Civilization VII is the latest entry in a strategy game series that has existed for decades. As with every entry, the new game reinvents the wheel by introducing new systems and streamlining old ones from the past. If you’re a fan of the series or are curious about all the commotion surrounding this game (especially after the announcement of Jose Rizal as playable leader), Civilization VII is an absolute must-play, and this is why.

What’s new in Civilization VII?

The Civilization franchise is all about building a chosen civilization from the ancient times all the way to the modern period. It’s all about rewriting history to favor yours. However, unlike previous games, Civilization VII is not a straight shot to the finish.

Traditionally, the end of each era flows seamlessly into the next, creating a flowing tapestry across one game. Civilization VII breaks the game into three distinct eras: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modernity. These ages do not flow into one another, though they build each other up. The end of each age comes with its own report. You can take each era as its own game, ending only with victory conditions during the Modern Age.

At the start of a game, you pick a leader, which won’t change after every age. However, you also pick a Civ separately, which does change after an age. This allows for a lot of mixing and matching, depending on your playstyle.

Of course, you can always keep it historical. For example, you can pick three historical dynasties from China through a whole game. You can, however, go in different directions. One of my Jose Rizal runs, for instance, had the Filipino hero lead Native Americans for the first two ages before transitioning into the French Empire for the final one.

Are the Ages a good system?

A common reaction to the new Ages is comparing the system to Humankind, a strategy game that also got inspiration from the Civilization franchise. Personally, it’s hardly a comparison. The new system parses down an absurdly long game into bite-sized chunks I can take one at a time.

Each age also feels like its own game. They all focus on different things. Longtime fans of the franchise will likely find the most familiarity with the Antiquity Age. The goal is to build your Civ in all the traditional ways: founding starting settlements, researching the most tech, and building the biggest army.

Everything changes starting the Exploration Age, though. The game really wants you to engage as a colonial power.

For context, the game has four Legacy Paths: Cultural, Economic, Military, and Scientific. Fulfilling a Path in the first two ages grant significant boons for the next age. On the other hand, fulfilling a Path during the last age unlocks the respective victory condition. Conversely, failing to do anything significant for a Path at the end will result in a corresponding dark age and a boon that comes with a drawback.

Because each Path has a success condition, it follows that there are ways to win. Unfortunately, this can turn into a limiting factor for some playstyles. For example, two out of four Paths in the Exploration Age rely on colonizing distant lands. If you prefer playing an isolationist, you’re forced to succumb into a dark age for the Modern Age.

It pays to explore and fight

That said, it is a lot of fun to engage in the different systems of Civilization VII. Capturing settlements in distant lands is fun. Managing resources in colonies is fun. Evangelizing your religion to other continents is fun.

Though it feels limiting that turtling playstyles aren’t as incentivized as confrontational ones, it doesn’t feel like a chore to become a warlord or a colonial power. It also helps that the combat has been reworked.

While you can still throw as many units as you can towards a desired settlement, the key to achieving military greatness in Civilization VII is by using trainable army commanders. A replacement for Civilization VI’s Great Generals, the army commander is a unit that can grant bonuses to surrounding units. It is also the only type of unit that can earn experience. Therefore, a seasoned commander provides better bonuses.

Unit and commander placement become necessary strategic options. It’s not enough to completely surround a city. You need to have the right commanders surrounding the right units.

Additionally, war weariness is no longer an afterthought. A poorly supported war results in crippling unhappiness penalties which can (and will) turn your cities against you. Entering a war is now takes more involvement.

Traditionally, I prefer peaceful playstyles. But the complexity of warfare in Civilization VII makes it worthwhile to engage in wars if the time is right.

It also pays to stay and build

Now, city management also takes more involvement. In the past game, it was all about district placement. In Civilization VII, building placement is still important but you can maximize your yields more by managing how your citizens grow.

For me, this is a much better system, as it forces you to actually look at how your city is growing. Is it maximizing its land area? Should you sacrifice rural growth for urban specialists. Does your city look aesthetically pleasing? It does feel like growing more with your cities, rather than just placing districts for maximized outputs.

A race to the finish

On to the Modern Age. Contrary to the more confrontational Exploration Age, the Modern Age balances it all out with more peaceful ways to win. Except for the Military Legacy Path, all of the Paths don’t need wars to finish.

However, the pace does become frenetic. The game turns into an all-out race to finish a single victory condition. The other players will spam explorers to accumulate enough artifacts for a cultural victory. You’ll need to counter their efforts with your own explorers or rush to get a scientific victory by launching the first manned spaceflight. Alternatively, an economic victory needs a lot of city management, so you’ll need to focus on only that if you’re going for a win in that way.

Regardless, warfare becomes a foregone conclusion. Differing ideologies are the primary causes of war in the Modern Age. A warmongering AI with a different ideology from yours will easily paint you as a military target.

Excited for the future

On its own, Civilization VII is a well-made game. Each age lets different playstyles breathe and have their time in the sun. However, I do wonder if this is the end.

It feels odd that the victory conditions in the Modern Age are chronologically distant. In previous entries to the series, winning a science victory means launching the first mission to an exoplanet. Late game wars also ended with deadly nukes and even death robots.

Civilization VII, on the other hand, does not have nukes. A science victory also stops at sending a manned spaceflight.

All these oddities feel like a foreshadowing for more content and more ages. Currently, the studio has not announced plans for such, but it does make me excited for future updates.

Is Civilization VII your GameMatch?

As a long-time Civilization fan, it’s a no-brainer to suggest this game to other fans of the franchise. However, is it appealing to newcomers?

My answer is yes! Because of the new Legacy Paths, it’s never been easier to get into the franchise. It points players towards the right direction to make the most out of the game’s intricate systems.

Swipe left if you don’t particularly like strategy games. The genre requires a lot of commitment and learning, so those who are more used to plug-and-play mechanics, a Civilization game might not be for you.

Swipe right if you’re looking to sink your teeth into your very first strategy game. Learning labyrinthine systems is rewarding in its own right. Pair it with the feeling of ruling your own kingdom throughout history, and you have a match made in heaven.

Super swipe if you’re a fan of the Civilization franchise and 4X games. Civilization VII is the latest refining of a formula tried and tested for decades. There’s so much familiar with this new game, but there’s also a lot of new mechanics to understand and love.