Sid Meier's Civilization®: Beyond Earth™

In this new instalment of the Civilization franchise, Earth is lost after “the Great Mistake” and humanity had to colonize space and settle other planets in order to survive. That is the premise of Beyond Earth, a 4X – Strategy game that takes much of its gameplay from Civilization V and changes just enough to feel like a new and fresh experience. Instead of choosing one of several past civilizations, Beyond Earth presents several invented sponsors - a mix of countries and cultures - able to fund expeditions to one of several different planets. Each sponsor has a customizable personality that alters the diplomatic deals an expedition can have. Several other skills can also be selected at the start of a game, making each one potentially different. While previous technology trees had been rather linear, the one presented in Beyond Earth is like a web, and allows advancements in different areas, favouring military might, productivity, health or a series of other factors vital to the game. While expanding on the alien planet, several quests can be activated and pursued, and most quests come with a larger narrative and give each play-through its own personality. On top of that, there are again several victory conditions, which range from conquering old earth, to allowing humans on the new planet, to becoming one with the local ecosystem. These different affinities also change the way military units behave and look, and can influence many choices and ultimate goals. While no gameplay takes really place in space, aliens are also part of the game, though they act a bit like evolved barbarians; they are mostly neutral, but have a swarm-intelligence controlled behaviour, and attacking one unit can infuriate the whole species; ignoring them can also be tough, so no clear optimal strategy exists. The UI of the game is very dark and a bit confusing, but the visuals look good, better than Civilization V’s in most areas. The alien planets look interesting and diverse enough to favour repeat play-throughs. New resources and unique locations add to the feel of being on a distant world. The music is also excellent and draws into the alien landscapes. In the expansion, Rising Tide, new sponsors, new planet biomes and new technologies are added. Additionally, it is now also possible to build cities on water and move them on the oceans like huge boats that expand their territory by moving around instead of gaining culture. Also, artifacts can now be collected to gain resources and early access to advanced technologies. Like Civilization V before it, this new game in the series has a high addition factor, and might have been an even better game, if it had tried to differentiate itself from its prequel a bit more, both in tone and scope. Still, Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is a great game, that reaches higher highs thanks to its expansion Rising Tide, and that can be a lot of fun any day.