While players come to Sid Meier’s Civilization in an attempt to make their mark on history, the focus of the franchise has always been on winning the day. Much like a board game, players spend their entire time trying to achieve one of the many victories the games offer. Over the years, each entry has shaken victories up and even injected a few new ones into the mix. With Sid Meier’s Civilization 7, Firaxis is once again doing just that, but this time around, something seems to be missing.
Firaxis has overhauled much of the core gameplay in Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 to offer something brand-new to players. Even though many of those changes seem to work very well, the changes the studio has made to victories leave much to be desired. Instead of offering the same level of flexibility as past titles, these victories feel much more like a required checklist. That approach does not ruin the title, though it may hold it back for some.
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Why Civilization 7 Is The Perfect Steam Deck Game
Civilization 7 has launched on just about every contemporary platform, and that includes the Steam Deck, where it feels like a perfect fit.
Civilization 7’s Victories Feel Rather Limited to What Came Before
Civilization 6’s Victories Were Far More Flexible
In Civilization 6, there were five different ways to obtain victory, or six if players had the Score victory enabled. Each victory required them to focus on completing specific tasks before other civilizations, and if they fell behind, they could lose it all. The Science victory required them to win the space race, the Domination victory tasked them with conquering everyone’s capitol, the Religious victory forced them to fight to become the dominate religion in the world, the Diplomacy victory had them battle it out for 30 Diplomatic Victory points, and the Culture victory had them try their hardest to attract tourists to their nation. With the right civilization and playstyle, all these victories are within the player’s grasp.
While each of these victories required players to complete various tasks to achieve them, the ways that gamers could go about accomplishing their goals were fairly flexible. They were able to fight for them at their own pace, could pivot to a new one on a whim if needed, and had multiple routes they could take on their journey to achieve them. Of course, there were better strategies than others, but for the most part, this angle let players go about each game in different ways. However, Civilization 7 has chosen to do things a bit differently.
Civilization 7’s Victories Seem Like a Checklist
With Civilization 7, there are only four victories to fight for, and each victory is now built around age-specific checklists. In each of the three ages, there is a Legacy Path for each victory that must be completed to gain Legacy Points and progress through the age. In the final age, these Legacy Paths are crucial to unlocking the victory conditions and winning the day. While that does help give players things to focus on in each age, these tasks are rather strict and seem to take some of the flexibility out of the experience.
In each Civilization 7 game, players really need to focus their efforts on progressing down these Legacy Paths if they want any chance at winning in the final age. So, they are often forced to do the same thing in the same order in each game. These tasks range from researching specific techs and building certain buildings to declaring war on their neighbors at a specific point in the game. Because they are tied to ages, players also cannot really do things at their own pace. Additionally, some of the final victory conditions feel rather lackluster or sudden, which can sometimes make the ending a bit disappointing.
That being said, Civilization 7 still offers a ton of fun for fans of the franchise, and the lead up to said victories can still be unpredictable. It would just be nice if Civ 7‘s victories still had the same flexibility as they did in past Civ games. Maybe through post-launch updates and DLC they will reach that point, but for now, players will just have to wait and see if improvements are made.
The award-winning strategy game franchise returns with a revolutionary new chapter. Sid Meier’s Civilization® VII empowers you to build the greatest empire the world has ever known!
In Civilization VII, your strategic decisions shape the unique cultural lineage of your evolving empire. Rule as one of many legendary leaders from throughout history and steer the course of your story by choosing a new civilization to represent your empire in each Age of human advancement.
Construct cities and architectural wonders to expand your territory, improve your civilization with technological breakthroughs, and conquer or cooperate with rival civilizations as you explore the far reaches of the unknown world. Pursue prosperity in an immersive solo experience or play with others in online multiplayer.
Whether you choose to follow a path rooted in history or reimagine possibilities to chart your own way forward, build something you believe in and create a legacy that echoes through the Ages in Civilization VII.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025