Gameplay-wise, Tropico 5 received quite a few welcome updates. Your lush island nation Bureaucratic Breakdown It's one that tends to fall into the background until reelection time or when the occasional diplomatic mission pops up. Although a Dynasty is a nice thing to have, it's not quite a game changing feature. Dynasty members and their upgrades are carried over from mission to mission in the campaign. The great thing about family is that they don't abandon you. Otherwise, they can be used to manage buildings or embark on diplomatic missions. Then, when election time comes around, you can switch out your candidate for one that better fits your goals for the era. Although you can't edit their physical characteristics outside of wardrobe, you can assign them special traits like Administrator (cheaper buildings) or Celebrity (more efficient hotels), which can be upgraded with money. Every once in a while, you'll get a chance to recognize a new family member and bring them into the ruling class. Other new features include a Dynasty system. The continuality also helps alleviate the feeling of exasperation that comes with always having to start from scratch and rebuild Tropico from the ground up for the sake of a new story chapter. So, revisiting an island can sometimes feel like taking a step back in time. Jumping back and forth between islands sets up a nice juxtaposition, because they keep all the buildings and upgrades you made during your last visit. These changes are more remarkable in the campaign, where you switch between different islands to complete each chapter. All of it helps Tropico feel like it's an island that does change with the times. Although the buildings remain more-or-less unchanged until you modernize them, the citizens change clothes and the cars look different. It's a joy to watch the island shift from one time period to the next. So, your whole beach could be covered in docks, with little room for much else, to maintain a profitable trade system.Ĭhanging eras also impacts Tropico aesthetically. Will you pursue lucrative trade contracts with the Axis powers knowing which side will win the war? Or Russia during the Cold War? Or will you try to play the long game and maintain strong relations with the US? The downside to all of this is that you'll need cargo ships to maintain trade, and until you reach a specific era/technology, each of the very large and expensive docks supports only one freighter. It also introduces some interesting decision points. So, if you can import a low-priced commodity and resell it for profit, you could turn Tropico into a major trading port. You can trade with different nations around the world and set up lucrative trade routes with the world's superpowers, granted that you maintain good relations with them. Each come with their own unique political and social challenges, but there are also numerous opportunities. So, instead of patiently watching your town grow into a nation, you have to rush to succeed.įollowing the Colonial era are the World Wars, the Great Depression, the Cold War, and then Modern Times. It's the kind of early game stress that's usually limited to the campaign, but it's present in sandbox mode too. Further complicating matters is how you have to research the technology needed to write a Constitution within the time limit of your governorship, being careful not to do anything that might get your fired from your post. Players start as a small-time governor, serving at the pleasure of a king, until they can amass enough military might or wealth to declare independence. Tropico 5 adds a new twist to the familiar formula with by dividing the game into five distinct eras. Then it becomes a matter of keeping foreign superpowers at bay while you build up your own might.
As the population grows, Tropico has to become an industrialized nation that trades with other countries. El Presidente has to make sure there's enough food, shelter, and entertainment available to keep the citizens happy. The starting basics are generally the same. The streets and buildings might look familiar, but there's a sense that something deep down is fundamentally different.Īs in previous games, the player takes the role of a leader that has to balance a dozen different tasks. Playing Tropico 5 is like returning home after being away for a couple of years. Although the Caribbean looks better than ever, the game has a lot more going for it than a fresh look. You'd think that after so many installments, and numerous DLC packs for the previous game, that a new Tropico would just be more of the same, but with better graphics. El Presidente returns to the seat of power with the fifth installment of the island nation building sim, Tropico 5.
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