tropico 5 review
TRANSCRIPT
Tropico 5 Review
http://www.gamebasin.com/news/tropico-5-review
My name is Chaz Neeler, but you can call me El Presidente. It’s important for you to know that,
while I am in every way your superior, I also want to be your trusted friend. I look out for you, the
little people, and everything I’ve ever done is for your betterment. I mean, SURE, I may have
smuggled rum into America for an outrageous profit during their prohibition, but how else could I
afford to squeeze all of you into those tenements with that gorgeous view of the cattle farm. Let’s
not squabble over the fact that I assassinated my own son in order to fake a war with the Axis
powers to win back some of the American’s favor either; he knew what he was getting into when
he was born into my dynasty. All of those civil liberties I borrowed from you? Well, consider them
a gift from you to me as a thank you for that brand new hang gliding club that will attract all those
new tourists. I will continue to act in your best interests, even if you aren’t smart enough to know
what they are. I am you’re Presidente and I just wanted to be the first to say, “Welcome to Tropico
5.” Tropico 5 is the latest in the line of island dictator simulators, thrusting you into the role leading
your small island community towards greatness. Whereas the previous two iterations of the series
took place during the Cold War, Tropico 5 instead introduces a campaign mode that ushers you
through multiple eras, each with their own trials and tribulations. Starting in the colonial era, you’ll
be a mere governor of a colonial island owned by the Crown. Completing tasks will prolong your
stay in power by decree of the King while you secretly build up support for your inevitable
revolution.
Once you finally break away from the oppressive thumb of the Crown, you’ll be tasked with holding
elections and maintaining your role through the support of the people in a new era. This ends up
being drastically different compared to the previous games, thanks in no small part to the eras.
Before, it was entirely possibly to simply win your elections via advancing industry and buying your
way to happiness, however that’s simply not the case anymore. Each era limits what technologies
and buildings you’ll have access to, so you’re going to have to learn to make due with less. You
won’t be entirely on your own in Tropico 5. This time, you’ll be able to grow your dynasty as family
members show up to help you during your rule, and often serve as valuable pawns for negotiation.
Quite honestly, this feels like a feature that was never fully fleshed out. It’s pretty cool to be able
to have someone in line that I can send off to Harvard as a way to bolster trade talks with the US
or the rare espionage mission, but outside of a few events, it’s fairly meaningless. I was hoping for
something closer to Crusader Kings 2 where I’d eventually be forced to pass the torch when I had
passed away, but as it stands, the dynasty systems simply allows a few more options that you may
never actually need.
Just like in previous iterations of the series, you’ll be given all sorts of optional objectives to
complete. These missions usually revolve around the idea of constructing a specific building to
appease a political faction, but a good deal of them play out as mini storylines offering sizeable
rewards for pushing through. At one point, I financed the communist revolution to the tune of
$10,000 in hopes of earning some favor with them before an election, and before I knew it I was
forced to build more housing to handle the influx of new citizens. The missions still aren’t perfect,
however. A good chunk of them feel scripted, and on numerous occasions I would take on a mission
that would require me to have a certain amount of a particular building and instantly be rewarded
when the game realized I had already built them a few years ago. The only missions that truly seem
to be reactionary are when you’re dealing with protestors. When your citizens decide to get uppity,
you’ll have the option to send the army after them, buy them off, or negotiate with them. While
negotiating you’ll have to complete a side mission to appease the protestors, however, these are
all directly related to the issues at hand. It’s a great way to feel some pressure while still being
guided on how to improve your island paradise. These missions also act as your way of directly
interacting with the other nations in the world. Keep them happy via completing missions and
playing diplomatic chess with your embassies, and you’ll be rewarded with more profitable trade
routes, free buildings, and even a little extra for your Swiss bank account. Speaking of, your Swiss
bank account actually serves a purpose this go around. Your dynasty stays without you, regardless
of whether you’re playing the campaign, sandbox, or multiplayer. Your dynasty members each have
a unique global skill as well as a managerial skill for when you assign them to a specific building,
and by spending your hard earned illegal slush fund you can upgrade them to be a bit more
powerful. It’s nothing revolutionary, but it finally makes the Swiss bank account feel like a
meaningful feature as opposed to a little aside.
Fans of the series will be elated to know that the signature humor is still found in spades
throughout Tropico 5. Penultimo chimes in as you finish each bit of new research, and speaking to
your other advisors is usually going to elicit a chuckle. There’s a disembodied voice that plays
through your radio speaking directly to your citizens about your failings and successes, and it’s
quite honestly one of my favorite parts of the game. Sure, she may not be happy with how things
are, but she’s smart enough to know that insulting El Presidente on the air probably isn’t the best
move. Instead, she’ll simply spin the details a bit, making sure that your citizens don’t feel bad
about your abysmal mortality rate by simply reminding them that they’re now free from the
shackles of modern medicine. At the end of the day, Tropico 5 feels like more of the same. There’s
nothing here that stands out as revolutionary, but instead it feels like a more streamlined version
of where the series has been heading. For newcomers to the franchise that’s fantastic news, since
I can’t honestly suggest starting off anywhere else, but long‐term fans are going to be left a bit
wanting. There’s nothing here that truly elevates the franchise or demands attention, but at the
same time I can’t put it down. This is definitely a case of “more of the same,” but when the same
is good, that’s not the worst thing in the world. This review is based on the PC version of the game,
which we were given for review purposes. Tropico 5 stands as the perfect place for newcomers to
the franchise to hone their craft, but veteran rulers may not find enough here to demand an
upgrade.
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