"Civilization 6" review: 10 reasons why "Civ 5" should finally be retired

Moment, I'll be right with you. Just quickly move my troops. Build a new district here. I'll send this merchant to the next town. What, barbarians in my territory again? Erm, where was I? Ah, yes. "Civilisation 6". If you look in the dictionary for a synonym for "just one more turn", you'll find "Civilization 6" in bold print next to a man holding a globe, and if they haven't died, they're still playing it today. Hardly any game manages to make time pass faster than the series about the eternal civilisation. Part six encourages addictive behaviour worse than ever. Now is the time when even die-hard "Civ 5" fans retire and upgrade the six-year-old classic. And for the following reasons:

1. because it's more alive than ever

"Civilisation 6" feels more alive - and not just when the units move. While unbuilt fields are yawningly empty, the districts are bustling, animals graze on the farms and the trees bend in the wind - you just have to zoom in close enough. This allows you to get a lot of information about the location of a city without having to call up an additional menu.

Also, not every city is the same as the next, as you now have to specialise much more (more on this in point 4). The various (world) wonders that you can watch being created are particularly beautifully animated. These include the pyramids again, of course, but also the hill town of Le Mont-Saint-Michel or the Ruhr area... Yep, the German industrial area also belongs to the wonders category. I built it first with my German ruler Frederick Barbarossa, of course.

The battles are also particularly nice to look at. From the club-wielding barbarians to the heavily armed warship, there is once again a huge armada of units to choose from - provided you have researched them. The battles are animated in detail, making you feel like a child in the sandbox with your toy soldiers again.

2. because the map has never been more beautiful

The playing field of "Civilisation" has always been a huge world map. Not necessarily the world as we know it, but with lakes, mountains and grasslands. In the latest instalment, the map was given a lot of attention. It looks like a historical parchment map with sea monsters and nautical stars. If you have already explored an area, but are too far away from it with your units, the Fog of War appears. However, no real fog is used here, instead the corresponding area is once again displayed as a map, but now much more detailed and expanded to include the existing knowledge. A real eye-catcher.

3. because it's the right mix of old and new

Old hands will quickly find their way around. The tutorial can be adjusted between new to the series and new to Part 6. Once again, there are various ways to win the game. By defeating everyone, through diplomacy, culture, etc. What's exciting is that the opposing powers now follow a specific agenda - one of them is public, the other can be found out through espionage.

The use of master builders has also changed. They now only have three building actions - unless you have the corresponding bonus.

Troops once again occupy separate spaces and can only be stacked later in the game and then only up to a maximum of three.

Important personalities such as William Shakespeare or James Watt can be placed in wonders or districts, but here too the requirements must be observed.

4. Because you can't just build anything anymore

The main change is likely to be the districts. Specialisations that you can build in your city. Military, theatre, economy, research, they are available for numerous areas. They each take up one square and cannot be placed anywhere. Certain requirements must be met. Only the districts then allow the construction of other important buildings such as banks, universities and the like. You can't build everything in every city like you used to. There is not enough space or time.

Wonders of the world, like mines and districts, also occupy a separate field. It is therefore important to plan cleverly what you build where. Especially because many buildings have to fulfil certain requirements, such as being next to a river or not next to a certain district.

5. because there is still more to explore

In addition to the classic research tree, which unlocks new buildings and units, you can now use culture points to determine your political orientation. This unlocks cards that can be placed in four fields - military, economy, diplomacy and a bonus category - and provide different bonuses. The number of cards that can be used depends on the political system. A monarchy can use more military cards, while democracy favours the economy.

6. because terrain has become more important

While you previously had to build certain buildings such as the harbour in predefined locations (by the sea), in the sixth part, many more buildings are dependent on the landscape. This makes the playing field more interesting and you have to plan your settlements more skilfully.

7. because the rulers have real personality

Because you are constantly at loggerheads (at least I am) with the opposing rulers, you will very often see the diplomatic window with Cleopatra, Roosevelt or Gandhi. Almost 20 leaders are fighting for world domination and all of them are excellently animated. They threaten, scold, cajole and praise with exuberant facial expressions and gestures. Marvellous.

8. Because there are quests

Smaller quests can now be completed to advance research. For example, build two barracks or mine a certain resource and you will receive a boost for a certain research field. As this can significantly reduce research time, it is worth tackling the tasks in a targeted manner.

9. Because the soundtrack encourages you to hum along

As you can expect to spend a lot of time in "Civilisation 6", a good soundtrack is a must. It shouldn't be too intrusive, but also not too monotonous. Composer Christopher Tins kicks things off and emphasises the game with a title melody that you will still be humming along to hours later.

10. because you can't stop

The quality stamp par excellence for every "Civ" game. Just one more turn. Just one more turn. And it's already late at night. While you're playing, you feel like you never want to stop and when you're not playing, you're planning your next moves in your head. For me, "Civilisation 6" is a well-rounded game from start to finish. After the disappointing last instalment, Firaxis is back on top form and delivers a fantastic game in which you will only miss one thing - your free time.

Tip: Switch on the daytime animations in the options, then the game changes the time of day and provides additional variety with pretty day and night changes.

"Civilisation 6" was made available to us by 2K.

Video games

2K Games Sid Meier's Civilization VI

PC, DE

4

Video games

2K Games Sid Meier's Civilization VI

PC, DE

4

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