Highlights

  • Civilization 7 can build on Civ 6's government system to increase strategy depth and player options.
  • Civ 7 can introduce daring new policy cards and specialized governments for unique strategic experiences.
  • Civilization is in need of innovation after the long wait for Civ 7.

Civilization 7 has the opportunity to take one of Civilization 6's major mechanical changes and evolve it to further deepen the game's strategy. Since the Civilization games are some of the most strategic, open-ended games available, having a lot of options available for players is always important. Civilization 7 has several ways that it can further the intricacy of the game's strategy. One of the most interesting tools at its disposal is an idea set forth by Civilization 6. By expanding on that newer feature, Civilization 7 has a serious opportunity to shake up the formula further.

The reputation of Civilization 7 among strategy games has yet to be written, but as long as it continues the series' quality, it should turn out fine. The Civilization games have thrived in the genre thanks to their deep mechanics, as well as the huge amount of options at the player's disposal. With the amount of civilizations, leaders, map types, and rule variants at the player's disposal, there are near-infinite ways to play the games. That does mean that Civilization 7 will have to measure up to the others in terms of content. However, the series' track record is strong enough to make that certain.

Civilization 6 Science
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Civilization 6's leader lineup shattered glass ceilings with its range, and it's time for Firaxis to go even deeper in Civilization 7.

Civilization 6's Governments Could Evolve in Civilization 7

Civilization 6's Governments Were a Major Aspect of its Strategic Gameplay

Among its new features, the government system in Civilization 6 is one of the biggest changes that the game has to offer, and it has a pretty heavy impact. At certain points in the game, the player can choose their style of government, which affects which policy cards they can use. Policy cards are sorted into four types:

  • Military
  • Economic
  • Diplomatic
  • Wildcard

Each government type has a different amount of slots for policies, with each being tilted in one direction or the other. This makes choosing governments a vital choice at every step, since they impact which policies can be used.

Civilization 7 Can Make More Daring Policy Cards

The government and policy system is a great place for Civilization 7 to expand on Civ 6's quirks. Since the policies had major impacts, it would be interesting to introduce a few that can offer major changes to the way the game is played. For example, a military policy could reduce the cost of buying troops at the cost of raising all other prices, or an economic policy could increase the amount of trade routes while removing all trade benefits apart from money. Cards like these could be mixed in with more typical policies to potentially create several new kinds of strategies.

Governments in Civilization 7 Could Go in More Specialized and Game-Changing Directions

The choice of governments could be another opportunity for Civilization 7 to experiment. Civilization 7's governments could innovate by introducing more specialized government types. For example, while Civilization 6's governments were mostly based on real-world systems, Civilization 7 could create more wild options. For example, there could be governments focused almost entirely on economics, science, or another aspect, with policies heavily weighted in that direction; there could even be an anarchy-themed government consisting entirely of wildcard slots. More options for governments, especially ones outside the norm, could do wonders to help strategy evolve in Civilization 7.

Governments and policies were a defining part of Civilization 6 and Civilization 7 can put its own spin on the mechanic. Civilization 7 making some big changes is practically a necessity, be it with new features or reworks of old ones. Civilization 6's policies added a great element of strategy, and seeing them make a return would be great. At the same time, a few major tweaks and additions could make their offerings much more exciting. Civilization 7 has the chance to turn governments into an even more exciting aspect of the game.