Review – Sid Meier’s Civilization VII

One of the most beloved franchises by strategy fans is back. It is not only a famous name among a specific niche, but one of the best known games in history. Before including the name of his creator, Sid Meier, Civilization, the first of the seven games, already beating records, winning fans with an engaging and, of course, addictive formula. Today, 34 years after the release of the first title, Torch passes into the hands of Civilization VII. Was Sid Meier’s new game a decent successor for games that marked different generations?

With some changes in gameplay, civilization VII bets on some bold changes. From the initial selection process – which is no longer a choice of civilization, but from a specific leader – to the Eras Change scheme, there is a big difference between this title and the other franchise games. Now, if the community is prone to changes, or if they prefer an already consolidated experience, it is a subject to be debated, and in this review I intend to focus on the news.

Choose your fighter!

Starting with the great controversy, the change of rhythm thought by the designers of civilization VII already appears early. As said, you should choose a leader, not a civilization, as usual in other games. The practical effects of this system include historical aberrations, such as seeing Benjamin Franklin, for example, as leader of the Romans. As much as the image of the slope inventor as Caesar is weird, it serves to illustrate the path idealized by developers.

Each historical character has a bonus and, consequently, a specialization. Thus, the process of choosing a character does not differ much from what it was like to choose a civilization in the previous franchise games. The difference, however, is that, as you play, the characters gain experience points, which turn into levels, unlocking some specific advantages. At the beginning of the entire campaign, you can choose up to two of these advantages, and you can use them in any character.

Thus, there is a reward for playing with different characters, experiencing various types of game style. Some leaders have different personas who change their specialization. It is very obvious that civilization VII will have DLCs that bring another perspective to existing leaders. Leaders’ mechanics is an early indicative of the similarities between the gameplay of civilization VII e. In the Studios amplitude game, you also assume the role of a leader who must guide your civilization until the end of history. The similarities, however, stop there, as Humankind’s leaders are only avatars, without intrinsic bonuses. However, there is another change in civilization VII that greatly brings the two titles closely.

The New Age

Civilizations are no longer the focus of the initial choice, but that is not to say that they were thrown to the corner. In civilization VII, a complete campaign has 3 distinct ages, each forcing you to choose a different civilization. In many ways, this new mechanics remembers again, but the difference is that, in the Firaxis game, everyone changes era at the same time.

Being required to change civilization can be frustrating. While in Humankind this change is not forced, since you, if you want, can have only one civilization the whole campaign in civilization VII this is not an option. Like leaders, each civilization has specific bonuses, and the synergy between the two is an essential factor for good campaign progression.

Eras do not only function as periods of exchange of civilization. As much as this is the most impactful change, as it changes much of the typical gameplay of the franchise, the exchange of ages also means the introduction of new mechanics. A resource of one era can have totally different bonuses in another era. An example is incense, which in the ancient age gives you a bonus of science, while in the age of exploration it gives you a productivity bonus in temples and missionaries. In modern times, however, this feature ceases to exist.

Apart from resources, there is a new mechanics of points related to ERAs. Each era comes with some goals, following different game styles. The more objectives fulfilled, the more bonuses are accumulated for the next period. Thus, at the end of an era, you will have a number of points that can be exchanged for various bonuses regarding the type of purpose. A military -focused player, for example, will be able to go on this path, fulfilling the military goals that, most of the time, have to do with the conquest of cities and expansion. If he fulfills all the military objectives, at the end of the era he will have all the letters of this path and can change them for all the bonuses in this context. Apart from the letters, every goal in maximum level brings with it other bonuses to the next age.

Now, it should be mentioned that the goals, if ignored, lead the player to enter the dark age. This mechanics already existed in civilization VI, but in the new title of the franchise, it is no longer inherently negative. Now, the age of darkness gives the player a powerful bonus, as well as a penalty if a goal is not fulfilled. It may seem weird, but this is a good way to make players who are far behind in the match can recover.

Less districts, more fun

An important point to be mentioned is the mechanics of the districts. In civilization VI, this was a point of discord between the community. Many, not adapting or simply disliked this change, eventually chose to continue playing the civilization V. In civilization VII, this mechanics did not leave, but underwent significant modifications.

First, there is now the division between rural and urban districts. With each population increase, you will be taken to a resource allocation screen. In this screen, you should choose one of the hexagons to put a rural settlement, which can offer resources such as food, production, science, happiness, money and culture. The rules for this are too long to explain here, but you can see what each hexagon offers through this menu.

Constructions made through cities production or money – such as bookstores, factories, temples, universities, theaters, etc. – are categorized as urban. Like the districts, they demand their own hexagon, but each hexagon can support up to two such constructions. It is noteworthy that if your city grows up a lot and you have no way – or maybe you don’t even want to – expand the rural area, rural allocation can be done in urban buildings, creating experts that will increase the amount of resources extracted from the site for a cost of food and happiness.

In general, there was a great simplification in the district system, which can please players who prefer the gameplay of older civilizations. I would not say that this change is enough to please those who reject the idea of ​​the districts, but it certainly makes civilization VII more tolerable than its predecessor to this more part old school of the community.

Oh, and workers no longer exist. Rural expansion mechanics replaces them, and roads are created automatically. Excellent change, by the way.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS AND VERDIT

Bringing a series of bold changes, Civilization VII is a controversial game among franchise fans. In your book “Sid Meier’s Memoir!: A Life in Computer Games”The creator of the Civilization franchise says that the new titles have the so -called“ ⅓ rule ”, meaning that 33% is maintained from the previous title, 33% is updated and 33% is composed of new content. The great controversy revolves around updated content and new content.

Updates – especially in the district system – make civilization VII simpler. The older fans will love this change of rhythm, and I imagine that younger fans won’t care either. The new content, however, is already much more controversial. The change of ages can frustrate those who have an emotional connection with their respective civilizations. However, there is no way to ignore that the Eras System has excellent ideas, as in the case of changing the bonuses of the exclusive resources and mechanics of each one. It is a change of pace that, in addition to making the game interesting, putting new challenges for players, can also help make the experience more competitive, as the Dark Age bonuses help those far behind in the game. So there is no more lost game, and that friend of yours who is far behind the other civilizations can continue playing, as there are more possibilities for recoveries.

A negative point not mentioned is the question of UI. Object of various criticisms, this is really a weakness of civilization VII. It is very difficult to find the information relevant, and you can make some mistake because the game simply decided to omit something. Developers are aware of this error and, in a community note, have pledged to make changes. You can’t even put new technologies in a line, as it was in the latest franchise titles! Since the review is not about the future of the game, I just have to say that the interface was a big ball outside the firaxis.

Therefore, even with all the controversies, I believe that civilization VII has excellent ideas that, with due updates and the feedback of the community, they will become even better in future updates. For an AAA game, the current experience falls short of expectations. Good ideas can guarantee a good future, but the gift cannot be ignored. Civilization VII, in its present state, is not a disaster, but an incomplete experience.