I'm going to open with I loved the game, but I could never really get into Civilization. I also loved Endless Space 1/2, and enjoyed Endless Legend.

To summarize, I think the games strength can also be what people don't like if they're not into it (probably hence the mixed reviews). Multiplayer seems better played casually vs highly competitive, with solo being maybe intended. Graphics are pretty good, and the audio ranges from meh to amazing. World customization is a lot of fun to use. Combat suffices. "War" and diplomacy mechanics can feel weird, but mostly "works".

This is a game I hesitate to recommend for everyone, but is a solid choice if it's up your alley. It suffers from 4x "late game" syndrome, but point scores and world diplomacy can shake it up. I can still be "winning" on the land front, but other factions working towards higher scores make me consider pivoting to shore up points myself and ensure end game victory.

A key feature is you don't start with a specific civ. Rather, you pick new ones as you evolve through the ages, or repeat your past one. This adds some layers of complexity, do you rush the next era to secure one but lose out on era points, maximize your points and emblematic districts, a mixture? I understand how people want to play a specific faction, and if someone else picked it you cannot. There is an option to allow civs to be picked by anyone though if that's really your jam. Overall, it's a lot of fun (for me) to try and decide where I should pivot each era.

You get your normal FIMSI (FIDSI for ES/EL players). Food/Industry/Money/Science/Influence. Districts placed gather resources from nearby tiles, with some nuance. Some districts only gather one resource, others multiple. Most drop approval (some increase). If you build many similar districts close they usually get bonuses. Districts can "cap off" or otherwise make certain resources inaccessible though. So there is a minigame with picking the right districts and trying to get creative with placements.

Infrastructure improvements fits a general middle ground of "I want them, but is it more effective to make another district?". Some are clear no brainers that get built each time, but many are nuanced for specific types of cities (terrain), stages of city development, or other criteria (population, types of districts, etc).

Laws can be implemented for your civ. They all have two choices, which impact your civ "alignments" for various things, on top of giving boons. Each law costs more to enact, so if you're low on influence you may be waiting to enact more. It can be advantageous to wait before enacting too, for game mechanic or political purposes.

Similar to ES/EL, you have a "story" arc. It's not as strict though, being more varied based on your civs, current situations, and previous choices. These bits can help "tell a story" for your civ, which is fun for me with immersion. There are a handful of common ones that repeat, but even 175+ hrs into the game I'm coming across new ones (did you know there are specific events if you are Buddhist and at war for extended periods?)

My issue with multiplayer is not all civs are made equal. They are mostly balanced, but some are for specific playstyles or help overcome obstacles faced at key points of your civ. Playing solo or casual, this isn't too big of a deal. For highly competitive online, there are kinda "clear winners" for era choices. I will say the team has done a pretty good job at balancing over the years though. Some "instant picks" were nerfed, while less picked ones were buffed, so keep that in mind if you look up aged guides.

I read in a review combat was like EL, and they liked it? I was confused, but had to eat my words. They really streamlined while improving it where they can compared to EL. Gone are managing items on each unit, and tactics feel more fluid. You can use terrain to your advantage more, both in offense and defense, where EL felt more just like terrain blockers. Keeping numbers overall "lower" help with scaling, making each unit in the squad and upgraded units more impactful.

War though... oh war, it totally changes. First you might lose wars constantly even though you are more powerful and in control. What happens though is you need to consider what your people think of the war, which impacts who wins/loses, when it happens, and amount of losses/gains. Essentially, if you're not constantly keeping your war effort up through victories or similar, your people get tired of it, and your approval starts tanking. You can mitigate that with some civs and wonders, if you really want to be a war hungry faction that draws out wars for the most benefit. Once you understand this, keeping your wars active and winning becomes a lot easier to handle.

Diplomacy is serviceable, if a bit wanting. Trading can be lucrative, both in money and resources. So allies can be a big boon. Alliances can help with "War stability" too, leaning on each other to protect different sides of your continent(s) and reinforcing bigger wars.

"World diplomacy" is... interesting. The fun part for me is voting on worldwide policies. Potentially giving free laws to enact, but could make you use influence if the one you want differs. If you make demands to another faction (or vice versa) and you don't like the outcome, it can be taken to the world council. Allowing each faction to vote demands, at the end of they must be acted upon or make an unsanctioned war. Votes are dictated on population and diplomacy structures, but minor civs under your wing can really propel you in the council. Feels like it could use balancing, but ~overall~ it's serviceable.

Graphics are decent and fit the setting very well. Seeing your cities grow and the terrain change to them is fun. Districts appear distinct, especially emblematic districts and wonders. The UI isn't intrusive, and has quality of life options as your cities get bigger, such as coloring for hexes based on districts.

Audio is where it really wins for me. Some general sounds are serviceable, but the music is :chefkiss:. Most civs have their own music, with some overlap on similars. They really capture your civ's "feeling", and keep the game flowing. "Astrea Fled" is my favorite. Kicking on during empire management gives a nice mellow feel but with energy that carries you through the peaks.

This was a fun part for me, allowing me to make big/small maps, many/few islands, continents, etc. You can dictate amounts of terrain like rivers or lakes, while tipping climates (hot, cold, mixed, etc). If you're into it, this can help feel like you're playing "your world".

You can design an "Avatar" which carries through all civs, and has dress appropriate for each, which is a nice touch. You can set a "tone", which mostly impacts how your avatar reacts aesthetically in diplomacy. Faction customization is neat, but any traits chosen are for your "AI". You won't see any them yourself. They are used if someone else (or you!) play against "your faction" as a bot. It's also part of the difficulty, keeping the AI more competitive outside of a "general difficulty" setting.

I'm going to open with I loved the game, but I could never really get into Civilization. I also loved Endless Space 1/2, and enjoyed Endless Legend. To summarize, I think the games strength can also be what people don't like if they're not into it (probably hence the mixed reviews). Multiplayer seems better played casually vs highly competitive, with solo being maybe intended. Graphics are pretty good, and the audio ranges from meh to amazing. World customization is a lot of fun to use. Combat suffices. "War" and diplomacy mechanics can feel weird, but mostly "works". This is a game I hesitate to recommend for everyone, but is a solid choice if it's up your alley. It suffers from 4x "late game" syndrome, but point scores and world diplomacy can shake it up. I can still be "winning" on the land front, but other factions working towards higher scores make me consider pivoting to shore up points myself and ensure end game victory. [h3]Core Gameplay[/h3] A key feature is you don't start with a specific civ. Rather, you pick new ones as you evolve through the ages, or repeat your past one. This adds some layers of complexity, do you rush the next era to secure one but lose out on era points, maximize your points and emblematic districts, a mixture? I understand how people want to play a specific faction, and if someone else picked it you cannot. There is an option to allow civs to be picked by anyone though if that's really your jam. Overall, it's a lot of fun (for me) to try and decide where I should pivot each era. You get your normal FIMSI (FIDSI for ES/EL players). Food/Industry/Money/Science/Influence. Districts placed gather resources from nearby tiles, with some nuance. Some districts only gather one resource, others multiple. Most drop approval (some increase). If you build many similar districts close they usually get bonuses. Districts can "cap off" or otherwise make certain resources inaccessible though. So there is a minigame with picking the right districts and trying to get creative with placements. Infrastructure improvements fits a general middle ground of "I want them, but is it more effective to make another district?". Some are clear no brainers that get built each time, but many are nuanced for specific types of cities (terrain), stages of city development, or other criteria (population, types of districts, etc). Laws can be implemented for your civ. They all have two choices, which impact your civ "alignments" for various things, on top of giving boons. Each law costs more to enact, so if you're low on influence you may be waiting to enact more. It can be advantageous to wait before enacting too, for game mechanic or political purposes. Similar to ES/EL, you have a "story" arc. It's not as strict though, being more varied based on your civs, current situations, and previous choices. These bits can help "tell a story" for your civ, which is fun for me with immersion. There are a handful of common ones that repeat, but even 175+ hrs into the game I'm coming across new ones (did you know there are specific events if you are Buddhist and at war for extended periods?) [h3]Single vs Multiplayer[/h3] My issue with multiplayer is not all civs are made equal. They are mostly balanced, but some are for specific playstyles or help overcome obstacles faced at key points of your civ. Playing solo or casual, this isn't too big of a deal. For highly competitive online, there are kinda "clear winners" for era choices. I will say the team has done a pretty good job at balancing over the years though. Some "instant picks" were nerfed, while less picked ones were buffed, so keep that in mind if you look up aged guides. [h3]Combat, War, and Diplomacy[/h3] I read in a review combat was like EL, and they liked it? I was confused, but had to eat my words. They really streamlined while improving it where they can compared to EL. Gone are managing items on each unit, and tactics feel more fluid. You can use terrain to your advantage more, both in offense and defense, where EL felt more just like terrain blockers. Keeping numbers overall "lower" help with scaling, making each unit in the squad and upgraded units more impactful. War though... oh war, it totally changes. First you might lose wars constantly even though you are more powerful and in control. What happens though is you need to consider what your people think of the war, which impacts who wins/loses, when it happens, and amount of losses/gains. Essentially, if you're not constantly keeping your war effort up through victories or similar, your people get tired of it, and your approval starts tanking. You can mitigate that with some civs and wonders, if you really want to be a war hungry faction that draws out wars for the most benefit. Once you understand this, keeping your wars active and winning becomes a lot easier to handle. Diplomacy is serviceable, if a bit wanting. Trading can be lucrative, both in money and resources. So allies can be a big boon. Alliances can help with "War stability" too, leaning on each other to protect different sides of your continent(s) and reinforcing bigger wars. "World diplomacy" is... interesting. The fun part for me is voting on worldwide policies. Potentially giving free laws to enact, but could make you use influence if the one you want differs. If you make demands to another faction (or vice versa) and you don't like the outcome, it can be taken to the world council. Allowing each faction to vote demands, at the end of they must be acted upon or make an unsanctioned war. Votes are dictated on population and diplomacy structures, but minor civs under your wing can really propel you in the council. Feels like it could use balancing, but ~overall~ it's serviceable. [h3]Graphics and Audio[/h3] Graphics are decent and fit the setting very well. Seeing your cities grow and the terrain change to them is fun. Districts appear distinct, especially emblematic districts and wonders. The UI isn't intrusive, and has quality of life options as your cities get bigger, such as coloring for hexes based on districts. Audio is where it really wins for me. Some general sounds are serviceable, but the music is :chefkiss:. Most civs have their own music, with some overlap on similars. They really capture your civ's "feeling", and keep the game flowing. [url=https://youtu.be/Klaj4huHLAU?si=ziDSm0SFlE5UfIGh]"Astrea Fled"[/url] is my favorite. Kicking on during empire management gives a nice mellow feel but with energy that carries you through the peaks. [h3]World and Faction Customization[/h3] This was a fun part for me, allowing me to make big/small maps, many/few islands, continents, etc. You can dictate amounts of terrain like rivers or lakes, while tipping climates (hot, cold, mixed, etc). If you're into it, this can help feel like you're playing "your world". You can design an "Avatar" which carries through all civs, and has dress appropriate for each, which is a nice touch. You can set a "tone", which mostly impacts how your avatar reacts aesthetically in diplomacy. Faction customization is neat, but any traits chosen are for your "AI". You won't see any them yourself. They are used if someone else (or you!) play against "your faction" as a bot. It's also part of the difficulty, keeping the AI more competitive outside of a "general difficulty" setting.