There’s always been a common belief that large and detailed grand strategy games were too complicated for home consoles, primarily due to the intricate controls best suited for a mouse and keyboard. People often thought that console gamers wouldn’t be interested in these challenging strategy games, which might explain why a mainline Civilization game hadn’t made its way to a console in two decades.
However, Civilization 6 broke that trend when it was released for consoles, despite its control scheme being less than perfect compared to the traditional PC setup. Fast forward to Civilization 7, and the game is making waves by releasing on all platforms simultaneously for the first time in the series’ history. This bold move seems to have paid off, as the console version feels polished and user-friendly right out of the gate, thanks to significant enhancements in controller support.
Playing Civilization 7 on a console might require some adjustment at first, especially for those unfamiliar with large-scale strategy games on this platform. Yet, the controls are surprisingly intuitive after few attempts, building upon and refining the controller layout established in Civilization 6.
One standout improvement is the new action-cycling mechanic. This handy feature presents a prompt on the screen’s bottom right, allowing players to automatically scroll through all available actions during a turn. Whether it’s directing units, selecting a Civic, reacting to a crisis, or developing a city, this feature ensures players maximize their turn every time. It simplifies gameplay significantly; most actions can be managed with just a few buttons. Press “Y”/triangle to move through available actions, use the left stick to choose, and press “A”/cross to confirm, creating a seamless and dynamic experience that speeds up the pace compared to previous entries.
Of course, Civilization 7 remains more natural to play with a mouse and keyboard, but console users aren’t missing out on much with the carefully redesigned controls.
A highlight of Civilization 7’s revamped console interface is the introduction of a radial menu, accessible by pressing LB. This menu elegantly splits in half, granting quick access to various game menus like policy screens and tech trees on one side, while the other provides direct links to the diplomacy pages of rival leaders. This seemingly small addition streamlines the game considerably, particularly benefiting those new to the Civilization series or strategy games in general.
Yet, not all features from Civilization 6 have carried over, with a notable omission being the ability to click the right stick and snap the cursor to the camera’s focal point. Instead, clicking the right stick now re-centers the camera to the cursor location, which feels less helpful.
In summary, Civilization 7 embraces the console experience more than any of its predecessors, offering a polished and accessible version for those stepping into the grand strategy arena. While there’s room for minor improvements, this game marks a promising evolution for strategy games on a wider range of platforms.
