Civ 7 Steam Version Suffers Deluge of Negative Reviews as Advanced Access Releases

Civilization VII's early access launch on Steam has been met with a wave of negative reviews, leaving the game with a "mostly negative" rating. Let's delve into the reasons behind the player backlash.

Civ 7's Rocky Steam Debut: A Sea of Negative Reviews

UI, Maps, and Resource Mechanics Under Fire

Five days before its official February 11th release, Civilization VII (Civ 7) opened its doors to early access players. However, the advanced access build has fallen significantly short of expectations, resulting in a deluge of negative Steam reviews. The high anticipation surrounding Civ 7, the first mainline entry since 2016's Civ VI, has been significantly dampened by this overwhelmingly negative reception.

Several key issues are consistently cited by unhappy players:

The user interface (UI) is a major point of contention. Many players describe the UI as clunky, unattractive, and a significant downgrade from Civ VI, with some even comparing it to a "free mobile knockoff." Accusations have even been leveled at developer Firaxis Games, suggesting a console-first development approach that has resulted in a limited and underwhelming UI experience on PC.

Map selection and customization are also problematic. Players report difficulties navigating map options, a limited selection of map types and sizes (only small, medium, and large, compared to Civ VI's five), and a lack of customization options. The lack of detailed information when browsing map types further compounds the issue.

Finally, the revised resource mechanics have drawn considerable criticism. Instead of the map-based resource gathering of Civ VI, Civ VII assigns resources to cities or empires through strategic management. While this is a new approach, many players feel it reduces replayability compared to the random resource generation of its predecessor.

Firaxis Games has acknowledged the negative feedback, responding to some reviews with a commitment to addressing UI concerns and suggesting that further map improvements will come through future updates and expansions. They’ve also encouraged players to share their suggestions for future development.