The scale of the map differs from Blob City and Blob Conquest in that an entire city occupies just a few hexes, instead of the entire map. Details of your city are available by clicking on the city, instead of by examining the map. You make money by charging for transportation and products rather than by taxing city residents. You also invest in new products, in marketing, and in bribing city officials. Your opponents are rival merchants instead of rival kings, so the focus is more on economics and less on warfare.
Military conquest is still possible, to take over resources, factories, or transportation systems.
On the other hand, with a large scale, it is possible to see and work with resources outside the city and with the trade between cities. Each object has very few details.