Civilization VII

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Civilization VII review
William Thompson

Review

One more turn…in three acts

One More Turn


I've been playing Civilization games since the original on my Amiga 500 (yep, my Antiquity Age) and have played each iteration of the series way too much. That 'one more turn' is a killer when you look at the clock and realise you need to head to work in a couple of hours. My Steam account shows me having played Civilization 6 for over 500 hours, and that isn't even the most I have played a Civ title (I think Civilization II still holds that unofficial record). So, to say I've been looking forward to testing out Civilization VII, would be somewhat of an understatement.

If you've played any Civilization game in the past, you know the drill. World Domination - either through military might, scientific advancement, culture, or economic prowess. Players start with a single settler and build a legacy that stands the test of time. Civilization VII follows that same formula, but adds several new mechanics that give the series a much needed refresh.

All Roads lead to Rome


The first mechanic that most players will face is that of settlements. I admit that I struggled to work out Towns and Cities early on, wondering why I needed to spend gold to construct anything within the Town. All new settlements - apart from your capital - begin as a town (whether you've planted down a settler or conquered an opponent's settlement) and they'll begin earning gold for your nation. At a later point the towns can begin focusing on other bonuses, or players can convert it to a city. Unlike cities, towns do not have production queues, but can still purchase most items with gold.

Once an improvement is built on a city tile, it becomes an Urban District with each district capable of hosting two city improvements. Whilst some civilizations will have special buildings that can be paired together for bonus effects, other buildings will often pair well together for boosts in the various basic resources of gold, food, production, happiness, science and influence (more on this later). Players can still plop down any building they want on any available tile, but pairing buildings together adds to the city building strategy. Each of the Urban Districts can also be walled. Although building walls around each district can take a length of time, the added walls are of a huge benefit - a city cannot be captured unless all the walled districts have been captured within a city.



Choosing where to build a settlement can be cause for consternation for gamers. Natural disasters such as floods, volcanic eruptions and dust storms can impact your settlements, temporarily affecting their output until the damaged areas are repaired. Some of these disasters can be averted depending on where the city is located. Building on or near a floodplain is a recipe for disaster as is building near an active volcano. However, the bonuses that nearby tiles provide may sway you to build nearby despite the risks. Those bonus resources can be easily distributed to the city that needs the bonus effects provided by the resource.

Influencers


Influence is now a resource players will need to garner throughout the game. Although players won't need to increase their Instagram or TikTok followers, gaining influence does have numerous advantages within Civilization VII. Players can use their Influence in diplomatic communications with other nations and independent states. During my first playthrough I found that I was neglecting the diplomacy portion of the game, but soon came to realise that it is often better if you're actively involved in talks, as many of the bonuses are generally larger for the leader who begins discussions.

Of course, all the diplomacy in the world will not be sufficient to appease some leaders. I spent most of my first game being diplomatic with my neighbours, trading with them and using my excess influence to continue trade treaties and begin culture festivals. This worked well for two Ages, but then for some reason I was attacked by an opposing civilization. Then another, and then another. Millenia of peace, down the drain. Luckily I had most cities occupied by a defender which enabled me to stave off attacks until I could build or (for the most part) buy units with the gold in my coffers.

This is where Army Commanders (and later on Fleet and Aerial Commanders) are a wonderful addition to the game. Players no longer need to micromanage each military unit, but can stack units onto the commander. Newly built units can also be sent straight to a commander as reinforcement for the front line battles. It will still take the same time that it normally would, but you don't need to micromanage the units each step of the way. Commanders are the only units that can get promotions, with units located in their area of influence gaining the benefits.

Crisis and Age Transition


Prior to the completion of each Age, players will be presented with a crisis that needs to be overcome. Players are given several options on how to approach the crisis, most of which will incur some sort of penalty. With most options being the opposite of Civic choices, it can often involve choosing the lesser of two evils.



Points earned during an age will give players a boost at the beginning of the next age, and as such, there is a sense of urgency as the Age comes to a close as players will race to complete some of their goals. Each age has its own victory conditions that grant you either a golden age or a dark age when you progress into the next era. During the transition phase, players are required to select their new civilization for the next era. Depending on the style of game you’ve played, players will have bonuses for selecting certain civilizations that match your style from the previous Age.

It does feel strange that players transition into a different civilization, even one that was somewhat similar to the prior civilization. It also doesn’t sit right with me that someone such as Machiavelli is leading the Persians. Although it may benefit gameplay, it does take away from some historical accuracy.

The Age transition acts as a soft reset, ending prior conflicts and often downgrading cities back to towns. This can be frustrating, as I discovered when my carefully accumulated gold reserves were depleted during one such reset, hindering my efforts to quickly rebuild my empire.

Unlike previous installments of Civilization, players will need to play through each Age to gain victory, as the Victory conditions appear in the Modern Age. I did attempt to destroy each of the other civilizations within the first two Ages to win via Domination, but the Settlement cap (-5 happiness penalty for each settlement over the limit) seems to be a way of preventing players from doing so. There are certain Civics that will allow more settlements, or enemy settlements can be razed (which takes a period of time and will have negative War Weariness effects). As has been the case with previous iterations, playing to the strengths of each of the civilizations and leaders is a must.

The Sights and sounds


Civilization VII has gone back to a more realistic approach to the leaders - well, they certainly feel less cartoony. Having them both present at the diplomatic table is a nice touch, letting them see eye to eye. I particularly enjoyed the various poses of the enemies depending on their feeling towards you, at times coming to the bargaining table with a weapon of the era when they're particularly angry with you. The user interface has always been important when it comes to Civilization titles, and Civilization VII is no different. All the relevant information is either present on the screen or a couple of clicks away.

From a landscape perspective, Civilization has never been so detailed. Everything looks great when zoomed out, but when zooming in to the settlements, players can get so see such minute details as leaves falling from trees, campfires burning at a Woodcutter, chickens pecking at a farm, or the next construction taking place. And each of the cities within the different civilizations feel quite unique, with the Roman architecture looking quite distinct from that of the Persian cities. When playing as each of the civilizations, players will also have unique soundtracks playing in the background. This is a nice touch, although I did find that it does get somewhat monotonous after an hour or two.

Standing the Test of Time


Even for an experienced Civ player, Civilization VII brings a range of new mechanics that are fun to experience. The introduction of Ages results in Civilization VII basically being three separate games, with the first two causing a hive of activity as the Ages come to a close. The Army Commanders bring troop stacks back into the series, reducing the dreaded micromanagement through the latter stages of each Age. If you're contemplating world domination for the first time, then Civilization VII does have a learning curve, but has enough helpful hints along the way to guide newbies through the game. It won’t be too long they too will be playing just ‘one more turn’ well into the night.


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8.8

fun score

Pros

Age transitions allow for a reset of sorts, Army Commanders and troop stacks are back

Cons

Loss of advantages when Ages complete, Leaders that were not linked to a civilization feels strange from a historical perspective.