Civilization VII [PlayStation 5] | REVIEW

Let’s be honest, Civilization has long been the gold standard of the 4X strategy genre, captivating players with its blend of empire-building, diplomacy, warfare, and scientific advancement (and a Gandhi that isn’t afraid to f*** you up). With each new instalment, Firaxis have refined the formula, adding fresh mechanics while keeping the addictive ‘one more turn’ gameplay intact to keep players hooked in for hours on end… believe me, I know.

Well, Civilization VII is no exception, but this time around, it has introduced significant changes that shake up the traditional structure while striving to streamline the experience for new players. However, while these innovations bring a fresh sense of strategy to the experience that ensure that this is another quality release in the long-running series, some aspects of the gameplay have seen changes that might not be quite so enticing to long-time veterans.

Check out some screenshots down below:

I’m not going to go through every in-and-out of the Civilization experience in this review, because honestly, it’d take too long. Instead, I’m going to focus on what I thought were the most substantial changes brought by Civilization VII, and ultimately, whether or not I thought they were any good.

The most striking change in Civilization VII comes with the introduction of the Age system, which fundamentally changes how campaigns play out. Instead of leading a single civilization from the dawn of history to the modern era, players now guide an individual leader who will switch civilizations as the game progresses. The three distinct ages (Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern) each bring with them exclusive elements to that time period in order to emphasise the sense of human progress, as well as varying civilizations to play as that are fitting of that era. It might sound drastic, but it really makes it feel like you’re playing three different games at times, with each Age offering plentiful differences that ultimately shape how you approach the gameplay.

At the start of each new Age, players select a new civilization linked in some way to their previous one, though they’ll still maintain significant assets such as cities and wonders, as well as some bonuses based upon their success. This allows for greater flexibility, enabling players to adjust their strategies based on their current situation. However, for those who relish the historical continuity of leading one nation from ancient times to global dominance, this change may feel disruptive. The inability to take a single civilization through to the endgame removes some of the immersion that has defined previous entries, making victories feel less refined and more stage-based – and, from a historical perspective, less believable.

Each transition between Ages is marked by a crisis of sorts, forcing players to adapt if they hope to thrive. It also resets aspects of play such as on-going wars, meaning it really does give players a chance to re-develop if things haven’t been going their way. This mechanic makes sure that no single player progresses too far ahead of the others, ensuring that the competition remains engaging until the very end. However, while this system helps to alleviate the traditional late-game grind, the Modern Age feels less fleshed out compared to its predecessors. Of course, your path of victory can ultimately affect how interesting it feels, but the modern advancements just feel less interesting when compared to building the foundation of early civilizations in the Antiquity Age or exploring the land for precious commodities in the Exploration Age. It feels like a lot of stuff that should be here is missing – especially when compared to previous entries in the series – which just feels a little disappointing. But… I still liked the system, and whilst it’s different, it really does make Civilization VII feel significantly different to its predecessors.

“Civilization VII is a bold evolution of the series, with its changes streamlining the series at the expense of some of its more sophisticated nuances.”

One of Civilization VII’s other significant changes is the new Influence system, with Influence a resource that dictates each player’s diplomatic actions. Whether it’s forming alliances, opening borders, or negotiating trade agreements, everything now has an Influence cost, which adds weight to diplomatic decisions and ensures players can’t simply spam agreements without consequence. The costs vary depending on your response to these diplomatic actions, but so do the benefits you receive, meaning you’ll have to think through each one carefully to determine whether or not the Influence cost is worth it or beneficial to your overall strategy. This was actually one of my favourite changes in the game, especially when playing in multiplayer with friends where the alliances we established had to be better thought out.

Combat has received some refinements, with better unit organization thanks to stacking and a more structured battle flow making everything more streamlined and enjoyable. The game’s new approach to unit clutter (which sees it eliminating traditional builders and workers) makes the map much less congested too, with cities automatically acquiring and develop tiles over time. While this system reduces micromanagement, it also removes some of the satisfaction of manually optimizing cities. The process of strategically assigning citizens to work specific tiles – one of the core mechanics of earlier games – is now gone, and whilst this change makes the game more accessible and tiles easier to manage, it may disappoint players who enjoyed the fine-tuned city-building elements of past entries.

Victory conditions in Civilization VII are tied to Legacy Paths, which fall into four categories: Culture, Military, Science, and Economy. Throughout the game, players complete objectives related to these paths, earning points that ultimately contribute to their victory. This system is great for newcomers, as it provides clearer objectives to work towards and shape your civilization for. However, experienced players may find it restrictive, as the structured nature of the quests can make the game feel like a checklist rather than an open-ended strategy experience. You’re basically told what you have to do, which can make it feel like you’re following instructions set for you as opposed to building a civilization that’s success will be determined by the decisions that you make.

Check out some screenshots down below:

It’s been a little difficult to review Civilization VII because of the sheer amount of changes that have been made to the experience, some of which I’ve loved and others not so much. Additions such as the navigable rivers make for a satisfying element of strategy when establishing trade routes, whilst transitioning between towns and cities that grow based around the tiles you place around them felt more dynamic and intriguing. On the flip side, some aspects of the game have been streamlined a little too much, especially in aspects such as religion, which feels like it doesn’t have the power that it used to, or with the tech tree, that doesn’t offer as many options as it once did. The missing elements of the end-game were underwhelming too, especially since the Modern Age just felt a lot less interesting than the rest.

It’s a game of many changes that bring with them many pros and cons, especially for long-time players or those who didn’t expect the change of direction that the series has taken. Yet, despite being mixed on some of the changes, I’ve still had a ton of fun with the game. The changes haven’t made it a bad game or less enjoyable, but instead, they’ve made it a different experience, and sometimes, different can be good.   One area where Civilization VII undeniably improves is accessibility and UI design. Menus are cleaner, text is more readable, and the interface is well-optimized for consoles. I found it a lot easier to play with a controller than I did Civilization VI, whilst I’ve even toyed about with the game on the Steam Deck and found that it works really well. There are some aspects of the menu design that could use some refinement to make it easier to access specific details of your civilization, but still, there’s no denying that for console players, the UI and controls have seen some big improvements.

Developer: Firaxis Games
Publisher: 2K Games
Platform(s): PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC
Website: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/