Sid Meier's Civilization VII Reviews
A competent entry with some poorly executed ideas and a striking lack of personality.
Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface.
Still a compelling sprint through human history, Civilization 7 sheds a little too much weight to match its excellent predecessors.
Sid Meier's Civilization 7 takes the franchise's core formula, overhauls many of its features, and delivers another stellar strategy experience.
This game will devour your hours, chew up your days and spit you out in a hungry, sleep-deprived blob. I can’t wait to play its multiplayer mode after so long in a single-player that isn’t quite fully fleshed out yet.
I personally think the system does wonders for the usual tedium of late-stage campaigns – while other features, like pairing Leaders with evolving civs, should be a staple going forward. Civilization 7 already feels like the best entry point yet, and with Firaxis' habit of saving the real polish for expansions...
Sid Meier's Civilization VII remains as fun and engaging as ever, but too many drastic changes lead to glaring issues.
In the end, it all works - it’s just very different. The subtle whiff of compromise in order to launch the game far and wide is there - but compromise is just fine if the end result works. It does.
A mostly successful effort to address major criticisms of previous Civilization games - with some drawbacks and terrible combat UX.
Civilization VII is just as habit-forming as its predecessors, and sports the same excellent core design alongside some outstanding new ideas. But these struggle to make themselves known among clunky changes that simplify its trademark complex gameplay for the worse.
There's an outstanding game in Sid Meier's Civilization VII just waiting to burst free, but it's trapped under a wet, slimy coating of bugs and a mostly-finished interface. What we have on Switch is a phenomenal game that could be one of the absolute finest in its genre, a true monolith of game design and a delight for all fans of turn-based shenanigans, but its laundry list of launch-day bugs and issues pulls it from the peak it could have reached. It's great as it stands, but with more development time could have been utterly seminal.
There's a fantastic game somewhere in Civ 7 that I'll easily spend 1,000+ hours with. Even in its current state, I can see myself playing this for years to come, though nowhere near as much as I did with Civ 6. There are too many frustrating issues that need addressing. At least that's what I keep telling myself, only to come back to boot up another game. Firaxis made a gigantic gamble with the changes to Leaders and Ages, and somehow, it paid off. If they can improve the game's flaws with future updates, we'll have another iconic entry in the legendary 4X strategy series.
Civilization VII represents the most ambitious leap forward in the series' history. Firaxis has managed to modernize the formula while maintaining the essence that has made the series great. The introduction of the Dynamic Eras system, the revamping of combat and diplomacy, along with improvements to urban development, create an experience that feels fresh and familiar at the same time.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Civilization 7 has made a lot of changes, and while some were positive, the shortcomings made me wish I was playing Civ 6. That said, for anyone getting into the series for the first time, this is probably a great place to start.
Any time I’m talking, writing, or thinking about the game, I want to play it. I’ve been writing this for hours, and those are precious hours where I could be growing my Ming empire and slapping the other leaders around. Civ 7 is an absolute banger.
Sid Meier's Civilization VII succeeds at making one of the most storied strategy game franchises still feel fresh.
I’m glad Firaxis is still finding ways to improve a genre it has mastered over the years, and as a result, Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 has the series in its best shape yet.
Civilization VII is bold enough to add big changes to its formula, without getting rid of everything that has made the series iconic. Say goodbye to your free time, as from PC to handheld, every waking moment will be consumed by One More Turn.
The release of Sid Meier's Civilization VII in its raw state has further tarnished Firaxis' reputation. And we recommend players to pick up the full edition of Civilization VI, which will give hundreds of hours of fun right now.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Despite its UI issues and missing features, Civ VII is still an enjoyable and addictive experience. Its new mechanics provide a fresh foundation which will no doubt be expanded on over the coming years with more content. If they can get over the substantial formula changes, hardcore fans of the series are more likely to be forgiving of the game's shortcomings and probably won't regret their purchase, but more casual players may want to sit tight until the title has been patched and padded out with more content for a more complete experience.