as part of Anuman’s “Destination USA” bundle (2016) further cemented its role as a gateway to American history for international audiences.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

The narrative of Monument Builders: Rushmore is a masterclass in historical storytelling through gameplay. Framed as a flashback to the 1920s–1940s construction period, the game follows the player’s journey as site foreman, guided by Henry Johnson, a character inspired by real-life Gutzon Borglum’s assistants. Between levels, snippets of “true stories” reveal the monument’s history: the challenges of dynamiting granite, the role of the Crazy Horse Memorial, and even anecdotes about worker strikes. This infusion of real-world details—such as the fact that over 90% of the rock was discarded instead of sculpted—transforms the game into an interactive history lesson.

Character interactions are minimalist yet purposeful. Workers toil silently, while obstacles manifest as anthropomorphized threats: thieving bandits in striped outfits block roads, merchants demand bribes to clear paths, and wolves or dogs guard resources. These encounters mirror historical tensions—sabotage by Native American activists, labor disputes, and budgetary constraints—without explicit political commentary. The dialogue, limited to Henry’s objective-based instructions (“Collect 140 Wood!”), keeps focus on gameplay, yet the subtext reinforces themes of perseverance and collective effort.

Thematically, the game explores the duality of monumental ambition. Levels requiring the destruction of obstacles (e.g., dynamiting rocks) symbolize the brute force of progress, while tasks like feeding animals or paying merchants inject moments of empathy. The final stages, set at Mount Rushmore itself, underscore the awe of completion, with cutscenes celebrating the monument as “a symbol of American ideals.” This narrative cohesion elevates Monument Builders: Rushmore beyond a mere resource simulator, embedding it in a dialogue about how history is built, both literally and figuratively.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

At its core, Monument Builders: Rushmore exemplifies the time management genre’s signature loop: manage resources, construct buildings, and complete objectives within a time limit. Yet its execution is refined by strategic depth and historical flavor.

Resource Management: Six resources—Food, Cement, Dollars, Explosive Powder, Wood, and Workers—form the game’s economic backbone. Food is gathered from Cake Shops, Cement from Cement Factories, and Dollars from Shops, while Explosive Powder must be ordered from Warehouses. Wood is harvested from Groves, and Workers are recruited at the Warehouse. This system mirrors real construction logistics: workers need sustenance (Food), materials (Wood, Cement), and funding (Dollars). The challenge lies in balancing immediate tasks (e.g., clearing roads) with long-term production (e.g., upgrading a Factory to Level 3 for faster output).

Building & Upgrades: Five building types—Shop, Cake Shop, Factory, Cement Factory, and Warehouse—each serve distinct roles. Shops generate income, Cake Shops provide Food for workers, and Factories produce mission-critical items like Scaffolds or Dynamite. Crucially, each building can be upgraded three times, doubling output or unlocking new capabilities. For instance, a Level 2 Warehouse allows resource ordering, while a Level 3 Factory accelerates production. This progression mirrors the monument’s scaling complexity, from initial groundwork to intricate sculpting.

Objectives & Obstacles: Levels present varied objectives, from “Deliver 20 Fireworks” to “Pay 6 Merchants,” often requiring multi-step strategies. Obstacles add dynamism: Thieves steal resources if not clicked rapidly, Wolves block paths until fed, and Merchants demand bribes to clear roads. These mechanics introduce tension without overwhelming—unlike genre peers, Rushmore avoids punitive time limits, focusing instead on efficiency.

Innovations: Shaman’s Huts introduce power-ups (Energy Potions for worker speed, Oil for production boosts) that reward mastery. The “Engine Additive” even enables automatic resource delivery, a quality-of-life innovation reducing micromanagement. However, the game’s reliance on repetition—30 levels often reusing the same objectives—highlights a flaw. While accessible, the flat difficulty curve fails to escalate the challenge, leaving experienced players wanting more depth.

World-Building, Art & Sound

Monument Builders: Rushmore’s world-building is its most triumphal aspect. Divided into four distinct regions—Rapid City, Badlands, Black Hills, and Mount Rushmore—each area reflects historical accuracy and artistic flair. Rapid City’s dusty streets evoke 1930s American West, complete with Model-T Fords and wooden shacks, while the Badlands’ ochre cliffs and sparse vegetation mirror the Lakota Sioux homeland. The Black Hills’ dense forests and hidden groves add environmental storytelling, hinting at the land’s cultural significance. Mount Rushmore’s final levels present a majestic backdrop, with players witnessing the monument’s “completion” through layered cutscenes.

Visually, the game employs a vibrant, cartoonish 2D style that balances historical reverence with accessibility. Textures are crisp—granite rocks, worker overalls, and factory smokestacks—all rendered with a warm, saturated palette. Character designs are charmingly exaggerated: wide-eyed workers, snarling wolves, and mustachioed Merchants add personality without breaking immersion. Animations are fluid, from workers chopping Wood to vehicles delivering resources, reinforcing the game’s “living history” ethos.

Sound design complements the visuals. An upbeat, banjo-infused soundtrack evokes the Great Depression era, shifting to more orchestral tones during Mount Rushmore’s finale. Sound effects—clangs of hammers, engine revs, and cash-register chimes—create an auditory tapestry of construction. Voice acting is minimal but effective, with Henry’s gruff, authoritative voice guiding players without intruding. Together, these elements forge an atmosphere that is both playful and reverent, making history feel tangible.

Reception & Legacy

Upon release, Monument Builders: Rushmore received muted but generally positive reviews. Critics praised its educational value and accessibility, with Virtual Worlds Land calling it “a highly immersive time management game” that “hooks from start to finish.” However, it was criticized for lacking innovation, with LadiesGamers noting it “doesn’t break new ground” in the genre. Commercially, it performed moderately well as a digital download, buoyed by the Monument Builders brand and its inclusion in the “Destination USA” bundle. The Nintendo Switch port (2019) capitalized on the console’s casual appeal, earning praise for smooth performance but lamenting its high price ($6.99) for a port.

Over time, its reputation has evolved. While not a landmark title, it is remembered as a competent entry in the Monument Builders series, particularly for its historical authenticity. Its influence is subtle: it popularized the “historical time management” subgenre, inspiring games like Monument Journey (2022) to double down on educational narratives. Yet it didn’t revolutionize the genre, overshadowed by contemporaries like Cook, Serve, Delicious! for innovation. Critically, it holds a niche as a “gateway” history game, recommended for players seeking bite-sized learning over challenge.

Conclusion

Monument Builders: Rushmore is a testament to the power of historical simulation in casual gaming. It succeeds not through radical innovation but through meticulous execution, merging the Monument Builders formula with the epic story of Mount Rushmore’s creation. Its strength lies in world-building—transforming engineering challenges into accessible gameplay—and its commitment to factual storytelling. While repetitive and undemanding, it offers a satisfying loop of resource management and construction that educates as much as it entertains.

In the pantheon of video game history, it occupies a modest but significant space: as a bridge between casual entertainment and historical education. It may not rival Civilization for depth or Stardew Valley for charm, but it carves its own legacy by making history playable. For players seeking a lighthearted yet enriching experience, Monument Builders: Rushmore stands as a solid, if unsung, monument to the genre’s potential. As the game itself reminds us, even the grandest projects begin with a single step—and in this case, it’s a step well worth taking.