Civilization 7introduced a new style of choosing leaders and civilizations thatleans even further away from history than the previous entries in the franchise. While theCivilizationfranchise has always been pretty far off base when it comes to history, its use of real civilizations, wonders, and historical figures gave the impression that the game was at least trying to have some grounding in reality. However, asCiv 7steps closer to allowing for more customization among civilizations, it has also taken a big step away from any sort of realism that the franchise may have been clinging to.
The biggest issue here is howCiv 7’s new leaderswork. Not that leaders were ever that realistic to begin with, as it was always a little strange to see Alexander the Great ordering his nuclear submarine to level a modern city.They have become even more divorced from their historical context inCiv 7. However, despite this new creative approach,Civ 7makes things a little muddy with its new style of dividingcivilizations into periods like the Antiquity Ageor Modern Age. The result is aCivilizationgame that is somehow more and less imaginative than previous entries.
How Civ 7’s Mix And Match Civilizations Work
Players Can Mix Leaders And Different Civilizations
In previousCivilizationgames, players would select a civilization with its own leader and unique units and bonuses for different parts of the game. However,Civ 7changes things by separating leaders from civilizations and allowing players to mix and matchthem. For instance, players canselect Harriet Tubman as their leaderbut choose to start the game as Ancient Greece or the Khmer Empire. Because both leaders and civilizations now have unique bonuses, this new feature allows players to make combinations that best fit their unique playstyle.
Before,Civilization’s leaders felt more like representative figureheads for their respective cultures. It was less about them as individuals and more about taking a famous leader or historical figure from a given civilization so that each faction had a physical representation that could be interacted with.
Civ 7: Barbarians, Independent Powers & City-States, Explained
Civilization 7 introduces a new statehood system with Independent Powers to replace how Barbarians and City-States work from previous games.
Civ 7’s approach to leaders is a bit more literal, giving them skills that are representative of what they were best known for. By making leaders feel more like individuals,Civ 7has made them feel more like immortal beings guiding multiple civilizations as opposed to simply being symbolic representations of a given culture.
Civilization Has Always Played Things Fast And Loose With History
The Civilization Franchise Has Always Allowed For Blending Of Cultures
Of course,it’s not like theCivilizationgames were always some bastion of historical fact. While civilizations in the game had their unique units that represented their culture, the games still allowed for plenty of mixing and matching of culture. For instance, many wonders that were specific to a certain real-life culture, like the Pyramids or the Temple of Artemis inCiv 6, could be built by any civilization.Civilizationhas always largely ignored the historical and cultural context that led to the construction of such Wonders in favor of making them game pieces that anyone can use.
This ignores the history behind certain civilizations’ development and encourages players to look at their new civilization as simply mechanical bonuses.
Funnily enough,Civ 7has actually taken a step closer to acknowledging this by making certain Wonders unique to certain civilizations. However,other new elements of the game undo any step towards realism that unique Wonders provided. For instance,Civ 7’s new Age transitionshave one culture morph into another, with little regard for the previously chosen civilization.
For example, an Antiquity Age Maya civilization can morph into the Normans during the Exploration Age. This ignores the history behind certain civilizations’ development and encourages players to look at their new civilization as simply mechanical bonuses instead of a distinct culture.
Civ 7’s Attempt At Realism Is Unsatisfying
The One Area Civ 7 Lacks Imagination Is Disappointing
One nice thing about theCivilizationfranchise’s loose approach to history was thatit lets players experience an alternate history where any civilization was allowed to survive the passage of time. It allowed for a Roman Empire that never fell apart or native populations to flourish without being impacted by colonialism and forced assimilation. For as many steps away from reality asCiv 7takes, it is unfortunate that this is the one area where the game decides to lose all imagination.
Civ 7: Why You Can’t Get A Domination Victory In The Antiquity Age
Civilization 7 still contains a Domination Victory option, but it cannot be completed in the Antiquity Age due to how the Distant Lands work.
Civ 7’s new Age mechanics force players to choose a new civilization at the start of each new age. No longer can players take an ancient civilization like Babylon and advance it to the Modern Age instead, they are forced to switch to a culture thatCiv 7deems more representative of that period. This is perhaps best represented by the fact that no North American native culture is available pastCiv 7’s Exploration Age, replaced instead by America. Sure, this America can be led by the Shawnee chief Tecumseh, but Traditions like Robber Barons show what AmericaCivintends.
Ultimately,Civilization 7presents a world that imaginesCatherine the Great can be the leaderof Rome, then Hawai’i, and then France but can’t fathom the existence of many native cultures in the Modern Age. Worse yet, it presents the erasure of these cultures as inevitable progress instead of imperial powers forcing their beliefs and customs on the people of the world. It’s disappointing to see where the game is willing to allow for more imaginative elements and where it decides that certain historical events must happen.
