Sid Meier’s Civilization 7: Let’s Play with History
by Simon Larocca·November 26, 2024
Il processo di civilization of the first societies of
men and women, united for survival against ferocious predators
and the nights dimly illuminated by the discovery of fire, can certainly not be
known in its entirety thanks to a video game: for that, there are
schoolbooks and teachers. I would be lying, however, if I told you that learning
English, during my teenage years, was much easier for me
by playing Final Fantasy VII, dramatically unlocalized and without
translation: necessarily, I learned the language thanks to Cloud and Tifa.
So why not give similar credit to the most iconic series by Sid Meier, that Civilization that lets us take on the roles of presidents, dictators, and merchants, managing our nation and bringing it to eternal glory? With the arrival (scheduled for today: 11 February) in 2025 of Sid Meier’s Civilization VII in grand style for almost all existing platforms and consoles, the world of turn-based strategy games will add another fundamental piece, destined to make history as well.
In every sense.
Su Sid Meier, born Sidney Meyer, much has already been said over these almost forty years: an innovative and perfectionist game designer, founder of the legendary Microprose (which I will forever thank for creating TimeQuest and making me fall in love with text adventures!)
and the driving force behind the Civilization saga, namely, where in simple terms we follow how a nation evolves, prospers (or falls) over time, from the first rudiments of history to the stars, literally!
The managerial aspect is obviously
predominant, the beating heart of the series: we will have to build huts,
stone buildings and then brick ones, provide resources to our people so as not to
let them starve, grow and strengthen ourselves to withstand attacks
from external nations and enemy kingdoms. The ideal Civilization campaign
guarantees several hours of gameplay and gives players a whole
series of variables and components that will be crucial to absorb and understand,
in order to raise the chosen civilization above the others and ensure it an
enduring place in the great river of time. And especially with war,
because history has always taught us so and Meier’s work has always stood out
for its fidelity and adherence to the reality of human beings.
Civilization VII has presented itself
so far, between teaser trailers and screenshots released online, while maintaining the historical-cultural core that we have
come to love, with a level of attention to detail that calling meticulous is
a true understatement: the leaders available to players are big names with their own characteristics and attributes, each with their own strengths, so if we choose Napoleon
or Augustus, it goes without saying
what their strong point will be.
Graphically, the game makes extensive use of the technologies of next-generation consoles, even if visual impact has never been the main element sought by RTS fans, it must be admitted that a great job seems to have been done. But what really makes your mouth water is the online mode: playing with other users for the conquest of the world is in itself an incredibly epic global experience, considering that cross-play between consoles and PC will also be supported: in short, History has never been so fun!
Playing with History, we said: this is what Civilization VII promises, through various eras in which there will be no shortage of crises, true scripted moments from the game to be managed in the best possible way so as not to see everything we had laboriously built with wise policies and targeted expansions collapse: exploring the map around our core will be of capital importance; no nation has survived with isolationism!
And to think that it all began with a
couple of hominids gathered around the fire, the first of many revolutionary discoveries that allowed us to stand upright and leave that gloomy cave. Think about it when you cross the borders of your nation and face the unknown, in the name of progress... and victory!
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
Simon Larocca
Mi chiamo Simon Larocca, e sono un videogiocatore, collezionista e amante della cultura pop in tutte le sue forme. Vado al cinema ogni volta che posso, leggo da quando porto gli occhiali, quindi da sempre, e ho la passione per lo storytelling in tutte le sue forme, così dirompente da farla diventare una professione. Ma come direbbe Doc di Ritorno al Futuro, non ci sarebbe presente se non si guardasse al passato con rispetto e ammirazione, ed è il Simon bambino di più di trent’anni fa, anno più anno meno.
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