Civilization should be a staple of any PC gamer’s diet. And with recent flavors of the game on console and mobile platforms, perhaps the franchise created by renowned designer Sid Meier should be on every gamer’s menu. Civilization V is the latest game in the franchise and previously has received one expansion pack which added core gameplay elements like a faith based resource. The second expansion pack is out now for the game, called a Civilization V: Brave New World, and like its predecessor it gives players another way to conquer the world.
In my review of Gods and Kings I praised the expansion for actually being a true expansion pack in the age of DLC, the content it added felt substantial and the changes took the core game to a new level. That sentiment has worn off slightly with A Brave New World, and while the changes it adds to Civilization V gameplay are quite drastic, I’m not quite sure if bundling it into a $30 piece of DLC is required anymore.
If you’re a veteran of Civilization V with the Gods and Kings expansion pack, you might not notice anything is different early on in your game. Sure there’s some subtle changes to the interface and of course there’s also the nine new leaders to choose from. This time we’ve got Casimir III of Poland, Pedro II of Brazil, Ashurbanipal of Assyria, Shaka of the Zulus, Maria I of Portugal, Gajah Mada of Indonesia, Ahmad al-Mansur of Morocco, Enrico Dandolo of Venice, and Pocatello of the Shoshone. Portugal and the Zulus are the only nationalities we’ve seen in a previous Civilization game to date, so there’s a good chunk of new units and unique buildings to play with, as each leader has one of each. There’s also a handful of new Wonders to build.
As things start to ramp up through your standard game of Civilization you’ll begin to notice some differences. You now have the option for a cultural victory that’s slightly different than before. The big difference is the depth of how this is accomplished. Basically it comes down to building structures that are capable of holding great works and then generating enough cultural to birth great people to create said works. In doing so you’ll begin to gain the awe of other Civilizations and possibly enough to gain victory. As you begin to fill these slots your influence will grow - gain enough and you’ll be on your way to victory.
The revamped cultural system is only part of the big changes you’ll find in Brave New World. It only becomes apparently halfway through though just how important these can be. Now Civilization has dedicated trade routes which can occur between your own cities or with city-states and other civilizations. These routes transport not only gold and goods, but science, faith, and cultural influence. It’s with these limited number of routes that you can really tweak your strategies and “attack” other leaders without firing a shot. What I found most useful was building up friendships with city states through trade to the point where any battle I started I’d instantly have four or five other city-states backing me with units.
From a cooperative standpoint this trade mechanic becomes huge. Players can set up routes not only between each other, but pushing to specific cities. The tag team effect can in essence, steal a city from another leader’s control. For the most part all the of the co-op elements still exist in Brave New World as the base game and expansion. Hot seat multiplayer still works really well for couch co-op and online you can connect with up to six other players for co-op against the CPU. Teaming up still gives you bonuses like shared technology, though if you’re trying to achieve cultural victory it doesn’t appear as though the great works have an effect on the other Civs on your team. That said - you can swap works around to fill desired slots in the grid to help you achieve victory faster.
The changes continue for co-op gameplay with the advent of the World Congress. This UN-like group gets triggered once you hit the Industrial Age allowing all players involved to vote on policies and procedures that can give benefits or help sanction against stronger nations. For instance you can vote on trade sanctions that reset all trade routes in the game to City States helping crumble critical income for a few turns while routes are re-established. Other policies are more docile, like giving bonus culture for having archaeological sites excavated within your borders. Each Civ gets a set number of delegates and all nations then vote, so it’s easy to see how this can be “exploited” in co-op to turn the tide.
As fun as Civilization V can be online, I really find I enjoy the hot seat co-op much more. Being able to chat with the person and coach them through strategies is incredibly satisfying. There’s an added bonus of seeing things with a friend before they trigger during your own turn that you simply don’t get when playing online.
I think Brave New World is a perfectly competent expansion to Civilization V. It does a solid job of adding a few more layers to the game and gives players more options on the path to victory. That said, adding more isn’t always the best course of action. The more complex environment dilutes the strategies typically employed, and for players just picking a Civilization game up, they might find it extremely difficult to find victory hidden behind some of the new UI. The cultural victory is a meta-game in itself now and in a way, I found it tedious to learn the nuances of it.
In an age of smaller bite-sized DLC, an expansion pack like this can feel overwhelming. As with any good strategy game you need to take the time to learn the tricks of the trade. I wish these expansion packs would work stand-alone, but they do require the base game. If you’re trying to play online co-op this could be a hinderance, thankfully the couch co-op is a solid alternative.
The Co-Optimus review of Civilization V: Brave New World is based on a pre-release PC version with code provided by the publisher.