Sid Meier's Civilization VI: Rise and Fall Reviews
Rise and Fall is an expansion about strategy, storytelling and is an absolute dream for anybody a fan of long-termism. While it may not initially seem as large or expansive as other expansions in the series history, there's a pervasive nature of all the new additions. These impact and influence everything else within the game. While there is a level of balance forced on players with the new Ages system, it allows for the telling of a true development of your civilization from start to end and keeps things interesting even at later stages. More important is the inclusion of loyalty and governors, which increase the already strategic approach of cities in Civilization VI. Rise and Fall is all about keeping a game interesting and engaging from start to finish and it's hugely successful at that.
Rise and Fall does exactly what an expansion needs to do, and brings the wayward Civ players back into the fold.
Sid Meier's Civilization VI - Rise and Fall adds new flavor to a game that was already almost perfect
Review in Italian | Read full review
Rise and Fall brings some interesting improvements to Civilization VI. The new mechanics do not stray too far from the base game, but they broaden our options, and allow us to create our own stories when playing.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Rise and Fall adds a lot of well-meaning nuance to the base game of Civilization VI. The new Loyalty system allows for more peaceful play, offering border expansion and bringing back city flipping as a strategy. The combination of Golden/Dark Ages and Emergency Situations mean it's now harder for one player to surge ahead in a game. There are still issues though, including illogical AI decisions and espionage needing another pass. It's a great addition to the base game, but Civilization VI isn't quite done yet.
Rise and Fall adds, tweaks and expands, but it doesn't address some of the underlying issues, particularly those related to the AI. We're not quite in the new golden age yet.
From the new Golden Ages through to the Governors and expanded Districts, if you've ever been a fan of the series – now's the time to jump back in.
Rise and Fall continues Civilization 6's aim to deconstruct its complex structure, making it leaner and more approachable for a larger audience.
Civilization VI: Rise and Fall meets the incredibly high standard Civilization VI has set for itself. Hundreds of hours of gameplay with rich backstories meet hundres more hours of gameplay through the Rise and Fall expansion. There's more of everything. Everything feels inspired. Rise and Fall might not complete Civilization VI as a perfect game, but it adds an incredible amount of fun to your already awesome journey.
Rise and Fall extension adds a lot of content and new gameplay mechanics, some of them being better than others.
Review in French | Read full review
Welcome to a new great age, a place where our people thrive and become the talk of all nations. Or wallow in a dark age, refusing your citizens some comforts as you fervently pursue a way out of your predicament. Time to rise or fall.
Civilization VI: Rise and Fall sets out to make the game’s midgame more interesting by playing to the base game’s strengths. For the most part, it succeeds. But when it flounders, it makes you yearn for the game’s second expansion
Complex and interwoven systems can be daunting, but building an empire remains incredibly rewarding
Instead of building upon or refining the base game mechanics, Rise and Fall disrupts it, makes Civilization VI even more confusing and random. It’s one big missed opportunity.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Rise and Fall is wonderful, I adore it. I love the new features, the new tech and the gameplay tweaks. They all make sense and fit the game world wonderfully. It really is the perfect excuse to come back to the fold, just don’t expect to be able to convince new players to join you for the ride.
As the first expansion to Civilization VI, Rise and Fall introduces a number of unique mechanics to the classic Civilization formula that significantly enhances the gameplay.
There's no doubt that Civilization VI: Rise and Fall is a superior experience to the base game. Having said that, these mostly subtle changes add only a fine layer to the gameplay rather than overhauling the experience or providing a large amount of new content. It feels more like a major patch than an expansion, and the price tag feels a little steep for such minimal change. If you've decided not to try Civ VI in the past, this won't convert you. However, if you're a diehard, you'll probably want to suck it up and shell out for this wisp of fresh air in your Civ runs.
Firaxis brought some fresh ideas with this add-on but old quirks from the main game also stayed in place. There's also missing a overseeable unit list and the AI still needs some improvements. Besides that Rise and Fall manages to keep the spirit of the series to try something new and is still a must have for fans of the series.
Review in German | Read full review
Rise and Fall did a lot to clean up what was already a great game that was suffering from some pretty vicious issues in the early days, while simultaneously adding a bunch of new content and gameplay that almost makes it feel like a fresh game.
Quite simply, Rise and Fall is a must-buy expansion for any Civilization VI owner. The fundamental core of the experience has, of course, not been radically changed - however it didn't need to. Rather, what has been added is a refinement that encourages strategic development and thinking and gives a constant treadmill of challenges to overcome in order to create the greatest civilisation. The loyalty mechanic accompanies this all nicely by again increasing the difficulty curve by just the right amount to avoid annoyance. The disappointment about the global emergencies does not detract from the experience enough to consider Rise and Fall anything other than a triumph.