Over the past year, gamers worldwide—including myself—have been eagerly awaiting the next installment of the massive 4X franchise: Civilization 7. Upon its reveal, players looked forward to a revitalized AI, a more immersive graphics set, and an all-around better experience than Civilization 6. However, following the February 11 release of Civilization 7, dedicated fans were left with a sour taste in their mouth rather than gratification. What was once a franchise filled with allure and potential is now a shell of its former self in its current state.
As I booted up the game for the first time, I was excited to create a true-start-location run using one of the new French leaders. I was also eager to see what the new age mechanic had in store and how it would enhance the gameplay. As I flipped through the settings, I quickly realized that nearly everything I had hoped for in-game creation was missing. There wasn’t a TSL map, there were only openings for eight players, and there certainly wasn’t the choice to start as the French. Instead, players were required to work their way through time using the new age system. While this wasn’t a deal-breaker, it was disappointing.
After starting my save, I found that the district system was amazing. Without the clutter of builders, cities felt far more approachable to manage—or so I thought. After expanding my colony, I frequently forgot which city was focused on what. Without the ability to distinctly recognize structures using the city’s interface, players are forced to perform mental gymnastics to recall the city’s distribution and future plans. This was manageable at first, but as I expanded, I quickly realized that there was now a city cap on all civilizations. Expanding my empire into a global power became nearly unachievable. Instead, I was more limited than ever compared to any single playthrough of Civilization 6.
With the addition of the ages, I decided it was time to declare war on my closest neighbor to take control of what little land remained for four civilizations before it was too late. This glorious conquest saw Ashoka’s empire collapse and crumble to the dirt. While leading the final assault on his last city, the age ended—and much to my surprise, so did our war. I managed to play through the rest of the age and eventually was able to take control of the final city.
In theory, the age system sounds enjoyable, but it works more as a boundary rather than a feature. More often than not, players are unable to play the way they desire due to the rapid turnover of ages. Worse yet, the speed of this change accelerates if the player is performing well. While gamers in recent years have become increasingly receptive to difficult games, this takes it a step too far by restricting players’ freedom in an attempt to create a sense of challenge. Players are no longer able to watch their civilization grow into a powerhouse and savor the obstacles along the way.
For many players, this experience is all too familiar. Most games in the Civilization franchise have experienced a rocky start, but so far, Civilization 7 feels like a different case entirely. This game plays more like a beta test than a full release. The general fan base has fallen in love with the historical, political, and geographical aspects of Civilization, yet in Civilization 7, these seemed to be the least of the developers’ worries. In Civilization 6, players could build the Roman Empire from scratch in a canonically correct location at a pace dictated by them—not by their performance.
Developers have stated that they have heard players’ pleas and will work to polish the game, but this should have been done before release. For now, players looking for a solid Civilization experience will find everything they want in Civilization 5 and 6. In the meantime, players can only hope that the game will iron itself out in the near future. However, in its current state, Civilization 7 will likely go down as one of the worst launches in the franchise’s history—at least according to the average player.
