Tropico 5 review

Do you have dreams of taking control of your own country? Bowing down to no one and assuming reign across all the land? How about choosing the laws and controlling the taxes? What about deciding who you go to war with and against? Then Tropcio 5 could be right up your dictator street!

Tropico 5 is for the heavy hitter thinkers, if you want something to get your mind whirling a hundred miles a minute, whilst never knowing whether you are winning or losing, then look no further. You are given the power of creating your own lit- tle piece of paradise, and what you do with it, is up to you – well, mostly. In sim- ple form the game is a build it up and man- age your creations, from armies to workers, to exports and imports, to housing and your industrial sectors.

Now, this is my first step into the world of Tropico – there have been four others beforehand, all varying. So, I had no idea what I was in for. With that in mind I felt it was best to take the tutorial, which, with a little concentration, is in fact very helpful for the most part. But, as the game continues, you may find yourself wondering what certain things mean or do. The music that accompanies it is very beautiful and perfectly placed, however I found it very distracting when I was trying navigate my way around. And I warn you now, if you are not paying attention during the break down of the game, you will find your self wandering the island aimlessly, so pay attention as the payoff is worth it. You are taken through the ups and downs of economics, politics and eras, all very similar to the legendary, Age of Empires, and if you don’t know that game, then I highly recommend you rectify that situation as soon as possible.

Once through the taxing tutorial, no pun intended, the world is your oyster, well, the island is. If you are feeling a little wary, then don’t worry as difficulty level options are given to you before you dive right in, and now as a well versed fellow Tropican, I would recommend to start on the easier levels and work your way up as your confidence grows.

You start off with a very basic set up and living under the thumb of the rather demanding King. But, after many attempts I got through the first campaign, making your people love you, to become an independent country! It took a lot of hard work and a bit of greasing the wheels, but the island eventually adored me and I got to go on to the next stage – which is great, but it meant I had to start all over again from the beginning! I guess that is the point of a campaign, the next few campaigns I found I went thro- ugh pretty quickly, so it was a little disappointing, and at times felt a little fruitless, but of course I could have brought up the difficulty. Plus there are options of choosing to do missions or try multiplayer with friends.

What really captured me was the sandbox mode, where you are thrown into full control and given the chance to go through the eras. With the no campaigns, it means you can continue to grow and grow to your own set victory, or until, well, whenever! The downfalls for me, was the lack of explanation of how some parts worked, for example, it isn’t too clear what each building does and what it requires, you can’t see how much money you have when looking to develop, I couldn’t find a clear indication of my outgoings in sectors, and the mined resources seemed to run out all too quickly.

It is pretty clear to me that I enjoyed the game, as the hours just melted away, even when I wasn’t doing so well. Plus, it was obvious I was hooked when I found night had turned into tomorrow, and when I finally wasn’t playing it, I got twitchy and felt like I was getting withdrawal symptoms – it really is that addictive, you have been warned! If you are feeling adventurous, brave and a little political, then get Tropico 5!