Gameplay
Civilization VII is a 4X turn-based strategy game. The player oversees the growth of a human civilization from early settlements to an advanced culture. The player uses various units, representing military and civilian units, to explore the map, grow their civilization through additional cities, culture, and technology, gather resources from the geography around their settlements, and defend against threats from foreign civilizations that are also attempting to grow. The player can win the game through a range of possible victory conditions, ranging from peaceful solutions to full military domination of the world.
Civilization VII will allow the player to select leaders and civilizations independently, with civilizations favoring leaders with certain attributes. [1] The criteria for what constitutes a "leader" have also been updated, now including philosophers, religious figures, and scientists who were not heads of state. The historical era system will be simplified into the antiquity, exploration, and modern ages, in comparison to the further divisions implemented by the game's predecessors. During antiquity age, independent factions—deliberately labeled to prevent perceived negative connotations of the term "barbarian" used in previous games in the series—will emerge. Depending on the player's interactions with them, some of them will evolve to become a city state. [2] The player must change their civilization when transitioning from one age to another at the end of each age. Following the end of the antiquity and the exploration ages, players will be faced with a "crisis event" which will bring drawbacks in the subsequent ages. [3]
Development
In February 2023, Firaxis Games announced it was developing a sequel to Civilization VI (2016). [4] PCGamesN reported in August 2021 that Firaxis had posted a job opening for a narrative lead for the game. [5] Gwendoline Christie narrates the game's voiceovers. [6]
Firaxis Games collaborated with members of the Shawnee Tribe, including Shawnee chief Benjamin Barnes, to create a historically accurate depiction of Tecumseh in the game. Tecumseh is voiced by Dean Dillon, a Shawnee voice actor. As part of the partnership between Firaxis Games and the Shawnee Tribe, Firaxis and 2K donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to programs working to revitalize the Shawnee language. [7]
Civilization VII's opening cinematic "Rediscover Hope" and theme song "Live Gloriously" were revealed at the 2024 Game Awards. "Live Gloriously" is written by American composer Christopher Tin, who also composed the Grammy Award-winning song "Baba Yetu", the main theme of Civilization IV , as well as Civilization VI's main theme "Sogno di Volare". The song's lyrics are derived from four ancient poems—the Iliad , Beowulf , Popol Vuh , and Ramayana —which are sung in their languages as originally written. [8] The game's original score was composed, arranged, and produced by Geoff Knorr and Roland Rizzo. [9] It features performances by ensembles and musicians from around the world, including the FILMharmonic Orchestra Prague, Mongolian State Morin Khuur Ensemble, Ensemble I Fedeli, Southern Pine Drum Group, Wong Pleng Khmer, among many soloists. [10]
Release
Civilization VII was announced at the Summer Game Fest on June 7, 2024. [11] 2K previously announced it would appear at Summer Game Fest in May to reveal the "next iteration in one of its biggest and most beloved franchises". [12] Hours before the presentation, the game was unintentionally announced on 2K's website. [13] Civilization VII was released for Windows, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Steam Deck, and Xbox Series X/S [14] on February 11, 2025. [15] [16]
A virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR) version of Civilization VII is planned for launch in early 2025 for the Meta Quest 3 and 3S. This version was developed by PlaySide Studios. [17]
Due to feedback during the early access stage, on February 10, 2025, Firaxis Games released Patch 1.0.1 for Civilization VII, which included improvements to the user interface and tooltips. The update also introduced minor rebalancing for certain civilizations, ensuring a more streamlined gameplay experience. [18]
Reception
Civilization VII received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic. [19] OpenCritic determined that 83% of critics recommended the game. [20] The game's visuals and sounds, diplomacy system overhaul, and choice to untether leaders from civilizations were mostly praised. However, critics found the UI lacking, the mechanics oversimplified, and the three ages system divisive. [19]
Player reviews were less positive, with Civilization VII receiving "mixed" reviews on Steam from advanced access players shortly before its full release. [32] [33]
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