Tropico 5 Generalissimo DLC Review

“Whilst you might grows with Generalissimo, it seems you ability to control it does not.”

Generalissimo is a DLC pack for Tropico 5 which focuses on the military side of things. In my review of the main game, I stated that this was certainly not Tropico 5’s strongest suit, criticising the lack of control you have in combat situations. I was excited then to see if this new DLC could change these dynamics and offer something more to make the militaristic features of Tropico a more appealing side of the game. That, and this DLC pack comes with a pretty cool General hat, so, what’s not to like about that!

Moving on from the hat which is almost certainly not intended to be this DLC’s core feature, the focus in Generalissimo is an impending attack by China following on from the threat of the Cold War. Keen to show Tropico’s international military prowess rather than fearing this oncoming danger, El Presidente seeks to strengthen the island’s military might in order to tackle the attackers head on! as with many of Tropico’s other military missions, there is a lot of build up play involving bids from allied forces, ways of delaying the attack, and encouraging side quests to point you in the right direction in terms of prepping for what is to come. The mission keeps you going for a good couple of hours, and is one of the more anticipation-inspiring of the DLC packs on offer.

In order to aid you in your efforts you are armed with a new building (and that cool hat); the Defence HQ. This structure is a unique building which is similar to the Army Base, only much larger and training an elite commando squad to add to your army. Certainly a beneficial force to have on your side, the elite commandos are recognisably stronger than the standard soldiers who will fight for you, being quite capable to taking on tanks as well as other ground units on your behalf. Whilst it is not a game changer and does not necessarily hold as much benefit as getting a few bases which would match the cost, it is a strong single structure and one that you should not turn your nose up at in planning the defence of your island.

Naturally, as is standard in Tropico 5’s smaller DLC bundles, there is also a new soundtrack and sandbox map to accompany the other in-game content. The soundtrack blends nicely in with the traditional Tropico backing, and the extra voice acting is well performed as usual. The new sandbox island, Madre de Dios, is a particularly good one this time around though, being a good size for playing out a decent sandbox game upon.

What Generalissimo fails to do is exactly what Tropico 5 really needed it to, and that is change up the dynamics of combat gameplay. There is no difference made to how you fight or how units behave during conflict situations, making them just as random and uncontrollable as ever. The game could have done with an overhaul in this area in terms of allowing greater strategic decisions or even fuller control of and details on your forces. Whilst you might grows with Generalissimo, it seems you ability to control it does not

The Good:

• A cool, new General’s hat makes your dynasty members look the perfect dictators.
• An interesting story keeps you occupied for a couple of hours for your money.
• The new Defence HQ and its elite commando squad make a worth addition to your military forces.
• The new soundtrack and voiceovers for the DLC pack fit the Tropico style as well as ever.
• The DLC pack’s new sandbox map, Madre de Dios, is ideal for a good sandbox campaign.

The Bad:

• The Defence HQ is only a single-use building and its cost makes it almost obsolete in comparison to multiple standard Army Bases.
• The military-focussed DLC misses the trick to actually improve the dynamics of Tropico 5’s relatively poor combat gameplay mechanics and features.