Civilization VII is the biggest shakeup in the franchise. Releasing on February 11, 2025, this game is going to mark one of the most remarkable departures from the classic gameplay style of the Civilization franchise. Aside from exciting gameplay, some features make this game more appealing for gamers who have struggled in the previous entries.
The global release of the game is still a few days away, but the glimpses of gameplay already reveal that Firaxis has realized the problems with the game and has taken essential measures to resolve them. While Civilization VI also used to offer engaging gameplay, some issues used to bother them, and one of the most prominent among them was the complexity of the game.
There are tons of things to do in the game, and the process is not at all smooth, which often makes players leave the game unfinished. Even in some cases, after hours of playing, players still failed to finish the game. Fortunately, the developer team has noticed this part, and this is exactly what they aimed to fix in this upcoming installment.
To solve this annoying issue, the game is bringing the Age mechanism. This marks a substantial change in the core gameplay as it cuts the gameplay into three comparatively smaller parts: Antiquity Age, Exploration Age, and Modern Age. Each of these games has a specific theme and gameplay focus.
The twist here is that players can only win the game during the Modern Age, but each age will provide them with different Legacy Paths that will allow them to reach one of the win conditions at the endgame.
Civilization VII has four Legacy Paths: Science, Military, Economy, and Culture. As one moves between ages, one must focus on completing the objectives of the Legacy Paths. The idea is not to force players to complete these objectives, but completing these paths eventually pushes players toward victory. So, it is a better choice to go through one of these paths in the Modern Age to win the game.
As players switch from one age to another, their focus and goal will also be changed. For instance, in the Antiquity Age, one should fight to establish the land, while the focus will be shifted to searching for new horizons in the Exploration Age. Finally, when one enters the Modern age, one must look for a way to climb to the top.
The age system has already shaken the core gameplay, but that’s not all. To make the experience more satisfying for gamers, Civilization VII is bringing another feature where players have to change civilizations at every age. This is reportedly added to give players a sense of progression.
The most interesting part is that only the civilization will be changed, but not the leader. So, with whom players have started their Antiquity age, they have to complete the Modern Age with the same leader, no matter how strange it looks. Well, Benjamin Franklin leading Persia in the Antiquity Age, then shifting to England in the Exploration Age and finally finishing as a Greek ruler in the Modern Age definitely feels weird. But that’s how things will work in the game.
Another issue that this upcoming game is about to change is the mismanagement of armies and other work units in the later part of the game. Civilization VII is removing the traditional worker units. Instead, the City Management interface will be responsible for building all the structures and improvements of the city. Additionally, military management has been streamlined with armies grouped as a single unit under one commander.
Finally, the frustrating diplomacy systems of Civilization V and VI are replaced with a new one called Influence. Influence can be gathered using different ways, and while interacting with other nations, it can be spent doing various work. Friendly influence can open new trade routes or an opportunity to run joint endeavors. But if the influence is not good, players can sabotage enemies or steal formulas from them.
These are more or less the changes that Civilization VII is bringing to address the issues that have bothered players a lot during the previous games of the series.