Civilization is a classic video game series that has persevered throughout the history of video games. It’s been around so long that the first installment was released on DOS in 1991. Each successive game release has been seen as an important milestone in the development of video games, with video game enthusiasts dropping everything they’re doing to load up the new title and lose days at a time. My first experience with the Civilization series was Civilization IV, which I received for Christmas in Middle School. I’ve been addicted to Civ ever since. Naturally, I have been eager to play Civilization VII since it was announced at the Summer Game Fest last year. Since booting it up last Thursday with early access, it is clear that this game will rank with the previous six titles in the upper echelon of video games. There is so much to love about this new installment and its unique approach to the classic Civilization campaign.
I just completed my second game in Civilization VII. This new edition brings a ton of changes compared to Civilization VI, some bigger than others. Of course, many of the differences seen with a new title are that this is just the base game (it is well expected at this point the Civ games will add additional features to their campaigns with the addition of 2 or 3 expansions and a handful of DLC). So much of the depth of the campaign that players had come to expect by the end of Civ VI will be a bit thinner come the new title.
However, Civ VII has had one of the biggest changes in the series: no longer do you play one civilization from the dawn of time to the near future. Instead, the campaign is split into three parts, called ages, each with its own set of civilizations, buildings, units, wonders, and more. This change had the hardcore fanbase in an uproar from the announcement, but largely, most of the ire seems to have died down. Certainly, some polishing is needed, as with any other mechanic-heavy 4X game, but I am surprised at how much I am enjoying this new mechanic. There are other minor complaints I am having about some of the features, but a lot of these can be chalked up to them being new mechanics and gameplay styles that I need to get used to.
In my first game, I played Maya -> Spain -> Mexico. I love that Mexico is a civ in this game, and the features of the Mexican civilization work so well to give a unique feeling to that civ option. I was able to win this first game with a last-minute pivot to Science after getting blocked out of the Cultural victory by the other civilizations.
In my second game I just barely lost trying to secure an Economic victory as the Indian civilization chain of Maurya -> Chola -> Mughal, as Confucious launched his manned space flight as I was feverishly hunting down the capital of Meiji Japan to establish an office of the World Bank. Both games were a blast, and even losing felt like an accomplishment. And to have it all narrated by Gwendoline Christie and with a stellar musical score? A dream! There is also a new memento system that helps customize gameplay, which when combined with the leader skill trees in-campaign and the new narrative system, have led to a nice variation between each of my games.
The game itself is aesthetically and artistically gorgeous. Every building, unit, wonder, and natural feature is stunning. This is the best-looking Civilization game by a mile. As they continue to add civilizations, wonders, natural wonders, and more to the game, it is safe to say that this will only be the beginning of the beauty this game will give us.
The Shawnee civilization, a day one DLC, is a great example of the attention to detail they gave to not just presenting things beautifully, but also ensuring that they are authentic to the cultures that they are representing; in the case of the Shawnee, they worked directly with members of the Shawnee nation to ensure they got it right. In a similar vein, the art team created different, culturally relevant architectural and fashion designs for the various buildings and units, so that each civilization’s bank, university, or archer looks like it belongs in that part of the world.
In addition, the design team made a simple, yet hugely effective step to ensure diversity in the game: each civilization in the game would have an “associated wonder” so that if the civilization is playable in the game, there is a world wonder tied to their history. Building world wonders like the Pyramids is one of the best parts of these games. To have such a wide range of wonders, the most in any base game is a huge credit to the thoroughness of the devs.
This game is not in its final form, though. There will be a lot of work that the devs will need to tackle in the next few weeks and months. By no means is this game “unplayable”, as some hateful naysayers in the gaming community have been loud about across the internet. In fact, I think this game has as much replayability as VI. One of the biggest concerns online has been about the UI. I know the UI issues are apparently better on the PlayStation 5 (where I bought the game), but to be honest, I could care less about formatting issues in the UI.
My concerns are largely about some gameplay improvements that are needed. The biggest issue I have is that because of the switching civs mechanic, there are, in theory, only 10 civilizations at a time. However, the largest map size available right now only allows for 8 civilizations. As someone who always plays on a huge map with the maximum number of civs and city-states, I am a little disappointed that the game is limited in this way. In a similar vein, ending the game around the beginning of the Cold War feels a little anticlimactic.
There is a rumor going around online that the devs plan to add a fourth age to the end of the game; I do think that the extension of the end of the game is necessary to ensure this title’s success. In addition, I think some tweaking is needed for the victory goals in each age, as well, including some more medieval-esque additions for the exploration age in the middle of the game. Further civilizations are also needed to help make the age transitions a bit smoother and more natural feeling.
These issues aside, I do really think Civilization VII is a great addition to this storied series. With time, I think there is a real possibility that this could be the greatest Civilization game yet. There is so much good to work with, and with the devs’ attention to cultural sensitivity and artistic quality, this game will be unmatched once the kinks in the new mechanics are smoothed out. Their announcement for the first DLC pack already has me excited for the future of this installment. If you have been hesitant to pick up this title, I can wholeheartedly endorse downloading this on your favorite console or PC. I am happy as a Civ fan and as a history geek, and I am looking forward to playing… one more turn!
Civilization VII is available on Steam, the Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch. The Deluxe Edition includes the Deluxe Content Pack, the Tecumseh and Shawnee Pack, and the upcoming Crossroads of the World Collection. The Founders Edition includes all Deluxe Edition content, as well as the upcoming Right to Rule Collection. A VR version is coming soon to Meta Quest 3/3S.
