June 17, 2014 by Ryan Ward
Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth is a new science fiction-themed entry in the award-winning Civilization franchise. The game will send players on an expedition from Earth to lead their people into a new frontier to explore and colonize an alien planet, and create a new civilization in space.
Beyond Earth looks and plays very much like Civilization 5, but this game differentiates itself quickly with large roaming alien creatures, deadly gas emitting from the planet’s crust, and a quest system implemented to make each playthrough a new experience.
Factions in Beyond Earth are separated by their cultural affinity. Depending on which affinity you choose, your civilization’s goals will vary. Perhaps you will decide to adapt to the alien planet’s cultures and seek to marry them with your own. Or maybe you will seek human independence from the alien world, merging humanity with modern technology to seek greatness.
The new technology web supports your cultural choice with unique technological advancements for each affinity. This helps reinforce the storyline of each culture and guides the player through technological choices that make sense to their chosen faction.
Overall, the next chapter in the Civilization series looks to be another great strategy title with lots of replayability. Firaxis hasn’t reinvented the wheel, but they have added more depth to an already deep and rewarding game. Plus it’s great to see Sid Meier return to the sci-fi theme after all these years.
