Tropico 6

Tropico 6 is the continuation of the dictator simulator of the banana republic. This time, the world is in political turmoil — the radio broadcasts that plans for the Wall have been confirmed, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union, and thus, El Presidente must return to business. Citizens are in dire need of a wise and far-sighted ruler capable of foreseeing the future and leading the country to prosperity.

Continuing your rule on the island, you can take advantage of completely new mechanics and tools for the Tropico series. Now you will have the opportunity to manage multiple islands during the campaign and even connect them into a single network using bridges or tunnels. You will also not have to build your own monuments and memorials — send your agents around the world and simply steal wonders of the world, whether it’s the Sphinx or the Statue of Liberty.

Tropico 6 is a city-building and economic strategy with elements of a political system simulator. A classic sequel that develops the ideas of Tropico 4 and Tropico 5 in their larger and better form, but does not offer anything revolutionary new.

The game has migrated to Unreal Engine 4, which has significantly increased the quality of graphics and textures, but the developers spent most of their time porting game mechanics, and all the innovations (larger maps and more inhabitants) should be credited to the new engine.

Tropico 6 offers colorful and well-crafted map options, the best in the series, with more than 50 in total. Among them are archipelagos with many small islands and medium-sized islands, as well as maps with one large island — but this is not just a piece of land, as in previous games.

The landscape of each map has been approached creatively, adding bays and straits, mountains and canyons, internal lakes, and various geological formations such as volcanoes or craters from asteroids, making you want to play a game on each map and fully develop it.

Periodically, disasters occur, such as floods or tsunamis, which destroy buildings and at least disrupt all plans, and at most force you to cling to the possibility of further progress.

The most significant change has been the increase in the limit on settlers several times — a logical decision given the expanded game world. Different islands can be specialized, one can be agricultural, the second industrial, and the third a tourist and cultural center.

The research system has been reworked, with half unlocking new political opportunities and decrees, allowing you to become the greatest dictator in the world. The other half of the research unlocks buildings and some special structures, such as an offshore company or a tourist center. With sufficient funds — all of this can be purchased.

Otherwise, expect classic Tropico with cosmetic changes that are returning mechanics from previous games in the series. For example, the Pirate Hideout will allow you to raid passing ships and also kidnap people for your colony.

The election speeches have returned: deliver speeches about breakthroughs, make promises that you cannot fulfill, and then blame the failures and mishaps on the treacherous West (or East) and continue to fool the masses. Glory to Tropico!

Tropico 6 offers more options for the same buildings than any previous Tropico: the total number has reached 150. You can build a Caribbean paradise, an industrial center, or an agrarian banana republic.

Tropico 6 features a single-player campaign consisting of a set of 15 scenarios. Essentially, they are a continuation of the training from 5 missions, so play through them together to feel more confident in the sandbox and multiplayer.

There is no overarching plot between missions; they tell different stories. The first one, for example, tells how El Presidente met Penultimo — his servant, press secretary, and advisor, while the following ones recount their further adventures.

For instance, how, thanks to the advice and humble requests of loyal Penultimo, as well as his incredible genius, El Presidente declared independence from the Crown. How he confidently ruled the state during the world wars, managed to withstand the pressure of two superpowers during the Cold War, and found new friends in a new, multipolar world. And Penultimo stood by, giving advice on how to complete each scenario.

If you have already played previous Tropico games, you can ignore this component, added at the last moment for formality, although funny dialogues and absurd situations occur regularly.

As usual in strategy games, when creating a new game, various starting conditions are set — starting era, population size, amount of money in the treasury, and many difficulty options.

From city-building simulation — constructing various buildings for your residents — houses, plantations, mines, workshops, laboratories, and factories. Palace customization has emerged — all its elements from fences and lawns to pools and domes on the roof. There are also global buildings, such as air or sea ports.

From economic strategy in Tropico 6, resource extraction/purchase, processing, and selling. There are developed production chains, and the higher the processed product, the more money the local budget will receive. Each era expands the selection of resources and processing options.

You also need to keep an eye on providing people with housing and jobs. By unlocking new technologies and moving to the next era, a wide range of upgrades for already built buildings becomes available, enhancing their productivity. Trading in the game is simple and automated — just buy a trading license and allow the export of goods.

Politics is an important part of Tropico 6. You will embark on a journey from a Crown colony to an independent state capable of terrorizing the entire planet with its threats, shocking with violations of human rights and "universal values." At the beginning of the game, the main task of the governor is the loyalty of the population. Further, he can recruit or incite revolutionaries to declare independence from the Crown.

At the end of the game, there are even more activities — during the "Cold War" era, you need to maneuver between the powerful figures of the world, fulfilling their tasks. Since any idea is contagious, your population will split into different factions. Initially, there are only two factions in the game — monarchists and revolutionaries, but then communists, capitalists, and other groups will appear. You will have to please all of them to avoid a revolt.

The game features multiplayer, which is divided into cooperative mode where you and a friend build the map together, as well as a competitive mode for 4 players. It will appeal to those who can manage their island quickly and efficiently.