Sid Meier's Civilization VII

I think the test of whether or not one of these games “works” is always the same. Does it have that gravitational pull? Do you always want one more turn? Last night, I looked down and it was 1:05 AM. I was supposed to be in bed hours ago, but I just wanted to dig up my Relics and maybe rush the cultural victory. Everything was humming along, and I could see the finish line right in front of me, especially given the fact that I was absolutely crushing Charlemagne militarily at the same time. That’s the Civ experience for me — that loss of time and that chasing feeling — and there I was again, wrapped up in what I was doing. Civilization 7, even if it’s a little rough, has me hooked.

The major design changes in Civ 7 address important criticisms of earlier versions and help to ensure that players are faced with challenges, not tedium, even as the game progresses - albeit at some loss. By the time I wrote this review, I had spent more than 50 hours playing the game - proof enough that despite its flaws, Civilization 7 sustains that “one more turn!” desire to plow through history and see what happens next.