Sid Meier's Civilization VII

Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of narrative flair give me reasons to keep clicking one more turn late into the night, but the desire to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X series feels like it has also gone a bit too far, particularly when it comes to the interface.

Sid Meier's Civilization VII remains as fun and engaging as ever, but too many drastic changes lead to glaring issues.

A competent entry with some poorly executed ideas and a striking lack of personality.

Still a compelling sprint through human history, Civilization 7 sheds a little too much weight to match its excellent predecessors.

I personally think the system does wonders for the usual tedium of late-stage campaigns – while other features, like pairing Leaders with evolving civs, should be a staple going forward. Civilization 7 already feels like the best entry point yet, and with Firaxis' habit of saving the real polish for expansions...

Civilization VII is bold enough to add big changes to its formula, without getting rid of everything that has made the series iconic. Say goodbye to your free time, as from PC to handheld, every waking moment will be consumed by One More Turn.

A mostly successful effort to address major criticisms of previous Civilization games - with some drawbacks and terrible combat UX.

In the end, it all works - it’s just very different. The subtle whiff of compromise in order to launch the game far and wide is there - but compromise is just fine if the end result works. It does.

I’m glad Firaxis is still finding ways to improve a genre it has mastered over the years, and as a result, Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 has the series in its best shape yet.

Despite its UI issues and missing features, Civ VII is still an enjoyable and addictive experience. Its new mechanics provide a fresh foundation which will no doubt be expanded on over the coming years with more content. If they can get over the substantial formula changes, hardcore fans of the series are more likely to be forgiving of the game's shortcomings and probably won't regret their purchase, but more casual players may want to sit tight until the title has been patched and padded out with more content for a more complete experience.