The release of Sid Meier's Civilization VII was highly anticipated by fans of the Firaxis franchise, eager for another masterpiece in the series. However, the initial feedback from the Steam community has been overwhelmingly negative, with gamers expressing significant disappointment over the game's user interface, outdated graphics, and an overall feeling of incompleteness.
At the time of the post, the game had garnered over 1,000 reviews, achieving a dismal rating of 37%. User Cool CGI Dog, who spent approximately 1.5 hours playing the game, shared their frustration:
The game feels... so blatantly incomplete after a few minutes, especially by Civ standards. The resource icons appear to be from 1998, the interface is terrible, and everything is extremely sloppy.
There isn't any discernible care, which is something I didn't anticipate from Firaxis. The release of Civ VI is a far cry from this incomplete mess. At the very least, Civ VII's interface needs a total visual makeover to at least partially justify its outrageous $70 price tag. With this game, Sid Meyer himself slapped me around and spat in my mouth. I also didn't agree to it.
Another player, WillNever, who dedicated about 2.5 hours to the game, echoed these sentiments:
The interface appears and feels as though it was designed during the alpha phase of development and hasn't been altered or enhanced since. Although the new mechanics are intriguing, it is not worth the effort to navigate this awful interface. To make the game fun, months of tweaking are required.
A common thread among the reviews is the belief that Civilization VII was released prematurely and is in dire need of substantial improvements. The $70 price point has come under particular scrutiny, with many players feeling that it does not reflect the current state of the game's quality.
Fans of the series remain hopeful that Firaxis will heed the community's feedback and roll out updates to address these issues, ultimately restoring the game to the high standards the Civilization franchise is known for. While the series has a legacy of meticulous attention to detail and quality, the current version of Civilization VII falls short of those expectations. However, there is hope that with time and dedicated updates, it can regain its former glory.
