#Tropico 5 ps4 reviews Pc#

Yes, you have to research new technology, make money with farming or mining etc., and construct housing for your citizens, but every one of those choices has its own weight on political aspects. Seeing what you can get away with, or seeing just how happy and loyal you can make your citizens, is the real appeal of this game. Definitely one to watch when it is released in April.The fun of this game comes from experimenting with the exact ways you can choose to run your little country.

Tropico 5 is different, especially for consoles, but it’s one that you might blink and miss, and that’d be a real shame, as it offers up such a huge amount of fun and quirk, in a genre that is usually so po-faced and straight. But given the dearth of exclusive titles right now, it’s interesting to see a previously PC-only title coming to PS4, and seemingly warranting some attention.

#Tropico 5 ps4 reviews Pc#

Firstly, because it came out on PC a while ago, and secondly because we’ll (obviously) be reviewing it in detail next month. We’re barely scratching the surface of what’s on offer here (there’s a multiplayer, too), but I don’t want to go any deeper into the game just yet. Don’t get me wrong, there’s reams of menus to get lost in, but they all make sense within an hour of play, mapped to triggers and face buttons. Despite a slight issue with selection (bare in mind this isn’t the final version of the game we’re playing), it’s a tight affair, and is very easy to pick up and get involved with. This is me failing the tutorial, because I tried to be ethical and lost an election.īeing a console version, controls are going to need to be mapped cleverly, and thankfully Kalypso appear to have gotten is just right. This all helps strengthen bonds, and offers perks that help you further. Instead of sending expletive laden letters to the King, you are now ensuring the President of the USA is happy after his visit, before he sets you challenges to prove how good you are. Do you want military conscription? These questions might keep you awake at night, such is the addictive nature of the game.Īfter a while, though, other nations will start to show interest and you’ll need to forge relationships with them. Sure, you can become a dictator, but you’re going to get less people flocking to your island. Choices like this change how you earn money, and generally how it all plays out. That said, once you gain independence, you can dictate policy anyway, so perhaps you decide to only let the rich vote, or maybe just men (oh lordy!) – maybe your make your island an atheist one, or a utopia where everyone can be whatever they want. It’s daft, but in a game that is as much about time management as anything else, it adds to the charm. Fail as El Presidente (lose the election, etc) and you’ll be told to leave your beard and keys at the door. Would you follow me to the end of the earth?Įthical conundrums like this are fairly commonplace in Tropico 5, but so is a level of comedy that is both unexpected and welcomed. Your opposition is suddenly ahead of you in the polls, so you have a choice: trust your leadership, or rig the votes. Then it’s election time and you’re in a rush to build amenities and beautify your paradise to garner resident votes. You’ll be researching new technology, but you’ll also be inviting foreign workers and aid to your island to staff your buildings. But quickly you’re declaring independence from the crown and advancing through the ages, and Tropico goes from SimCity to Civilization in one fell swoop.

It starts simply enough, and is of standard fare, really: build some roads, erect buildings, juggle the economy. Thankfully, the tutorial is of just the right length to whet your whistle, while also teaching the ropes – and bloody hell, there’s a lot of them to learn. Having dabbled in the genre but never played the series, somehow Tropico 5 feels entirely fresh, especially on the PS4 – because there’s just nothing else like it available on the system. In Tropico, you can rig elections, bribe workers, and generally be a complete dick in order to maintain the status quo on your own version of Hooligans Island. It’s an interesting and unique take on the God-game genre, because it recognises and indulges the power fantasies that you may feel guilty for in other games.

Let’s just get that out of the way right here.