This sequel could have been an update.
I started playing this series since Tropico 4, and had a real blast with Tropico 5. From T4 to T5, the distinctions between both games made me really debate which I preferred. Coming out of T5 and playing T6 though, I can't really tell the difference. It's almost like a "remaster" of T5 by a different developer, sticking true to a lot of the styling and mechanics of T5, but making subtle changes. I would probably recommend if you haven't played T5, maybe skip it and play this one instead if you get the chance - or if you have T5, stick to that.
Outside of comparing Tropico 6 to previous titles in the series, it's a wonderful city builder and management game. What Tropico offers in a city-builder is a somewhat less intense simulation experience, where micromanagement is often automated and many numbers are either hidden from the player's view or easy to follow. Those numbers you're watching are typically how favourable you are to residents of your islands and the flow of commerce between production and trading.
It's all wrapped up in a cartoony package, with humorous characters acting as your advisers and diplomats, giving you your missions. The issues arising from this are political comic caricatures that are cringey stereotypes or repetitive in their appearances or dialogue in a mission. The music is great and the game looks fine for a city-builder, but I've seen and watched some comparisons that show not much has changed between T5 and T6, some even suggesting that T6 has worse graphics despite being made 5 years later.
The missions are structured as individual scenarios and maps, while T5 had a campaign with persistent islands throughout it - for better or worse. I've actually only finished a couple of missions in T6, and may actually prefer this style as the campaigns can kind of feel like a constant tutorial. Each DLC adds a new map, but the missions for the base game state that DLC use "is experimental and can break the game" unlike previous Tropico games. I believe "break the game" means giving unfair advantages or disadvantages based on the DLC, but part of the fun and replay value in the other Tropico games was revisiting base game missions with the DLC on, giving little life to the newer DLC that only adds a single mission. I don't see much replay value in the T6 missions as they stand anyhow.
It's a very odd choice to make a Tropico so similar to its last installment, despite being 5 years apart. I will still recommend this, because it's a good game. For previous owners, it's not a real must-have until something significant changes or is added to the game - so far there isn't.
I started playing this series since Tropico 4, and had a real blast with Tropico 5. From T4 to T5, the distinctions between both games made me really debate which I preferred. Coming out of T5 and playing T6 though, I can't really tell the difference. It's almost like a "remaster" of T5 by a different developer, sticking true to a lot of the styling and mechanics of T5, but making subtle changes. I would probably recommend if you haven't played T5, maybe skip it and play this one instead if you get the chance - or if you have T5, stick to that.
Outside of comparing Tropico 6 to previous titles in the series, it's a wonderful city builder and management game. What Tropico offers in a city-builder is a somewhat less intense simulation experience, where micromanagement is often automated and many numbers are either hidden from the player's view or easy to follow. Those numbers you're watching are typically how favourable you are to residents of your islands and the flow of commerce between production and trading.
It's all wrapped up in a cartoony package, with humorous characters acting as your advisers and diplomats, giving you your missions. The issues arising from this are political comic caricatures that are cringey stereotypes or repetitive in their appearances or dialogue in a mission. The music is great and the game looks fine for a city-builder, but I've seen and watched some comparisons that show not much has changed between T5 and T6, some even suggesting that T6 has worse graphics despite being made 5 years later.
The missions are structured as individual scenarios and maps, while T5 had a campaign with persistent islands throughout it - for better or worse. I've actually only finished a couple of missions in T6, and may actually prefer this style as the campaigns can kind of feel like a constant tutorial. Each DLC adds a new map, but the missions for the base game state that DLC use "is experimental and can break the game" unlike previous Tropico games. I believe "break the game" means giving unfair advantages or disadvantages based on the DLC, but part of the fun and replay value in the other Tropico games was revisiting base game missions with the DLC on, giving little life to the newer DLC that only adds a single mission. I don't see much replay value in the T6 missions as they stand anyhow.
It's a very odd choice to make a Tropico so similar to its last installment, despite being 5 years apart. I will still recommend this, because it's a good game. For previous owners, it's not a real must-have until something significant changes or is added to the game - so far there isn't.