Civilization VII Review - A Fresh March Through Time
Civilization is something of a unique franchise in the history of video games. It has always been seen as the peak of the genre it represents, something I don’t think any other franchise can say. In most genres, there are evolutions and revolutions that mean newcomers are always rising to the top, but in the 4X strategy genre, it has always been Civ, sitting pretty as the king of the hill. So when a new Civilization game is released, it is a big deal. But it also creates a strange position where Civilization’s biggest threat is its own legacy so a lot is riding on it. So the question becomes, does Civ VII forge its own path and take the title or will Civ VI still keep the throne for a while longer?
As expected, there is a lot to talk about with Civilization VII, it is a sprawling game where each match can easily take over 10 hours. It is a commitment and if you have never played Civ before, it can be a daunting one. Luckily in Civ VII the team has recognised this and implemented the best tutorials the franchise has ever seen. I have played quite a few matches now and I still leave these tutorials on. This is simply because there is so much to learn, too much to take in over one run-through. The tutorials patiently explain the concepts, currencies, diplomatic needs and economics of the game in a way that doesn’t dumb things down but still makes it possible for new players to grasp. That is no small achievement. To further make this a new player-friendly Civ, there are new guided missions based on the different tenants of the game. At the beginning of each Age, players can choose one of their advisors, (Military, Economic, Science etc) and chase down specific goals. This creates an environment where players are encouraged to learn each of these concepts without having to wade through pages of text. Of course, these can be ignored and your own path forged, but it is a nice option to have while learning.
Speaking of Ages, this is the big new addition to the franchise and really shakes things up over the previous entry. Each time you play, the timeline is split into three different ages, Antiquity, Exploration and Modern, and these act like a smaller game within the overall match. At the beginning of each age, players can choose a different civilisation to use while keeping their original leader or, if they prefer they can keep following the path laid out by actual history. This does a few things. It allows players to have an even more varied experience than ever before, it allows for some new and exciting strategies based on blending of cultural bonuses and it also creates a natural point in each match where sane people who have to go to work the next day can simply say “it might be bedtime now.” I feel like it is the biggest change the franchise has seen since it went to a hexagonal board and in my time with the game I only scraped the surface as to how significant this change will be.
There are a host of other new and improved features that I adored too. The disaster system has been really ramped up and it can change the map in quite dramatic ways. Floods, while wiping out buildings along rivers, can actually improve food production. Volcanoes pose a threat but agriculture thrives nearby due to the rich soil. Storms can change the course of a battle, especially in the Modern era when planes become a common military unit. It is a wonderfully smart system that will keep players on their toes by adding a nice slice of risk and reward to proceedings. Another great addition to the game is actually a subtraction. Worker units are no more, with tiles automatically giving players their resources without the need to build anything on them. It is a smart move from the devs as let’s face it, most of us set our workers to auto in the previous game anyway and those who didn’t were lumped with a whole heap of micromanagement in a game that already requires more mouse clicks than all four Diablo games combined.
The key here though is that despite all of the new features, Civilization VII still feels like a Civilization game. Some strategies still work, familiar beats that past players will appreciate and classic themes and pitfalls are there each turn. So this isn’t a game that is going to alienate past players. It is however different enough that franchise fans may actually want to have both Civ VI and VII installed at the same time as they do offer enough variation to be complementary to each other as opposed the the newer game immediately replacing the older one. I frankly wish more games attempted this sort of synergy with past titles as I found it very refreshing.
It isn’t all perfect, however. As with most Civilization games, it still feels like there is some tweaking to be done. The first thing that comes to mind is the diplomacy elements of the game. On the whole, these feel very shallow and amount to little more than spending a currency to raise or lower a number. I am not sure how to fix that if I am honest, but in a game where deep choices are the norm, it stands out as a weak point. Another problem I found is one that has been an issue throughout the franchise and that is the aggressiveness of other nations. I found it really hard to focus on achieving Cultural or Scientific victories simply because my neighbours, despite me playing nice, always decided to bring tanks to my front door. So instead of focusing on developing cultural wonders or making scientific breakthroughs, I am forced to defend myself from incursion. Yes, it is probably a fair commentary on actual human history, but it does make me wish for a mode where I could play without aggressive neighbours and just focus on the nerdy stuff, if only now and then.
I also feel there are some balancing issues, like unit strength and resource significance that rear their head and I expect the really good players to exploit these until Firaxis implements some balancing. This doesn’t really matter when playing by yourself, but it could be a much bigger issue in multiplayer matches. I am not especially worried about this though, Firaxis has a proven history of taking the time to listen to the community and implement fixes accordingly. Very few developers have earned as much goodwill with their player base and I believe that goodwill is very well deserved.
On the tech side of things, the game looks great. There is just so much more detail in the game than in previous entries with each different civilisation being visually distinct. The new leader portraits are great and the effects, especially for the disasters are wonderful. For those that have one, playing on an ultrawide monitor is an absolute pleasure, with the extra screen real estate a blessing. The Civilization soundtrack has always been something that players have adored and I feel that Civ VII will be no exception. There is a range of freshly composed musical pieces that match perfectly with the game and make for easy listening while clicking on that “next turn” button. I did have a couple of instances slowdown, but over all my experience has been a smooth one.
The thing with Civilization VII is that I am still learning, still discovering what this game has to offer. There is just so much to it that it is impossible to ever consider myself a font of all knowledge after a mere few weeks. Hell I am still learning things in Civilization VI and I have over 100 hours in that game (small numbers for Civ players, I know.) The good news is, I want to learn, I want to improve and I want to see everything this enormous game has to offer. It isn’t perfect yet, but give it 6 months of tweaks and balances and I suspect it will be. In the meantime, however, you will still be having a blast having Xerxes lead the American nation into a new era of prosperity or letting Napolean install himself as the Emperor of India and frankly, that is worth the price of admission alone. Civilization VII is a fantastic game now and one that will only get better with time, so you aren’t dipping out by diving in at launch.
Civilization VII was reviewed on PC with code kindly supplied by the publisher.
