Tropico 5

 PC
User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 421 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 220 out of 421
  2. Mixed: 126 out of 421
  3. Negative: 75 out of 421
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. hapklaar
    May 29, 2014
    3
    If you ask me this game is a dumbed down version of all the previous installments of which I am a big fan.

    Already boring after a couple of hours play and a big disappointment...
  2. Trevanion
    May 24, 2014
    4
    A few dollops of new paint has refreshed the series! Or has it...

    To me as a fan of Tropico since #1, Tropico 5 has seemed to have thrown out all the old stuff that has been in the series since the Original Tropico. The Traits are now gone, a lot of buildings from previous games have seemed to disappear, hardly any of the buildings look different from each other (Even Shacks look the    A few dollops of new paint has refreshed the series! Or has it...

    To me as a fan of Tropico since #1, Tropico 5 has seemed to have thrown out all the old stuff that has been in the series since the Original Tropico. The Traits are now gone, a lot of buildings from previous games have seemed to disappear, hardly any of the buildings look different from each other (Even Shacks look the same).

    The concept of the time periods seems like an interesting idea at first but it is really poorly executed, around 80% of the buildings are locked in Colonial times, which is fair enough... Where are you going to get a Space Program in the Colonies? But what annoys me is the fact that they didn't execute it like they did in the Modern Times DLC where you upgrade the buildings with the time. You can't even get a Medical building in Colonial times, or hardly any Entertainment buildings. And I'm pretty sure they were making Cigars and Rum before "The Great Wars"

    The Gameplay can feel very dull and a bit of a drag at times. You feel like you've listened to the same song over and over and over, Done the same objective over and over and over. And you've gotten nowhere.

    Also the customisation of the characters is appalling comparing to Tropico 4, which had limited options to say the least. The only costumes you can use in Tropico 5 limited to literally 5. And some of those don't even make sense, You can dress as an Astronaut in Colonial Times. This makes me face palm very much so. They also slimmed down the traits to around 8. Considering Tropico's Useful and Humorous Traits from the past, these really aren't traits. Did I mention you can't have your own name? Nope, You got to have a name from this list. And going through the list is a gruelling task as you have to go through each name INDUVIDUALLY by scrolling to the side.

    The new characters also seem a bit... Bland and characterful comparing to previous games. Even the Caricatures seem a bit lifeless. Also not having the faction figureheads stating what's going on really lets the game down.

    It also is quite tough on the hardware, I would suggest using a beefy computer. But this could just be the early stages of the game.

    On the bright side, It's pretty I guess. And Trading is a nice touch. But not much else has changed and had only really taken a step backwards.

    I think Haemimont and Kalypso really need to get their act together, After that tremendous flop that was Omerta and now this. I don't understand why I thought this may have been better, seeing that Kalypso is in a bit of a slump at the moment.    … Expand
  3. dima-mov
    May 23, 2014
    10
    Real interesting game. I engoy it so much. not better then tropico 3, but real good.Presedente is so funny.
    There are alot of interesting things and funny videos
  4. GowenGeter
    Sep 2, 2014
    0
    There are no new features to justify the price. Tropico 5 leaves so much to be desired and it's a dumbed down version of Tropico 4. Absolutely not recommended.
  5. jimmynoshoes
    Oct 18, 2014
    2
    I joined the Tropico franchise at number 4. Thoroughly enjoyed it, found it very funny and a nice change from the average city builder where you micro everything.

    Moving on to Tropico 5 and its clear to see at first play that there is A LOT missing from it. Overlays for a start are minimal. Area of affect radius is now gone, so you have no idea what area that building is going to    I joined the Tropico franchise at number 4. Thoroughly enjoyed it, found it very funny and a nice change from the average city builder where you micro everything.

    Moving on to Tropico 5 and its clear to see at first play that there is A LOT missing from it. Overlays for a start are minimal. Area of affect radius is now gone, so you have no idea what area that building is going to affect. You will have no idea how 'beatiful' an area is before you dump down that house which relies on beauty to score higher. You have no idea on that office catchment area so won't know how much money it will make until you leave it a few months after building it.

    And then there are rebels. It is a tragic shame, people have cried out on the forums since day 1 release about the above problems and NOTHING has been done about it. They have patched some of the problems but even then the problems still prevail, just less often. Teamsters for example, despite being patched, still aren't very effective and do still get stuck.

    Kalypso's answers to things is often mediocre at best, thats if you get a reply.

    For what this game offers (or doesn't offer), I can't score it well at all unfortunately. It has massive potential, but I think at this stage it is just too late for it, the damage is already done to the community who purchased it on release and found a semi broken botched together product with many features they have come to love stripped out of it.

    Lastly, it's no longer a dictatorship, the game dictates to you what it wants. If you don't give it, you get rebels who more often than not, give an instant game over.

    Game is more frustrating than it is fun.    … Expand
  6. Dannybeatzmusic
    Jul 16, 2015
    0
    This game falls far short of Tropico 4, i mean it's utterly ridiculous! The game came bare bones and it felt like a Cash Grab. I thought sequels were meant to build off the previous game, not re-sell it to you all over again in the "sequel". The business tactics of today's gaming industry is ridiculous, I'm surprised that a same company would pull such **** moves. Even with DLC this gameThis game falls far short of Tropico 4, i mean it's utterly ridiculous! The game came bare bones and it felt like a Cash Grab. I thought sequels were meant to build off the previous game, not re-sell it to you all over again in the "sequel". The business tactics of today's gaming industry is ridiculous, I'm surprised that a same company would pull such **** moves. Even with DLC this game has no where near as much as 4. What cash grab this was.… Expand
  7. heime2003
    Nov 16, 2014
    3
    not only no improvement over previous tropico games, but it was also steps back from tropico 3 or 4
    follow up mode was removed which i enjoyed greatly from previous tropicos and something feels missing after playing 3+ hours.
    graphic is not that great and no decent tutorial whatsoever to new players huge let down of this year pros: - a little improved graphics - multiplay if u enjoy    not only no improvement over previous tropico games, but it was also steps back from tropico 3 or 4
    follow up mode was removed which i enjoyed greatly from previous tropicos and something feels missing after playing 3+ hours.
    graphic is not that great and no decent tutorial whatsoever to new players
    huge let down of this year
    pros:
    - a little improved graphics
    - multiplay if u enjoy playing vs other players
    cons:
    - general vibe of the game is it is steps back from t3 or t4
    - no significant changes in gameplay. all too familiar to seasoned tropico players. gets boring too fast
    - no follow mode
    in a word , the series needs to push for major changes and new formulars    … Expand
  8. Stromozek
    Jun 5, 2014
    7
    Overall Tropico 5 feels like a more accessible and polished Tropico 3. Everything we loved about the series since the beginning is still present but the recycling is getting it's toll and the series starts to feel a bit stale.
  9. smilzoboboz
    Mar 25, 2015
    7
    Tropico 5 made things easier and more straightforward. You don't have to worry about things as much as you had to do in Tropico 3/4. While Tropico die-hard fans may find this unpleasant, I (as mostly a casual player) found Tropico 5 more enjoyable than Tropico 3/4.

    That aside, campaign was really nice (more or less Cuba throughout history) and as already said, overall gameplay is    Tropico 5 made things easier and more straightforward. You don't have to worry about things as much as you had to do in Tropico 3/4. While Tropico die-hard fans may find this unpleasant, I (as mostly a casual player) found Tropico 5 more enjoyable than Tropico 3/4.

    That aside, campaign was really nice (more or less Cuba throughout history) and as already said, overall gameplay is relaxing.
    Graphics are nice but I have to say I'd like to have multiple models for (for example) houses and such, having every single house looking the same kills a bit realism.
    On sound compartment I have to say that things are not as good as graphics. Effects are often not good, not as much as unpleasant, but still not good enough; music feels repetitive after really a short time.

    Recommended for casual players, die-hard fans may get disappointed, wait for discounts (graphic is still better than Tropico 3/4).    … Expand
  10. Salgi
    Sep 12, 2014
    6
    Tropico 5 isn't a bad game. But I think that in some things it has gone back if we compare with Tropico 4. There are few buildings, and it seems that will be lots and lots of DLCs to balance this. It's like an unfinished game, and I can't understand why there's no prisons.

    The eras are a good idea, but the incorporation could have been better. The historical messages don't match with    Tropico 5 isn't a bad game. But I think that in some things it has gone back if we compare with Tropico 4. There are few buildings, and it seems that will be lots and lots of DLCs to balance this. It's like an unfinished game, and I can't understand why there's no prisons.

    The eras are a good idea, but the incorporation could have been better. The historical messages don't match with the correct years, and it's annoying. Other innovations, like the Constitution, are well implemented and work fine, and some others, like tanks, might work better.

    Another con is the humor characteristic of the franchise. The characters are not as funny and charismatic as they were in previous games. In conclusion, now is better to buy Tropico 4 with the DLCs. Tropico 5 can be a great game with all the DLCs released, and this is really sad.    … Expand
  11. Voyou
    Aug 29, 2016
    7
    First Tropico I ever played, so don't expect comparisons here.

    I have not been engrossed and entertained that much by a full campaign since Stronghold (I'll save you the effort: that was in 2001.) Reminiscent of the excellent board game Junta from the 80s, Tropico 5 doesn't reach the same level in either mechanics or satire, but still provides for a good time. It's colourful, looks    First Tropico I ever played, so don't expect comparisons here.

    I have not been engrossed and entertained that much by a full campaign since Stronghold (I'll save you the effort: that was in 2001.) Reminiscent of the excellent board game Junta from the 80s, Tropico 5 doesn't reach the same level in either mechanics or satire, but still provides for a good time.

    It's colourful, looks great, sounds great, blah blah blah... Actually the hook is in the variety and ease. You have a large building menu, several NPC aides, various resources, trade routes, policies and whatnot. You play on small islands for short scenarios and come back to them in different eras, when things are unlocked. That system feeds your sense of progression and discovery, and is cleverly and comically integrated into the story line. Said story line provides the best jokes, and managed to make me laugh at loud several times (not such an easy task, I confess.)

    Warning ! Combat is autonomous. Even as a general, you can't affect it manually. To me it's a plus, but to some of you it will be a limitation. I treat it like a natural disaster: plan to avoid, repair after.

    Now, a few things and flaws that do not affect the overall quality, mostly because I categorise them as fluff rather than failures:

    - I tired long ago of the abuse of American pop culture references, not because they can't be funny, but because they are everywhere and always the same. Surprise ! The game actually comes from Bulgaria. Does that mean there is no Bulgarian humor ? Even old communist jokes would feel right in the context, and might feel fresh to Americans (I do understand aiming at that particular market.) More importantly, you don't reach greatness by quoting others but by creating your own memorable universe, which others will quote.

    - While it's nice that the interface lets me use a gamepad, it took me a while to realise that not everything is accessible and that sometimes a mouse click is required.

    - Clearly, some strategies are much better than others once mechanics are grasped. For instance, why spend money on depletable, polluting or demanding resources when I can rely entirely on a few plantations ? Well, I suppose I can pollute on purpose; at least I've got the options.

    - I've never had to import goods, never needed an embassy, a prison... I discovered the factions at the very end, by accident; an interesting read, but still unneeded as all there is to winning elections is to watch the happiness ratings. The Swiss account is pretty useless also. Nice to have variety, although it would be better if it felt important.

    Finally, a few reasons why it's a good game but not a great game:

    - Terrible overlays don't let me see clearly where I build, as the vegetation obstructs my vision. Also, road junctions suffer from odd limitations.

    - Constant interruptions by events means I have to remember to pause the game every time I want to check a building or character. Else I'm kicked out of windows. Or worse: a window pops up exactly when I'm clicking, and I end up making a general decision without ever knowing what it was about.

    - I do need a big blue library. From the start. I must research Constitution to become independent. If I don't I lose, because the Crown will stop extending my mandate anyway. Inexplicably.

    - Strangely, playing as a tyrant is not only useless but actually difficult, whereas playing a democrat is a breeze. It seems like a repeat of my comment on strategies better than others, but here I find it a major flaw considering the theme of the game. In a totalitarian regime, I spend my money fixing destroyed things while my economy crumbles. A strong army and police seem to motivate rebels instead of scaring them. As do assassinations. Which are strangely expensive by the way. Closed borders never stopped immigration. Tyranny also granted me my only US invasion attempt, proving that American banana corporations had nothing to do with the notion of banana republics.

    - And the pièce de résistance: the mechanics fit the campaign very well; they do not make for good standalone missions. The system of eras forces you to replay the colony without the excitement of discovery and with most buildings and technologies locked out. After the campaign, Tropico 5 is repetitive and I quickly lost my interest, even trying out other maps, tactics, constitutions and whatnot.

    Recommended to play the campaign. DLCs unimportant as usual.

    Now other reviews tend to indicate that I should upgrade to Tropico 4. I'll probably do that.    … Expand
  12. balvan64
    May 30, 2014
    3
    Tropico 5 is a HUGE step down in production values.
    Everything ranging from music to voice acting got a big budget cut.
    Also, capping the Population at 2000 is one of the dumbest thing I ever heard in a city building game, and I cannot find any good explanation as to why they would do something that stupid. Then again, this is a dumbed down Tropico, even the music sucks, so what did I    Tropico 5 is a HUGE step down in production values.
    Everything ranging from music to voice acting got a big budget cut.

    Also, capping the Population at 2000 is one of the dumbest thing I ever heard in a city building game, and I cannot find any good explanation as to why they would do something that stupid. Then again, this is a dumbed down Tropico, even the music sucks, so what did I expect....

    I'm seriously considering going back to Tropico 4, if both games were released simultaneously, everyone would prefer Tropico 4.

    They don't deserve your money, don't buy this game!    … Expand
  13. MTR99
    Jun 4, 2014
    0
    Another game released unfinished :( Don't try to play this game until gold edition or more... It's not only a bug problem, they miss screens and options too.
  14. cb2992
    Jun 8, 2014
    4
    You can do a lot in this game, you just cannot do any of it well. This game is bloated with too many features and as a result fails to have a strong feature that defines it as a worthwhile game. This game will prove entertaining at first as there is a lot to discover and dive into but it is impossible to sustain. What frustrates me the most is the presentation of the metrics that youYou can do a lot in this game, you just cannot do any of it well. This game is bloated with too many features and as a result fails to have a strong feature that defines it as a worthwhile game. This game will prove entertaining at first as there is a lot to discover and dive into but it is impossible to sustain. What frustrates me the most is the presentation of the metrics that you use to run your island. In a simulation game, data is everything and the data in Tropico 5 is useless. The financial data is difficult to centrally manage and one cannot really dig into the data like one can in the SimCity games. As a result, after about an hour of game play, the game becomes boring and frustrating. The revenues and expenses swing wildly and I never know why. The military battles are a joke. I would not recommend this to anyone who desires a near realistic simulation experience.… Expand
  15. arfkurniawan47
    Jun 11, 2014
    3
    ok, it's start from begin.... user has been warned that this game utilize DirectX11 so in here i will not complaint about the graphic..... but for gameplay this game has most overhyped gameplay ever:
    first: Customisation is shallow than tropico 4 where in tropico 4 you have many trait for your el presidente,
    secondly about el presidente customization is just 4 cloth or suite. Not like    ok, it's start from begin.... user has been warned that this game utilize DirectX11 so in here i will not complaint about the graphic..... but for gameplay this game has most overhyped gameplay ever:
    first: Customisation is shallow than tropico 4 where in tropico 4 you have many trait for your el presidente,
    secondly about el presidente customization is just 4 cloth or suite. Not like tropico 4 where you can customize a lot of accesories.

    For GamePlay:
    -Trade system now limited to one ship, yea its fun but on the otherhand your colony now spawning 5 dock to run your business... so on the coast now we don't have beautiful coast but now is SHIP DOCK!
    -Removing of prison and Dungeon where in tropico 4 you can throw the prisoner on it, or make it as a tourism spot.
    -There is no Fire Station, because the fire station building is in the police station building... how odd..so the police station function same as fire station building.
    -Boring Design: Every building like a Shack, Apartment, House now have same texture not like tropico 4 where you can change the texture.
    -Stupid Citizen: Because in tropico 5 your citizen don't have parameter like courage, inteligence or leader aspect.... so yep.... boring citizen everywhere.
    -Stupid Rebel mechanics: Rebel now have tendency occur at 60% happiness and it spawn in PALACE...
    -Stupid Fishing Lodge: In troico 4 you can put fishermen Lodge in the coast every where, but now in tropico 5 now fishermen lodge can be build just on fish deposit.
    -Boring Time Change: Why on earth , in colony age you can't build hospital or clinic?? and you can't build any factory at all. just plank factory???
    -Removing half of the unique tropico 4 decoraation, so your city look bland and boring because same decoration.
    -Combat is ridiculous stupid: Your soldier can walk when he under the rain of fire from rebel, and the most stupid is the tank while it's good to have it.... if enemy use or have it BAM! your game over!

    So in all i prefer Tropico 4 han this, if you like the graphic choose tropico 5 if you like Gameplay choose Tropico 4... oh BTW you can't control and speech with el presidente in tropico 5...    … Expand
  16. giskarduk
    Jun 1, 2014
    3
    I love the tropico series and I have been looking forward to Tropico 5 for a long time. At first I liked what I saw but over time I kept wondering where are these rebels coming from. I was finding it very hard to match the stats to actual events in the game. Turns out I had a rebel that had a 99% approval rating for me and all his rebel friends also loved me to bits, enough to want to overI love the tropico series and I have been looking forward to Tropico 5 for a long time. At first I liked what I saw but over time I kept wondering where are these rebels coming from. I was finding it very hard to match the stats to actual events in the game. Turns out I had a rebel that had a 99% approval rating for me and all his rebel friends also loved me to bits, enough to want to over throw the person they loved to bits. Which explained why I had unexpected rebel issues. Rebels are no longer linked to what the player does, even the best most happiest citizen can be chosen to be rebel. Then we have the 2000 population cap and disasters that if left on medium difficulty, should happen occasionally but actually happy often. The game looks great, but it does not take long to notice its pure eye candy. The heart of Tropico has been ripped out.… Expand
  17. Muskelsteffen
    Jun 6, 2014
    4
    To me Tropico 5 is a step towards a casual, browsergame-like Console game. The reduction of management options in comparison to part 4 and the VERY LOW difficulty can not be counterbalanced with the badly made character sucession and the different eras. The gameplay mechanics are way too easy to master but if you only want to plant buildings on a lovely tropical island without any stressTo me Tropico 5 is a step towards a casual, browsergame-like Console game. The reduction of management options in comparison to part 4 and the VERY LOW difficulty can not be counterbalanced with the badly made character sucession and the different eras. The gameplay mechanics are way too easy to master but if you only want to plant buildings on a lovely tropical island without any stress this may be your game. And the loss of any chance to play as a bad dictator (apart from joining the Nazis in WW2) is another decay compared to the original first part of the series.… Expand
  18. phonglk
    Jun 17, 2014
    2
    As a fan of tropico series. This is the worst ever !
    Tropico 5 lost its track which make the tropico 5 success. There is no critical agent-based simulation factor as the olds. Just lay the object and it will run by some hard rules.
  19. Cytokinesis
    May 23, 2014
    7
    I think the series is going to a good direction, in general, but there are a few things that really irritate me. Firstly, less content that Tropico 4. Get ready for another DLC infested game where you end up paying another 50-60$ just in DLC. Now I didn't really mind for Tropico 4 since I loved the game but as far as pure value goes it's pretty bad. If they make it more enticing I think itI think the series is going to a good direction, in general, but there are a few things that really irritate me. Firstly, less content that Tropico 4. Get ready for another DLC infested game where you end up paying another 50-60$ just in DLC. Now I didn't really mind for Tropico 4 since I loved the game but as far as pure value goes it's pretty bad. If they make it more enticing I think it can work. Secondly is the new UI and interface: wtf? It honestly feels as if they are prepping it for consoles. There is no reason to not be able to select things from a big menu rather than scrolls through things. Roads are way more grid based and less free flowing than in 4 and so are buildings. PC settings are truly lackluster and even worse than 4. The only way I can rationalize all this downgrades is because it is is being ported to console, otherwise it makes no sense to me because it's making it worse for the sake of making it worse. As far as everything else is concerned: if you liked previous Tropico games you'll like this one. It's not that different and the gameplay is improved. If you truly like Tropico and haven't played it to death you are honestly better off with 4, at the moment, but after a year of constant DLC (lol) 5 will reign supreme.… Expand
  20. Isuel
    May 26, 2014
    4
    Feels like a Beta to me. There are some really promising features in this game (ex. dynasty, trade ships) but not so many. Definitely wasted potential. And what irritated me the most? Boring as hell Colonial Era. Really bad music - not even close to the old series. Forget about any singers. Textures without shadows and details. Only one variant of each building and four clothes/faces forFeels like a Beta to me. There are some really promising features in this game (ex. dynasty, trade ships) but not so many. Definitely wasted potential. And what irritated me the most? Boring as hell Colonial Era. Really bad music - not even close to the old series. Forget about any singers. Textures without shadows and details. Only one variant of each building and four clothes/faces for your presidente. You just can't stop people from coming to your island (even with Constitution options!) – and there is no emigration office to help you deal with this problem. No options for restarting current missions – from main menu you can only play full campaign from the beginning. And there are 10 missions in 2 islands for the entire game! And of course they removed many cool building from Tropico 4 ex. Police stations is now also a fire brigade, only 2 types of schools, forget about zoo, tourists shops, golden statues (they give only 2 gardens size with no variations!). No options for education profiles, tv programs or kinds of films to play in your cinema. Only a few different models of peoples. As a big fan of series it seems to me like they don’t have money or time to finish the game properly so they sold what they have. Sad. Now I understand why they give you free copy of Tropico 4 and “future DLC”.… Expand
  21. bigsilverhotdog
    Jun 4, 2014
    0
    I don't have room to write about all the problems with this game. 5000 characters is the limit, and my steam review (after I removed 6 paragraphs to make it fit their limit) is far, far over that. I'm a Tropico fan since the original game, and Tropico 5 is an insult to Tropico fans, and a very, very bad computer game. I'd say strategy game, but there's very little strategy left in theI don't have room to write about all the problems with this game. 5000 characters is the limit, and my steam review (after I removed 6 paragraphs to make it fit their limit) is far, far over that. I'm a Tropico fan since the original game, and Tropico 5 is an insult to Tropico fans, and a very, very bad computer game. I'd say strategy game, but there's very little strategy left in the game. Build stuff, set the 5-way budget Win/Lose switch to "Win", and then marvel at how worthless this game is even compared to Tropico 1. I bought a 4-pack and I'd give anything for Tropico 5 to not be the horrible, worthless, empty, game that it is, because I love Tropico. Someone found 10 DLC titles already planned in the config files, which about sums up the developer focus. Multiplayer is locked on fast, can't be saved, crashes constantly, and is absolutely worthless/unplayable, as is Tropico 5 generally -- a broken, worthless game. SAD.… Expand
  22. Creardo
    May 24, 2014
    7
    I start to review Tropico 5, a franchise i love, with a 10. #No prisons, just 2 options of decoration buildings and some buildings less, -1.0; #The financial system is just confusing in usability and comprehension, considering what made the succes of salaries etc of Tropico series, -0.5; #Maybe Haemimont brings us soon a World Editor again, but without it just now, -0.5; #We cannot findI start to review Tropico 5, a franchise i love, with a 10. #No prisons, just 2 options of decoration buildings and some buildings less, -1.0; #The financial system is just confusing in usability and comprehension, considering what made the succes of salaries etc of Tropico series, -0.5; #Maybe Haemimont brings us soon a World Editor again, but without it just now, -0.5; #We cannot find the good lists of the almanac that made good points of the franchise, like if i want to know how many inhabitants are born-tropicans for example, i just cant, the almanac now seems just "lean", -1.0; Some other things just dont fit, anyway, so i think its just to give Tropico 5 a well deserved 7.0 at this release.

    Of course, there are goods things, like a Constitution, the idea of the eras, a trade system and a dinasty system, a better combat system, as many other things that we can easily add as examples of improvement on the series.

    I hope Haemimont have the free hand to act and point some of these things, and improve the game even more... i hope i can give Tropico 5 a 9 soon, a franchise i love.    … Expand
  23. SirHugo14
    Jun 7, 2014
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is another game I was excited about, but once again wasn't what I expected. Tropico 5's graphics are better than Tropico 4, a new technology tree, and historical eras. However, there are some irritating things about this game. First of all, the characters were BORING!!!! They weren't lively and charismatic like those Tropico 4, and the faction leaders seemed to be taken out. Foreign relations system in the game was not as fun and challenging as it was in Tropico 4. The eras system was not so good either. For example, I was in the World Wars era and I was using colonial infantry to fight a squad of tanks and there was modern Latin music playing in 1920. The idea of having a dynasty and building managers was a good idea and was one thing I liked. But, there wasn't much outfits or personalities to personify your dictator with. The combat system was more tactical, but I would've preferred it to be more strategic though with different types of troops. I think that Tropico 5 is not as good as I though it would be. It needs some major tweaking before it could match Tropico 4's grandness.… Expand
  24. Sondirrasta
    Nov 11, 2014
    0
    A travesty to the Tropico series Avoid where possible..

    Kalypso are on a free-fall... They care not for the legacy... or the fans... or their own decency...

    they care only.. for the almighty dollah $$$$$$
    They released a half assed game hoping to artificially inflate it with DLC... only kids like this crap because they've never played the original/
  25. Dethstar
    Jun 8, 2014
    6
    Very mixed feelings about Tropico 5. It does feel like the game has tried to take a step back to go forwards and I am not really sure its come out ahead.

    Firstly, the UI. Its a step back. Those things you would usually do to access a menu and make a selection are not and things are mapped strangely indeed and the way you select options feels like something from a console port instead    Very mixed feelings about Tropico 5. It does feel like the game has tried to take a step back to go forwards and I am not really sure its come out ahead.

    Firstly, the UI. Its a step back. Those things you would usually do to access a menu and make a selection are not and things are mapped strangely indeed and the way you select options feels like something from a console port instead of a PC based series. It makes little sense and would probably annoy console and PC gamers alike. (I dont think this is even available on consoles making this choice even more hard to undertstand). So the UI feels clunky.

    The interaction between your island and the world in general feels more involving and dynamic than it did in past games, this is as step forward.

    The reactions of your people and factions seems to be more predictable and less fussy which though many will find a "dumbing" down but I actually found quite logical.

    Graphics and sound, more of the same all up to par / good. Amusing voices on the characters etc etc

    I have to mention the character creation. You can appear like various forms of halfwit no matter the combinations you choose. This actually doesnt really matter but it inst very polished. We no longer have any traits either. Personally, I dont much care about that but it does add slightly to the feeling of a potential dumbing down in Tropico.

    Am I glad I got it...... Erm, not really.

    Its ok but it doesnt feel like a new game by any means. There is a lack of content and depth here which is a bit disappointing. On the other hand, I am enjoying it for what it is. More of the same with a few new twists and turns. I suspect the lack of depth and (unless I am wrong as I am still playing) lack of actual content will give this a relatively short life on my installed games list.

    Possibly the last Tropico for me unless the next game really brings something new to the party. I dont want multiplayer, I dont want crap achievements or anything like that, just more content and options to add longevity to the experience. Right now it doesnt look like there was enough in this to justify a new release.    … Expand
  26. RedEyedFrog
    Jun 5, 2014
    3
    Do you want me to prove that this is a half completed game for you?
    ok lets start:
    1) Tropico 4 had great variety of buildings. all of them required Modelling , Animating and programming. they told themselves why should we spend money on all these? we can replace them other ways or simply remove them. for example we don't need to go through all the process of modeling and animating    Do you want me to prove that this is a half completed game for you?
    ok lets start:

    1) Tropico 4 had great variety of buildings. all of them required Modelling , Animating and programming.
    they told themselves why should we spend money on all these? we can replace them other ways or simply remove them. for example we don't need to go through all the process of modeling and animating an Immigration office. we just right 10 lines of text in constitution and do the programming only!
    2) Also we are not going through all that process for some buildings like Prison or Grade school or garbage dump and we remove them completely (although 94% of players want them.)

    3) At the same time we are not going through the process of modeling and Animating for some buildings and let the other buildings do their job using only one upgrade which includes only 2 lines of text and 10 lines of programming and doesn't even change the look of the buildings (like fire departments)

    4) at the same time why we need the appearance of the buildings to reflect their upgrades like Tropico 4, that costs us money! so we are not going to do that too

    5) why should we make it hard for ourselves by designing a good battle system? war is war who cares? letting players to control their military units need more programming and costs us money. why we need to do that?

    6) if we want to let presidente to give speeches and be active we should do animating , programming and some more voice recording and that will cost us money! so we don't do that too

    7) also in tropico 4 most of the buildings like schools and college and even garbage dumps had had options . you could choose the building to operate the way you wanted for example you could choose to recycle , decide what should be taught in college or school, all of these required more money to for programmers , so we gonna remove them as well

    8) designing multiple appearances for some buildings are going to need some more modelling and that is going to cost us money too, so again we are not going to do that. let all of their buildings look the same we don't care

    9) But we gonna need something to attract people don't we? so lets make a multiplayer! oh wait that gonna cost us too. so we gonna release half completed multiplayer without most of default multiplayer features and let them be happy with that!

    10) EVEN WE DON'T NEED TO DESIGN SOME OF THE IMAGES, WE ARE GOING TO SIMPLY COPY PASTE THEM FROM INTERNET LIKE THIS:

    http://oi59.tinypic.com/otixrk.jpg

    http://bromley-landlord.co.uk/wp-content...706117.jpg

    LOOK CLOSELY Big Grin lol (oh Kalypso)

    11) we gonna change our voice recording studio to a terrible voice recording studio with terrible voice actors BUT it's cheaper!

    12)oh wait even on making a trailer for the game why should we make it hard for ourselves to make a good, innovative trailer and spend more money on it? we are just going to copy the Charlie Chaplain's Great Dictator idea and so we can get a cheap Trailer that doesn't reflect our game flaws and missing content

    AND ALL OF THESE ARE POSSIBLE BY ABUSING PLAYERS LOYALTY TO TROPICO. MAN WE GONNA MAKE **** LOAD OF MONEY FROM THIS CRAP.    … Expand
  27. cattyerde
    Oct 20, 2014
    0
    I just returned to Tropico from Tropico 1 and this seriously blows. To the point of being unplayable. Although you can use sandbox mode to play more islands and just ignore the basic missions, and you can also find more presidente options if you do this, the almanac is awful and the unnecessary rebels are a bore, necessitating too many military units. Who ever heard of an 85 percentI just returned to Tropico from Tropico 1 and this seriously blows. To the point of being unplayable. Although you can use sandbox mode to play more islands and just ignore the basic missions, and you can also find more presidente options if you do this, the almanac is awful and the unnecessary rebels are a bore, necessitating too many military units. Who ever heard of an 85 percent majority democracy with 7 people blowing up the palace because of a 45 point approval rating? The graphics arent better, they are just set up differently. Now going to buy Tropico 4, as it sounds more like Tropico 1… Expand
  28. Illanair
    May 23, 2014
    8
    Definitely a worthy successor and a fresh breath of air to the Tropico series. The new Era system in particular helps make the game feel like times are changing every so often. Shifts in foreign powers, local factions. The grid based building system is also a godsend to anyone who likes organized city centers.
  29. crapchunk
    May 27, 2014
    6
    I come from a long line of El Presidentes... Specifically from 1 to 4 and now 5 and I have to say this newest island blows...

    I think Tropico 5 fails in 2 of the most important motivations in a city-builiding sim game. (1) Charm, (2) Free-Will. A lot of american games suffers from point 1 over time. It is akin to visiting a quaint european village compared to an american megapolis,    I come from a long line of El Presidentes... Specifically from 1 to 4 and now 5 and I have to say this newest island blows...

    I think Tropico 5 fails in 2 of the most important motivations in a city-builiding sim game. (1) Charm, (2) Free-Will.

    A lot of american games suffers from point 1 over time. It is akin to visiting a quaint european village compared to an american megapolis, or comparing kyoto the ancient capital of Japan to Tokyo, its business skyscraper equivalent. It is giving up the quaint, charming pace in place of structured conveniences which will bring in masses but lose the charm. I think that with every iteration of Tropico, more and more charm is lost. Charm is in the small things, it is in the details. Take the walking speed of the inhabitants for example, all citizens now walks really fast, getting to places in no time. There's no more old people walking around, and you hardly see kids or babies walking without purposes. Everybody seems to run with such clear vision of where they need to be, and no one is laid back, as a banana republic should be. The teamsters in the colonial age now runs at just a tad slower than cars in the modern age, and if a battle happens on a street, the population will drive past the zone ignoring the firefight in its path. Construction had been most charming in Tropico 1 and 2, where the construction workers, distinctly male or female, would take time to level the trees, alter the terrain, then built the foundation and finally the structure. In 3 & 4, I was disappointed because they no longer alter the terrain but still, you wonder if your workers will get too tired and give up to go for a drink right before it finishes that important building that you needed built. As a manager, you then adjust your strategy to make sure things get done. In 5, omg like the new Simcity, the construction workers would tap once, twice and then go to the next part of the building, tap tap and its done. Theres no emotional investment at all. Wheres the waiting, the anticipation that they got right the last time and games like BANISH still respects. How about graphics? - Wheres the graffiti in the buildings? Where's the run down shacks? There's shacks all right but it's not really all that run down. Graphics are the least charming it has ever been with most building spotlessly clean. WTF its a banana republic not an inorganic tourist trap like SINGAPORE! The UI has also been reduced to some corporate data sheet. You no longer get to see who is using some of your services like the clinics. Instead of faces of people, you get to see number. Church? Numbers... How about elections? That was nail biting in Tropico 2. Then in 3 & 4, they took away the all important "anticipation" and "built up". It became harder to know who you were in the run against. If there's no character development and tension building, who cares about the election? That plot becomes a speed bump in the game, nothing more. In 5, it got worse because now, if it says you got 49%, you don't need for the results to be out before you know you gonna lose. Where's the swing voters? If you win, yes, the swing voters kicks in to let the numbers feel more organic. So (1) Charm is so much less in Tropico 5

    (2) Free-Will. This affects Charm as well because charm is a by product of free-will. Without organic feeling destiny, where's the charm? And Tropico is full of very predictable outcomes. Its very tightly scripted story-progression mechanics is fine when it gives you information, but Tropico 5 just makes it very linear and each dialogue has an ulterior motive to drive you in ONE direction and ONE only. There is only always ONE winning outcome for every scenario, in a city building game!!! Sure you can take a few detours to get there but then its always the same! Between the start of a stage and end objective, theres all there sub-objectives that drives up every few minutes that you have to at least fulfill most of it to progress further. This breaks the illusion that you are a governor or El Presidente, but rather you are really Penultimo, the sidekick, and the developers are the real Presidents in this game. This is the most LINEAR driven city sim ever, even more so than the debacle Simcity. How can this be? How can the developers think that a LINEAR building sim is a good idea? When all we've had for generations of City Building Sims is to play with free-will?

    Well for one thing, the developers seems to have focused on using the humour to mask the shortcomings but humour is a very subjective attraction. Some people like Monty Python wit, others prefer Conan OBrien etc. The humour is not as good as in previous Tropicos, because the characters are not flashed out. Other than Penultimo, the setup of the characters are too weak to feel Invested properly. Tropico 5 is a fun game because the apple can't fall too far from the tree, and some key mechanics from old makes it fun, but along the way it just got lost.    … Expand
  30. pazmacats
    Jun 23, 2014
    0
    I regretted buying this game after playing for more than 3 hours. Game mechanics are not documented anywhere.

    Politics: Rebels will rise based on faction standings, not based on happiness, leading to the ridiculous situation that your people love you, but you are facing rebel attacks every 3 minutes (real time) because some factions hate you because of (uninformed) decisions made by the    I regretted buying this game after playing for more than 3 hours. Game mechanics are not documented anywhere.

    Politics: Rebels will rise based on faction standings, not based on happiness, leading to the ridiculous situation that your people love you, but you are facing rebel attacks every 3 minutes (real time) because some factions hate you because of (uninformed) decisions made by the player regarding the constitution of the island.

    Economy: Um... I made MUCH more money from selling coffee than I did from selling canned coffee. Importing raw materials (sugar) to produce something else (rum) does not work at all. 80% of the trade routes are import routes. At some point I simply ignored trade altogether and simply spammed farms, mines and lumberjacks.

    Humour: No. Tropico 5 is not funny.

    Music: Music is fine, I guess.

    Final verdict: Uninspired necromantic effort.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
32
#32 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 51
  3. Negative: 1 out of 51
  1. CD-Action
    Aug 25, 2014
    80
    Solid, engaging campaign is full of humor and shines especially during the Cold War era, but unfortunately fades in the modern period. [08/2014, p.75]
  2. Level7.nu
    Aug 11, 2014
    60
    Dictator sim Tropico 5 offers a good strategy experience that is fairly easy to get into, compared with many of its competitors. The colorful graphics and music sets a nice tropical island tone and occasional laughs can be had due to the funny dialogue. However, compared with the best in the genre, Tropico 5 feels a bit monotonous at times, in particular towards the end of a round.
    Read full review
  3. Worth Playing
    Jul 17, 2014
    85
    As a total package, it's a great starting point for new players. Gameplay mechanics like diplomacy have been simplified, so it's pretty easy to understand for newcomers.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »