Civilization VII finally lets you build a civ that stands the test of time
Civ 7’s devs talk walking back the game's most controversial decision.
"Build a civilization to stand the test of time." That was the promise on the box of Sid Meier's Civilization, the first in a long-running strategy game franchise that has evolved over 35 years and seven mainline entries.
Civ 7 introduced a new approach to play wherein players would change civilizations from their initial selection twice by the end of a game. Lots of players said, "Wait a minute: we're literally not building a civilization to stand the test of time anymore." After such a negative launch reception, longtime series fans began to wonder if the franchise itself would continue to stand the test of time.
It's clearly not a coincidence that the new, major update for the game reaching players today is titled "Test of Time." It's a major reworking of several of the game's key systems, and it reintroduces the ability to play one civ from beginning to end while retaining some of the big ideas that defined Civ 7 at launch.
This story was first published by Ars Technica. Read the original report