Summary
TheCivilizationfranchise has remained largely the same since its debut all the way back in 1991, but that doesn’t mean that the series hasn’t experimented a few times in the past, particularly with its approach to different audiences. While mostCivilizationentries have continued to market themselves primarily towards the usual hardcore grand strategy audience, a rare handful have tried to capture the attention of a wider demographic, and ifCivilization 7wants to shift more units than any prior entry, it might need to pander to that market at least a little.
Civilization 7has the opportunity to be bigger and better than any previous entry in franchise history. While that could mean getting more playable civilizations, more maps, more unit types, more buildings, and maybe even some more victory conditions, it could also mean getting some additional modes, and one of those modes shouldtake inspiration fromCivilization Revolution, the most accessible game in the franchise.
Civilization 7 Should Have a Game Mode Inspired by Civilization Revolution
Civilization Revolution’s Accessibility Should Carry Over to Civ 7
The express purpose ofCivilization Revolutionwas to give newcomers a perfect jumping-on point for the franchise. Being originally released only on consoles,Civilization Revolutionwas marketed towards a brand new audience, and as such it scaled back its various systems to make them more accessible, not only to newcomers oftheCivilizationseries, but to those new to the grand strategy genre in general.
While it retained the core gameplay loop of the franchise,Civilization Revolutionpaired back a lot of the series' more complex mechanics, removing systems like religion altogether, and streamlining the core economic, science, cultural, and military victories in the process. Whilelong-timeCivilizationfanswouldn’t get much out ofCiv Rev, especially not today, it’s still viewed as the most accessible entry for newcomers, acting as the perfect starting point by giving new players a good overview of the franchise’s core features and loop.
IfCivilization 7really wants to be the biggest and best entry in franchise history, then it’s going to need to appeal to newcomers more than ever before, and a great way to do that would be by creating a dedicated mode inspired byCivilization Revolution. This mode could take all of the core features ofCivilization 7’s gameplay loop, but boil them down to their bare essentials, stripping back any overly complex new additions that could easily overwhelm newcomers. In this mode, players should also receive constant feedback from in-game advisors, subtly teaching the player some common strategies to use in the game’s more complex modes.
Just recently,Street Fighter 6implemented a new control scheme, specifically designed to make combos and special moves easier to pull off for newcomers. Capcom made this new control scheme a core part ofStreet Fighter 6’s marketing strategyand it went a long way in making the game a perfect jumping-on point for new players, not just to theStreet Fighterfranchise but to fighting games as a whole. And for long-time fans,Street Fighter 6still offered the same control scheme they’d been using for decades, really delivering the best of both worlds.
Civilization 7can do essentially the same thing by including a mode inspired byCivilization Revolution. This one mode would ease newcomers into the genre and series, but it would also be completely optional, allowing long-timeCivfans to stick with the more complex and content-rich modes thatCivilization 7is bound to offer.
Civilization Revolution
WHERE TO PLAY
Sid Meier’s Civilization Revolution challenges you to lead your chosen nation from the dawn of man to the space age on your quest to rule the world. Go head to head with history’s greatest leaders as you wage war, conduct diplomacy, discover new technologies and build the most powerful empire the world has ever known.
