Many Firaxis fans eagerly awaited another stellar entry following the release of Sid Meier's Civilization VII. However, initial Steam reviews paint a starkly different picture, overwhelmingly negative. Gamers cite a poor interface, outdated visuals, and a pervasive sense of incompleteness as major flaws.
At the time of this writing, the game boasts over 1,000 reviews, resulting in a dismal 37% score.
User Cool CGI Dog, after roughly 1.5 hours of gameplay, commented:
The game feels incredibly unfinished after just a few minutes, especially by Civ standards. The resource icons look like they're from 1998, the interface is atrocious, and everything feels incredibly sloppy. There's a distinct lack of polish, something I never expected from Firaxis. Civ VI's release is a world away from this incomplete mess. At the very least, Civ VII's interface needs a complete visual overhaul to even partially justify its exorbitant $70 price tag. This feels like a personal insult.
Another player, WillNever, after 2.5 hours, added:
The interface looks and feels like an alpha build, untouched and unimproved. While the new mechanics are interesting, navigating this awful interface negates any enjoyment. Months of refinement are needed to make this game playable.
A common thread among reviewers is the belief that the game launched prematurely and requires substantial improvements. The $70 price point is particularly criticized, deemed disproportionate to the current product quality.
Series fans hope Firaxis will address this feedback with updates, rectifying the issues and restoring the game to its expected standard. The Civilization series has always been synonymous with quality and attention to detail; players expect the seventh installment to eventually live up to that legacy, but its current state falls far short.