This is the first in a series of articles here on Everybody Plays that looks towards some of the most interesting, unusual, or overlooked games of 2014 that we're looking forward to. This article kicks things off with a look at the world building fun of Tropico 5.
Life would be more fun if it were more like Tropico. While councils fall over themselves to propose the most ridiculous "traffic calming" measures they can think of, make decent roads so narrow even a classic Mini can't fit down them without curbing itself, and jam mini islands in any road that has more than a single turn, life is simpler on the island of Tropico.
For starters, you're the one in charge, playing as El Presidente, a stereotypical Latin American ruler that you can customise to fit your image. And that means what you say goes. Following a similar basic formula to the previous games, upon loading the game, you'll essentially be presented with an entire island that's yours to shape as you please. Starting off with just a few shacks and a pretty rubbish farm, it's up to you to turn what's barely even a village into a thriving metropolis, as you choose what to build where, manage your budget, and try to keep the various vying factions among your populace happy, while completing the missions the game throws your way. Kind of a like a World of Keflings, but with less booting your citizens up the backside.
As you'd likely expect, ensuring your people have enough food, houses, access to healthcare, education and jobs isn't an easy task, with plenty of plates to keep spinning - but Tropico is a game with its tongue firmly in its cheek. Whether it's syphoning the odd $5,000 off here and there to send to your Swiss bank account, or putting out an assassination notice on the guy that just cut you up at the lights (oh, how we wish we could do that), this is a game that takes itself anything but seriously.
Like a scene from a low budget horror film...
However, there are some big changes afoot for the fifth game in the series, which promise to add even more depth to an already cavernous game. For starters, the game will now be divided up into more eras - and, as El Presidente, it'll be up to you to guide your little island nation safely through some of the biggest political clashes in history. Starting out in the colonial era, as the days and weeks pass in game, you'll move through time, taking in both World Wars, and the Cold War, before moving into the present day. If you manage to fly under the radar, you may survive unscathed - but if you've grown Tropico to be a successful, influential economy, you may find yourself caught up in the middle of the conflict. That brings us to another new feature for Tropico 5 - the ability to defend yourself during in invasions. While we're assured that the game isn't about to turn into a full blown real time strategy game, complete with base building, you will now be able to have some control over your soldiers and defence to help see off the hostile forces.
When you first start playing the game, though, invasions from foreign powers won't be the highest thing on your list of worries, as unlike the previous Tropico games, you don't actually start as El Presidente - instead, that's a title you have to earn. At the start of the game, you'll instead be dropped onto the island by the crown, and effectively asked to do their bidding, running an economy, and creating a city that meets their goals. As you might expect, this makes your job somewhat harder, as sometimes the crown will ask you to do something that goes against your citizen's needs. While your residents might be dying for some better houses, if the crown decide they want a logging camp to help alleviate their shortage of wood, you'll find yourself stuck in between a rock and a hard place, as you kind of rely on the crown for your mandate to rule over the island. Annoy them too much, and it'll be game over for you, as you'll find yourself out on the street without an island to rule over.
However, as the years go by, it is possible to break free of the control of the crown and declare Tropico an independent state, a decision which brings with it plenty of options, too. Should you decide you want to break free, you'll first have to draw up your own constitution, which lets you affect several important parts of the game. Do you want to allow child labour? How about elections? Who can vote - or will you even hold elections at all? Staying in control is the most important part of Tropico, and the constitution lets you stack the decks in El Presidente's favour.
Ah, paradise
However, the new eras come into play here again, with a view to making your journey that little bit bumpier. Along with bringing with them several major visual changes, as everything from the design of buildings to the cars and clothes your islanders wear will be updated as you progress, the attitude of the world's superpowers will change, too. If you want to only allow men to vote, that may be fine to begin with, but as time goes on, the superpowers of the world may start to put pressure on you to change - and it's how you deal with that pressure that will define Tropico's future. With plenty of options, and some incredibly open ended gameplay, the country's future really does lie in your hands.
In more good news, it seems the developers are more than aware of the almost inevitable accessibility issues that come with making such an incredibly complex game, and have promised an overhauled interface and tutorial system for Tropico 5, to help newcomers get into it. And of all the news, that's perhaps the most exciting part. An incredibly addictive, deep, and rewarding island management game, Tropico is one of the only games in the genre that's available on consoles - and it's one more people should take a chance with. With more to do than ever before, some music that'll have you dreaming of Nandos, and the ability to take your island through the ages, Tropico 5 is shaping up nicely, and we'll be keeping a close eye on this as it nears it April release.
