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Civilization Revolution 2 Review: Great turn-based strategy

Will this sequel be a revolution or just more of the same?

If you’ve played computer games for a long enough period you’ve probably stumbled across the Civilization series. First released back in 1991 for DOS it has since gone to spawn numerous sequels and clones. Your main aim is to build your civilization up from nothing. From there you will control the masses; who will discover the wonders of their world, or wage war against fellow Earth dwellers.

The game starts out with a simple tutorial to cover some of the basics; tap and hold to select a unit, or double-tap to move. Once you’re past this you can play on a random map, play towards certain objectives, or have a go at real-world scenarios from history.

This looks like a good place to set up your capital

This looks like a good place to set up your capital

If you choose a random scenario, with each turn you must decide where to move your troops, what to build, or just let time pass. The game actually manages a lot of the background details for you and it runs largely on autopilot at first.

However, as the game progresses you must make difficult decisions which affect the growth of your civilization, such as the option to research certain technology, which in turn unlocks more options. As you explore the land you’ll come into contact with other leaders. You can strike up a peace deal or declare war. It’s up to you to decide if you’ll be a lover or fighter.

You get to choose a leader which grants certain advantages

You get to choose a leader which grants certain advantages

These games can take up serious amounts of your time and often require you to plan a few moves ahead. Unfortunately as the display is so cramped (hurry up with the iPhone 6 already Apple) a lot of the necessary information is extremely small. This can make it hard to find the details you’re looking for or what each of your cities is working on.

A clear evolution

The real-life scenarios are more of a pick up and play affair with specific goals that need to be achieved. Try and be the first to the moon, survive an Ice Age, or repel the Huns. With an objective in mind you can plan towards this and structure your research effectively.

Each battle is fought with a short animation and opposition leaders are gloriously realized 3D models that adds some character to the game. The playing field can feel a tad small, but maps are randomly generated each time so you should never come across the same one twice.

Now do we want to make Pottery or research Bronze Making

Now do we want to make Pottery or research Bronze Making

If you’re looking for a game to wile away a few hours then Civilization Revolution 2 is definitely the ticket. It may not offer much new to the franchise but it was already a winning formula.

Price: $14.99/£10.49
Size: 428 MB
Version: 1.0.0
Platform: iOS Universal
Developer: 2K

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