After a stellar outing with Marvel's Midnight Suns, Firaxis is returning to its long-running grand strategy series Civilization, with a seventh entry in the franchise having just been confirmed. While this entry is sure to bring about a number of long-awaited improvements, a slew of new world leaders and nations, and some shiny new visuals, Civilization 7 will likely function very similarly to Civilization 6, which was a lot like Civilization 5. The Civilization franchise isn't quite stale yet, but it does run the risk of becoming it in a few years' time without a break from the usual formula.
It might finally be time for the mainline Civilization franchise to take a little break, and in its absence, a Civilization spin-off should be born. There are countless different directions a Civilization spin-off could go in, but one of the most intriguing could be an Age of Mythology-style title, where ancient-era leaders are swapped out for deities and traditional land units are swapped out for minor gods.
The Civilization Franchise Should Get Its Own Mythological Spinoff
Over the last 30 years, the Civilization franchise has released a handful of spinoff titles, all of which follow the same general gameplay formula as the rest of the series, just with a unique twist. The two Civilization Revolution titles are designed to be accessible, streamlined spin-offs that ease new players into both the Civ series, and the grand strategy genre as a whole. 2014's Civilization: Beyond Earth takes players into space, just like the 1999 Civ spinoff Alpha Centauri did.
With the last Civilization spin-off releasing almost a decade ago, it's about time for another one, and there's one big point of inspiration it could take from. The Age of Empires franchise has been around almost as long as Civilization, with its first entry releasing in 1997. In 2002, Age of Empires released a spin-off titled Age of Mythology, a game that kept the same gameplay formula as the last few entries in the series, but swapped out its historical setting for a mythological one. It's this premise that the next Civilization spin-off should borrow from.
In the Civilization franchise, players select a famous historical world leader and a real-world nation. Players then build up their historical nation by researching new technology and constructing new buildings, all while defending their cities from any enemy attacks. All of Civilization's gameplay elements are rooted in real-world history, from its Great Artist mechanic to its religious pantheons. And while this has given the Civ series a definitive niche, there's always room for more experimental entries in the series, so a mythological spin-off just makes sense.
Civilization already lets players control the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans, among other ancient nations. It's a small leap to get from there to a mythological setting. A mythological Civilization game would just need to swap out leaders like Alexander, Cleopatra and Caesar for gods like Zeus, Ra, and Jupiter. Instead of working toward a technological, cultural, or economic victory, a mythological Civ could focus on world domination and a religious victory, whereby players would need to complete specific acts to please the gods, who would in turn lend their power to the player's nation. Rather than Great Generals and Great Thinkers, players could be rewarded with gods from each respective pantheon such as Ares, Mars, or Horus, each with their own unique abilities. While the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans are all great starting civilizations, there's plenty room for more, with the Norse pantheon being an obvious pick.