The release of Sid Meier's Civilization VII was highly anticipated by fans of the Firaxis-developed series. However, the initial reception on Steam has been overwhelmingly negative, with the game garnering over 1,000 reviews and a disappointing score of 37%. Players have expressed frustration over the game's poor interface, outdated graphics, and a general feeling of incompleteness.
User Cool CGI Dog, who spent approximately 1.5 hours playing the game, shared their disappointment:
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, echoed these sentiments after spending about 2.5 hours with the game:
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 significant updates and improvements. The $70 price point has also come under fire, with many feeling it does not reflect the current state of the game.
Fans of the Civilization series are hopeful that Firaxis will heed the community's feedback and release patches that address the issues, restoring the game to the high standards the series is known for. While the Civilization franchise has a history of delivering quality and attention to detail, players agree that Civilization VII falls short in its present form.
