The concept of the city-builder with banana republic sauce is a niche proudly defended by Kalypso Media with its famous Tropico series. Today, Tropico 5 is coming to PC with the firm intention of making us participate in the revolution under the aegis of the local tyrant, namely El Presidente. Regarding the goal of the game, the objective does not change one iota, it is always to stay in power for as long as possible depending on the approach you prefer. Either you lean towards the politics of an accomplished democrat who skilfully plays with different parameters to guarantee joie de vivre, prosperity and freedom to his flock; or you opt for the opposite approach, using the well-known tricks of the worst dictators on the planet, that is to say, by abusing death squads to kill your opponents, bribe key people, and maintain your junta in place by all means. Basically, if you have played the previous games, you will not be lost in Tropico 5. In the news section, we discover an approach that is now intended to be chronological and historical. Indeed, at the beginning of the game you are not the undisputed leader of your island, but an unfortunate governor, subject of the Spanish crown, mandated to lead the island of Tropico for 4 years in the 1800s. Then time passing , you will have to face the challenges of different eras such as taking sides with the Axis or the Allies during the Second World War, choosing socialism or capitalism during the Cold War and finally, outsmarting the strategies of the modern world. First objective: to please the kingdom that sends you in order to recover term extensions, until you have succeeded in developing a sense of independence on your island. Once the number of revolutionaries is high enough, you can proclaim the independence of the Republic of Tropico, and resume your business with peace of mind. Once this first step has been taken, the other eras will only be a formality, each offering you its special buildings and its contexts in terms of foreign policy. Nothing remarkable in the behavior of your constituents whatever happens.
Evolution yes, revolution no
With all these changes, one might think of a revolution, but in reality, Tropico 5 is above all an evolution of the previous game. We thus discover a lot of new buildings, but very few changes when we remember Tropico 4 with all its DLC. The main novelty is above all the arrival of a technology tree, which will force you to research technologies in order to be able to unlock new buildings, new edicts and thus advance in the game. A revolution ? Not really since research only requires a library with a pair of graduates inside. Progress is fast enough that you only get stuck at the beginning, and there are a thousand and one ways to increase your research points; so much so that from a certain moment of the game, we are content to fill the waiting list of researchers without too much enthusiasm. We also note the arrival of managers, since some of your citizens develop special managerial qualities that can improve the statistics of your buildings when you hire them. Be careful, their number is not very high, and their careers are short: they therefore only represent a kind of temporal bonus that is added to boost a particular stat at a given moment, a bit like nitro in games of cars.
In fact, Tropico 5 is a title that offers better accessibility but becomes less precise in the management possibilities.
You can also create a dynasty, since you are now giving birth to adorable offspring that you can use to ensure your succession, or to place as a manager in key positions. Moreover, the Swiss bank account will finally be used for something since with the diverted funds, you will be able to improve the skills of your offspring. In terms of gameplay, no significant change, Tropico 5 uses the proven system of mouse management. Left click to go forward in the menus, right click to go back. The build menu interface has been improved with a tabbed system that makes it easier to read and quicker to use. On the contrary, the almanac which allows to obtain all full of statistics on the country and its inhabitants has been revised downwards. The information is less precise, we no longer have the exhaustive lists of the previous opus and it will be more complicated to get an idea of the number of its supporters, or the state of employment and the inhabitants. A system that novices should appreciate because the reduction in the number of information increases accessibility. Among the reproaches, we can also cite the disappearance of state penitentiaries which were nevertheless very practical for penning up opponents, making them work or subjecting them to a re-education cure; which remained one of the best ways to muzzle the opposition.
Cohabitation. What for ?
Tropico 5 now offers two-player tyrant using the brand new multiplayer mode added this year. This is divided into two parts: a cooperative mode and a versus mode. The cooperative mode is very successful and allows you to call a friend for help to help you manage your island. A good way to be faster, but also to have fun by defining completely crazy policies. The game mode is nothing exceptional in itself, but it offers a welcome breath of fresh air in the world of city-builders. Finally, the versus mode proposes to face another player for control of the island. If in theory, everything is allowed to destabilize and rot the economy of the opponent, in practice the parties quickly drift into a military opposition. Concretely, as soon as a side has an economy powerful enough to afford to build quantities of military buildings, the opposition switches to open warfare. And at that level, with autonomous units that you can't direct on a tactical level, things end quite quickly. Suffice to say that we are far from a real-time strategy game, and that after a few games we quickly made the rounds of the offer. In fact, Tropico 5 is a title that offers better accessibility but becomes less precise in the management possibilities. Finally, last regret, that of no longer being able to lead El Presidente during the game since he becomes a citizen like the others. The loose.
