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Not Recommended
0.0 hrs last two weeks / 83.0 hrs on record (20.0 hrs at review time)
Posted: Feb 7 @ 3:27am
Updated: Feb 8 @ 3:34am

I have now managed to play a full run through - enough to get down some initial thoughts:

The good:
  • Splitting the game into 3 eras and Civ switching really makes the game more interesting and adds a lot of variety. It's nice to have something so different it justifies a new game.
  • Some great reduction to busywork - The commanders are fantastic and I won't miss workers.
  • The graphics are great.
  • Gwendoline Christie a great choice for narrator.
  • The global crises have a lot of potential.
  • Meta-progression fun for those who want to get into the game for the long haul.
  • Very glad to see the removal of all the religious 'combat'.
  • Still scratches that 'Just one more turn' itch.

The bad:
  • The UI is terrible. Catastrophically, insultingly terrible. It is so hard to get to the information that you need and some of it can cause you to make decisions that you completely cannot undo. For example, it needs to be much easier to see what buildings are Ageless. There need to be waaaay more tool-tips. Why is there so much vertical scrolling and wasted horizontal space on some elements?
  • The map is harder to read at a glance due to the more realistic art style.
  • No large maps for those that like them. Lack of map variety.
  • The map generation actually looks pretty terrible. Square continent, rectangle of islands, square continent, rectangle of islands.
  • The era end can be abrupt given its a soft reset of the game. Could do with a few turns of grace so you can tie up loose ends.
  • The global crises may get repetitive depending on how many there are.
  • No hot seat multiplayer, for those that are interested in it.
  • Very expensive considering it feels like an early access game.

Overall, it feels mechanically like a good step forward but completely let down by the UI. I can see myself switching to a positive review down the line but right now I can't recommend buying the game at its current price in its current state. For now just stick to your preferred previous Civilization game!
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Developer response:
CivGame  [developer] Posted: Feb 9 @ 12:46pm
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback. We appreciate knowing how each of the gameplay elements, both new and old, have resonated with you.

We are looking into several of your and others' initial feedback, and have some high priority focuses like the UI, more map variety, and hot seat multiplayer. You can find these outlined in our recent blog post here if you'd like to read more: https://civilization.2k.com/civ-vii/news/message-from-firaxis-games/

Really appreciate you taking this step forward with us, and can't wait to keep building up Civilization 7 with your feedback in mind!
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