Tropico is a game known by many. The first title in the series was released back in 2003 and became an immediate success. Sequels and expansion packs followed in the years after. But, did you know not all games were developed by the same team? While the first Tropico was developed by PopTop Software and published by Gathering of Developers, the intellectual property was bought by Kalypso Media after the second game came out. Flash forward to 2019, where Kalypso Media is still involved and Limbic Entertainment took their first shot at developing a Tropico game: Tropico 6.
- Archipelago: Archi-what? I know, I know. So, Tropico 6 actually features a group of islands you can build your nation on. HOW COOL IS THAT? Get ready to build some bridges and connect your islands to one and other. Honestly, this is a great addition since it offers players a lot of new possibilities. Admitted, yes, it takes some time getting used to the fact that you have to take care of multiple islands but there is still one main island where your palace is. Adding an archipelago was a great idea and I’m so glad the developers finally implemented it in the game.
- Raids: Another thing that’s new in Tropico 6, is the possibility to conduct raids. Want to be a bit more badass and send some pirates to raid innocent other communities or nations? Go for it, you daredevil! Even though you don’t really have a lot of control over these raids, and it’s just instructing what to raid, it’s still a nice addition.
- Customization: There are some nice customization options available. You want a dictator, looking like a 70’s character but wearing a pirate cap? No problem! What if you also want to put him in a pretty pink palace? Hell yes, do it! There aren’t a tremendous amount of options to choose from, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be satisfied with the given choices. There’s something there for everyone.
- Soundtrack: Get ready to dance because the soundtrack featured in this game will get your body moving for sure. It gives a very holiday-like feeling, and I mean a holiday in Hawaii or something.
- Graphics: As is usually the case with the Tropico series, the graphics are looking smashing again. The islands look beautiful and the colours are vibrant. I also noticed a lot of detail, which really gave me a more realistic feeling. You’ll see people walking around, having back stories, etc. There’s also animals running around, which is always cute to witness in a game.
- Addictive gameplay: There is SO MUCH to do in Tropico 6, it really makes you want to progress in the game. We’re used to this with Tropico games and it’s amazing how Limbic Entertainment keeps giving us great successors to their previous games. The thing here is, you’ll be playing for a little while and all of the sudden hours have passed (in real life, that is). That’s how engaging the gameplay is, and that’s how a game should be.
- Time goes very fast: I immediately noticed how fast everything was moving. I felt like a year had passed in just a few minutes. Of course, you can’t work with real time here but they could’ve slowed it down a little. The game works with months and a month is over before you know it. And there is even an option to make time go up to four times faster? It’s already flying guys! For some reason, this rushed timing seemed to stress me out every now and then because I’d be like ‘omg we’re already 2 years later and I have nothing??’.
- What’s up with the roads: Whenever you build a tavern or a farm or whatever, it has to be connected to the road. Okay, this makes sense. Things is, you can’t really pick how the road is going exactly. You don’t get to pick where it turns. In a lot of games, you build a road tile by tile. That’s not the case here. In Tropico 6, you connect the building to an already existing road and the game chooses for you how this road will go. You can pick the general direction, but that’s it. This kind of annoyed me since I like choosing how my roads go and I had already painted a picture in my head how a certain part would look. But then the game doesn’t let me do my thing and bam, plans destroyed. Not cool guys.
- No campaign, just missions and sandbox: I was really missing a campaign mode here. Right now, there is the tutorial to get you used to all the different possibilities. Besides this, there are some missions and a sandbox mode. The missions are unlocked along the way, so you can’t just start with whatever mission you want to, which is how it should be in my opinion. The sandbox mode is also quite interesting, as there are several scenarios to choose from (some even with only one island instead of multiple). There’s also an randomizer if you’re bad at making choices, like me. But that’s about it when it comes to the actual gameplay. The missions feel like separate games so there is no continuous playthrough in the form of a campaign mode. This is honestly a big disappointment.
Score: 80%
The Tropico series have always been popular, and its success continues with Tropico 6. Of course, a lot of the previous games’ aspects were implemented, but players are also treated to some new ideas. The archipelago and raids are definitely a new success, while the graphics and soundtrack continue to impress. Finding out there is no campaign mode was definitely a bummer but it doesn’t weigh against the positive aspects of this game.
Developer: Limbic Entertainment Publisher: Kalypso Media
Played on: PC
Time to beat: idk, a lot of hours?
Perfect for: Managing and simulation fans
Steam Game Store link: click here
Head of PC team. PC, Switch, and Xbox game reviewer. Also a marketeer, concert and animal lover, and photographer in training 🙂
Steam: Mauitje
Xbox: Mauitjexo
