Game review: Civilization VII (PC)

After almost a decade since the last instalment, the long-awaited Civilization VII has arrived.

I've been playing Civilization since its inception back in 1991. It's a genre-defining series of strategy games that others seek to emulate but never better. Its success is in its depth and complexity. Whereas I've found other so-called 4x (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) games more palatable as I've got older and time-poor, my occasional deep dives back to the latest iteration of Civilization serve as a reminder of how satisfying and uncompromising the games are compared to their peers.

With Civilization VII I get the feeling that it is trying to be all things to all players. Whilst I can't argue that the series' game mechanics can be a bit overwhelming, this new version perhaps takes things a bit too far.

It's the first in the series to be released simultaneously on a console on a PC. But that's hardly a reason for simplifying things in this day and age, with the console versions being played on huge 4K screens using controllers almost every bit as versatile as a keyboard and mouse. It is more of an excuse, perhaps.

For the uninitiated, Civilization VII is an isometric turn-based strategy game, similar to the board game, Risk. Players start with a settler based on their chosen starting civilisation and must establish a city. Elsewhere, other civilisations are also expanding, their location and the landscape obscured. Units can be created and sent out to explore the surroundings. Military units can defend or attack other civilisations. Town and cities develop are you research new technology and new buildings. Trade routes can be established and diplomatic relationships developed. Along the way, there are challenges to be undertaken. 

Each civilisation passes through ages that represent technological leaps from the age of antiquity, through to the age of exploration and finishing with the modern era. Along the way you will encounter other civilizations that you can trade with, form alliances with or wage war with. It's up to the player to decide, via a multitude of choices and research options, exactly what sort of civilisation they wish to nurture. Players can build an empire by military action or become an economic powerhouse using trade and diplomacy.  How you choose to play is up to you. The winner is the civilisation that is most advanced at the end of the final age. 

I jumped in, picking Catherine the Great and her Greek civilisation (the game plays fast and loose with its history). I was struck by the lack of tutorial prompts and tooltips. The odd static page highlighted the options available, but for the most part, the help was rather light.

Information screens seemed bereft of actual information. But I had enough to get the gist. Occasionally seemingly important choices were offered, to which I picked the one that felt best, there were no pointers to help guide me, and there seemed to be no detriment either.

Civilization VII seems to be happy to let players learn "on the job" in a way that would have spelled certain doom in previous iterations.

The game has three ages: antiquity, exploration and modern, each with its optional challenges. With each age players get to pick a new civilisation befitting the age. So, I ended up with Catherine the Great leading the Americans.

The first age is about establishing your towns and cities and developing relationships with your immediate neighbours. I spent time developing a decent military, just in case, and setting up trade routes. The second age encourages players to spread their wings, expanding their civilization across the map. This is also the opportunity to claim resources and discover new allies and rivals. The third age sees your units upgraded (depending on your research path) and refining your civilization for the final push towards the end game.

The game's currency is influence, which is used to broker diplomatic accords with other leaders. Settlements produce gold which can be used to purchase units and buildings rather than wait over the otherwise required turns.

The AI phase after each turn is a bit of a mystery as whilst the details of the events are displayed, the camera doesn't pan to the location. I instead found myself having to do a forensic examination of the game world to work out what had happened and to whom.

For my second playthrough, I picked Napoleon, trying to stick with historical accuracy as much as possible, he was Persian up until the modern age. I also selected the standard map size, the Terra Incognita map type and a game speed of epic. This gave me a larger map than before and a longer time between ages to better explore the area and engage in different approaches. I found this more enjoyable and more like I remember Civilization back in the day.   

This is still probably the least overwhelming Civilization game I've ever played. I'm usually confronted with a dauntingly complex user interface and a barrage of tool-tipped options. The Civilization VII screen is barren in comparison. This allows the game to be played easily, without worrying too much about what's happening. You can click through many of the presented options and choices and still play the game. You will likely lose out on some of the advantages, but at least the game flows well.  Rather than studying the in-game Civilopedia, as I have in previous iterations, Civilization VII seems to promote players picking it up as they go. Whilst this is fair enough, a bit more documentation/handholding wouldn't go amiss. 

The game user interface definitely seems set up for console controller use. This makes it look a bit chunky. But other than that, the game looks superb. The animations illustrate what is going on and each area is packed with detail. 

With each playthrough, my civilisations survived to the end of the game, but they did so by the skin of their teeth and with little or no accolades. It's going to take a few playthroughs to get to grips with even the most fundamental parts of the game. Couple this with the changes that your civilisation goes through with each age, and you've got a game that is easy to get into but will take an extraordinarily long time to master. 

Each entry in the Civilisation series has a long shelf-life. They are designed to be complex enough that players continue to play them for years. As well as the above, expect a steady stream of updates, tweaking the gameplay and balancing the various factions.

Civilization VII is a polished affair if coming across as a little simplified compared to previous games. But it is early days in what is likely a long life cycle.  It is still great fun to play with plenty of choices to ensure no playthrough is the same.

Verdict: 8/10