Tropico 5 Reviews
The developers at Haemimont Games have taken their series apart and reassembled it in a whole new way, and while the result is riddled with flaws, it's also charming, funny, and welcoming to newcomers and veterans alike. As aimless steps away from stagnation go, that's a pretty solid one.
Until the rest of the game is released in the form of DLC, at least, it's hard to imagine a good reason to go with Tropico 5 instead of Tropico 4 unless the addition of a tech tree gets you excited.
While the great entries to the Sim City series, the Civilizations of the world, even Ubisoft's Anno series and Galactic Civilizations II all give more back the more you put into it, Tropico 5 is unable to do that. And a lack of longevity in a game that should last so very long is just, ultimately, disappointing.
Tropico 5 is a noticeable, if subtle, revision on the Tropico formula. The new Eras and the Dynasty system create additional gameplay layers without disrupting the balance of the experience. The multiplayer, while fun when it works, mostly doesn't.
Tropico 5 made me feel powerful in the worst way
The end result is a good game that is held back by the very thing strategists come to this genre for: the freedom to use your own planning and tactics to win the game.
[L]ike with many simulation games there are AI issues, especially with the automated combat that sees single squads of your troops run off to fight multiple squads on their own and in turn, lose. This can be a problem in multiplayer games, alongside no ability to save, meaning that it's a nice 'for the fans' feature that still needs some work to become an actual selling point. But like with any modern game a lot of these minor issues can be fixed in patches, and with any city builder, the game works best when played alone. Just like ruling a tropical island paradise.
At number 5, we're still seeing iteration rather than revolution. Everything that's great about Tropico 5 is built on the same foundation that all the previous games have built on. That's a solid foundation, of course, but it's become a bit too familiar. There aren't any surprises to be found here. But just as familiarity can breed contempt, it can also provide comfort. Returning to Tropico remains a delight, and the drive to plonk down one more hotel, oversee one more year and win yet another election continues to make it the sort of game that can swallow hour after hour.
Tropico 5 is a solid and gleefully wicked take on city building and strategy. The game's modes and tone cleverly push you toward the path of power-mad nutbag at every step, but frequent restarts can feel like an insufferable drag.
Tropico 5 is a stop-gap measure, another coat of paint on a series designed for a specific audience that's looking for a specific experience. The freshly streamlined interface may court some new blood, but a lackluster campaign and a failure to branch out from the micromanagement-heavy core sim experience makes this a tough sell for outsiders to the genre.
Ultimately, Tropico 5 features a number of improvements in an attempt to separate itself from the previous games in the series. The humor of the series remains and the addition of progressing through eras give a feeling of accomplishment. The core gameplay mechanics are largely unchanged though, but there is definitely a lot to like here and just enough change to give it a shot.
While there might be a few snags, the start of El Presidente's fifth term is looking to be a worthwhile one.
The bottom line is Tropico 5 is a good entry-level sim and strategy game. If you love SimCity and Civilization, this should be up your alley. Of course, you could just keep playing a board game, but I digress…
On the PC there are too few new features to satisfy existing fans, but on the PlayStation 4 the joys of being an island dictator still feel enjoyably fresh.
Tropico 5 features a number of improvements to its long-standing formula and there's a lot here to like. The humour and in-fighting of your aides provides a lighter tone missing from other management sims, and there's a degree of satisfaction to be found progressing through the distinct eras. It also looks more vibrant than any previous entry. It works well for now, then, but Tropico 5 is clearly more concerned with introducing new concepts atop the old than it is with overhauling its base mechanics. Looking ahead to the future, this long-running series would benefit from having the fires of revolution lit beneath it.
Taking control of El Presidente and ruling over a sunny paradise used to be a unique guilty pleasure for RTS fans. Tropico 5 retains some of that, and newcomers might appreciate the gameplay alterations, but overall the franchise seems to be slipping.
In technical respects Tropico 5 feels more like an expansion rather than a successor in the series. Many parts of the gameplay feel similar to past titles, but the inclusion of the era system, an overall campaign that is brimming with choices and consequences, as well as a plausible maiden attempt at multiplayer gives long time fans something new to try out. With touchy political subject matter that is completely mocked and music that makes you move in your seat, it's hard not to play Tropico 5 without a smile on your face.
It's a tropical vacation, always pleasant and relaxing… and one that you're always ready to leave behind.
I'm just going to state the obvious to round things up: this is basically Tropico 4.5. There simply isn't enough variation from the previous game to justify its development, let alone the full price tag, so I simply cannot score it too highly. Yet, as mentioned, I can happily recommend Tropico 5 as a game in and of itself. For newcomers to the series the inclusion of multiplayer, the eras system and some decent general balancing work make this the best iteration of Tropico yet. For series fans however, it'll be difficult to see past the lack of innovation. In all likelihood though, like me you'll still have a great time playing it, and isn't that what's most important?
To play Tropico 5 is to look behind the cult of personality surrounding iconic leaders throughout history—who are both lionized and loathed—to understand the rationale behind both their atrocities and their good deeds. The loopy dictator is only as loopy as the world that made him; his brand of insanity merely combats the surrounding insanity. Tropico is an open invitation to either revel in it or understand it.