I've Played Civ For 20 Years & Civ 7's Controversy Is Not A Death Sentence

I have a long history with the Civilization franchise, and I’m pretty confident that Civilization 7will be able to come back from its initial bad impression. My first experience with the Civilization franchise was watching my older brother play Civ 3. Although I never played 3 myself, I did start playing when Civ 4 came out, though I’ll admit I was probably still a bit too young to fully appreciate it. That changed when I played Civ 5, and I ended up sinking hundreds of hours into the game. Though I played 5 more, I still enjoyed Civ 6.

As a long-running fan of the series, it was inevitable that I would at least give Civ 7 a try. I’d be lying if I said there aren’t some aspects of Civ 7 that I’m not jazzed about, and I can honestly see where a lot of the negativity surrounding Civ 7 is coming from. That said, Civ 7 was just fully released on February 11, so it’s not like the game doesn’t have a chance to improve. I’ve experienced growing pains with the Civ franchise in the past, and I think it’s way too early to count Civ 7 out.

Civ 7’s Detractors Make Strong Points

I Agree With Some Of The Negative Criticism About Civ 7

At the time of writing, there are over 15,000 reviews for Civ 7 on Steam, with a little under half of them being negative. I say that so you understand when I say I agree with some of the negative reviews I’ve seen, that doesn’t mean I agree with 100% of them, because I don’t have time to read 100% of them. I have also seen some hyperbolic reviews that are way too hard on Civ 7. That said, I have seen some very fair criticism of the game from among the reviews I have read.

I’ve seen many negative reviews from people who say they, like me, are long-time fans of the series who have sunk a lot of hours into the previous games. Now, I do realize that could mean they, like me, are just biased toward how the older games worked and don’t like all the changes implemented in Civ 7. However, it’s hard to argue with some of the points I’ve seen made about why certain players aren’t connecting with the new game.

I can understand complaints about Civ 7’s feeling somewhat unfinished. The first time I noticed this was when browsing the game’s Civilopedia and there were no entries for major parts of the game, including Artifacts that are essential for a cultural victory. There are also fewer starting map types and map sizes than Civ 6 had at launch.

Some complaints I’ve seen about Civ 7’s Legacy Paths have also resonated with me. They do serve to make the game feel a bit more linear. To me, they almost feel like Civ training wheels. I don’t think I’d mind them if they had been an optional feature or something to guide newer players, but I don’t love that every Civ 7 game I play is going to revolve around the same handful of objectives. However, despite all these complaints, I still have hope that Civ 7 can turn things around.

Civ 7 Has The Chance To Change Over Time

Civ 7 Feels Unfinished, But It Could Still Be Completed

I can understand the frustration of paying full price for a game that doesn’t feel fully finished. After all, I bought Cyberpunk 2077 in 2020 as soon as it was released. That said, just because Civ 7 feels a little unfinished right now, doesn’t mean it won’t improve over time. Issues, especially minor ones like the Civilopedia, can be ironed out in patches and updates over time. I would be very surprised if classic maps, like the Earth map, longer game modes, and larger maps don’t get added in later. In fact, the Earth map wasn’t in Civ 6 at launch either.

Things like Civ 7’s Legacy Paths can also be addressed in later updates. While they can’t exactly be removed from the game, perhaps there could be a way to make them more flexible. Maybe add several quests that players could fulfill to finish a given Path, instead of one clear road to victory. This could allow players to diversify their strategies a bit more, without having to lose the nice framework created by Legacy Paths for newer players. However, if you’re someone who hates the new Legacy Path style of victory, I don’t think it will change substantially.

I won’t pretend like every issue that every player has can be addressed by Civ 7. Some players seem a lot more disappointed with the game than I am, and if you are someone who strongly dislikes every aspect of the game, I don’t see it changing enough to address all your issues. That said, if you’re happy with the bones of Civ 7 and just wish there was a bit more work done to it to address some of its shortcomings, my assumption is the game will become a lot more enjoyable over time.

Civ 7 Is Not The First Divisive Civilization Game

The Last Few Civ Entries Have Had Their Haters

A natural wonder found by a settler in Civilization 6

Civ fans not liking the newest game in the franchise is not an issue that has just started with Civ 7. Back when Civ 5 came out, some players didn’t like the changes it made to combat (like removing stacks of doom). When Civ 6 came out, some players didn’t like the new additions, like governments, and many were displeased with the more stylized graphics. I’m not trying to say that any complaints about previous Civ games, or about Civ 7, were wrong, just that complaints about changes are common among Civ fans.

I don’t think Civilization 7 is dead on arrival. There will likely be some players who adjust to Civ 7, or some that just enjoy it, either because they like the changes or because they haven’t played other Civ games and are happy with this version. That said, it’s hard for me to say, “Just play and find out for yourself,” when the game costs $70, and I can understand why some people don’t like it. I would recommend looking into the changes it’s made from Civ 6, or watching some gameplay if you’re new to the franchise.