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The Civilization franchise spans three decades and counting. In that time, changes have come aplenty, both sweeping and granular alike. It’s safe to say that Civilization 7‘s tweaks are, by and large, anything but granular. Veterans will have to relearn basic notions and game-long concepts.
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Whether you’re a lifelong Civ diehard or you’re just tuning in to Sid Meier’s award-winning series for the first time, you might be wondering whether Civ 7 is, in fact, worth spending money on. Here at TheGamer, we’ve played the seventh installment extensively, racking up hundreds of hours and counting. Here’s where we stand on things as of launch.
Cost
Civilization 7 is not a cheap game. In USD, the standard edition costs $69.99, which is becoming increasingly common – but it still comes across as a bit of a premium.
But there are compelling reasons to shell out further cash.
Deluxe Edition
The Deluxe Edition costs $99.99 USD. Included in this version are an additional leader, Tecumseh, and an additional Exploration Age civilization, the Shawnee.
Thankfully, that’s not everything – it also includes the Crossroads of the Worlds collection, which will steadily roll out four additional Wonders, four new civilizations, and several new leaders over the course of multiple waves.
Founders Edition
Lastly, there’s the Founders Edition. This one costs an especially pretty penny at $129.99 USD. It includes everything mentioned above (thank goodness), as well as the Right to Rule collection.
Not unlike the Crossroads of the World collection, the Right to Rule collection will also feature a gradual rollout of further Wonders, civilizations, and leaders.
Review
In his review, TheGamer’s own review, Harry Alston kicks off with a headline proclaiming Civilization 7 to be a classic civilization with a few new twists.
Harry praises Civilization 7’s art style as a blend of the relative realism of Civilization 5 and the brighter and a tad more cartoonish Civilization 6. He has similarly kind words for the inherent flexibility of the Legacy Path system and the ways in which the age transitions keep things feeling fresh all game long.
Concern is expressed, however, toward the fact that Civilization 7 already has paywalled DLC at launch. Other elements in this push toward live service, like the Mementos system affording an added layer of customization in multiplayer matches, incite more appreciative words from Harry.
Quite like many Civ 7 players, our reviewer isn’t too keen on the myriad of UI-related issues and odd quality of life omissions such as a lack of auto-explore functionality. Ultimately, however, Harry Alston comes away from the game rather satisfied:
…I’ll say Civilization 7 has completely surprised me. I was ready to hate the new civilization and age system, I was ready to grumble at the sneaking live-service features. Instead, I’ve fallen into a deep obsession with Civilization again.
What Players Are Saying
Right now, our staff only has one other person who harbors extensive experience with Civilization 7, and that someone happens to be me – this article’s humble author. Here’s what I’m thinking shortly after the game’s launch.
Hold Off For A Year – Quinton O’Connor
Civilization 7 changes so much of the classic Civilization formula that it’ll probably take franchise veterans at least a couple of full-length campaigns before you’ll feel somewhat comfortable with it. At least, it certainly did for me.
And I need to stress the word “somewhat” here, because there’s a lot going on with Civ 7 in its launch-phase form that’s rubbing me the wrong way. As Harry Alston noted, locking a few things behind paid DLC right off the bat isn’t a good look. Get past that, though, and the game itself has a ton of stuff that feels utterly unfinished.
That said, this is a solid enough foundation, and I have found plenty of enjoyment along the path toward my broader disappointment. Age transition is nifty, and the combination of leaders and civilizations adds some solid texture to your game-long decision-making. Warfare is better than ever thanks to the excellent commander system.
I think Civilization 7 has all the makings of a gradual masterpiece, but it’s, well, pardon the pun, but it’s still in its Antiquity Age. Unless you’re utterly determined to dive in right now, I’d recommend you hold off for a year or so. Firaxis will patch, patch, and then patch some more. Maybe there’ll be a major expansion by then, if that’s something they’re still doing. It’ll get there.
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