“The definitive version of the latest title in the Tropico series…”
I have been a big fan of Tropico 5 since its initial release. The game brought the series forward with cleaner visuals, refined gameplay systems and a fun and fulfilling story; the definitive instalment thus far. The subsequent DLC packs I gave much more varied responses to, with some expanding the game in meaningful ways whilst others missed the mark. Now, at the end of the game’s life cycle, the full package is on offer in the form of the Penultimate Edition (so named based on a character from the game rather than because there is one more version yet to come). This time playing through on console rather than on PC, I gained a new perspective on one of my favourite titles from last year…
For gamers who are not familiar with Tropico 5 or indeed Tropico as a series, the game revolves around your dictatorship of the tropical island of, you guessed it, Tropico. Finding its place somewhere between the realms of strategy and city management titles, Tropico challenges you with running your island to suit your character’s needs, whilst simultaneously appeasing the will of the people. Both your citizens and the wider world have their own agendas which you must adhere to or face the consequences, but that’s no problem for you, for you are El Presidente! A light-hearted overtone coats the questionable moral choices you must make with a façade of rainbow-patterned joy, making Tropico a uniquely entertaining experience.
Rather than attempting to re-cover each individual aspect of the main game and the DLC packs, you can read my analysis of these in my previous reviews here. Instead I want to focus on how the final form of Tropico 5 has come together, and whether the journey has truly been a successful and worthwhile one for fans. In short, the answer to that question is a resounding yes. Despite my mixed feelings on the individual DLC, when it all comes together in the main game it fits like a glove and really does expand the original experience in a positive way. The game works well both with and without the additional content, but in terms of the result in the form of the Penultimate Edition, it feels like the journey that has been travelled up to now has been a solid success by the end.
There is a catch which needs to be mentioned though, and that is the fact that on console the Tropico 5 experience is certainly not at its best. Some effort has been made to ensure that console gamers get to enjoy the joys of the game just as PC gamers have done, but in terms of the flow and level of control that you feel you have whilst playing, the original PC platform comes out on top. The main issue with the console version is the sheer number of menus and the confusion which ensues whilst navigating them. There is a radial menu for construction, which takes time to get around due to each form of building being on a different tab, requiring several right and left bumper presses to get to them. The menu itself works just fine, but it is certainly not as quick and easy as the PC’s simple point and click navigation. As well as this, both triggers have their own individual menus attached too, which then lead to further menus once again. Where on PC you can jump straight to what you want, the console build demands much more time and effort to get around.
My other gripe with the console version of the game is the pop up messages. This happens on both systems, but boy is it frustrating on console. Having taken the time to navigate through six different menus to what you want, the game might unceremoniously pop up with a new mission update or message for you, stopping what you were doing and setting you back to square one. For some reason the menu you had open before closes underneath this, so you have to get back to it again from scratch. As you can imagine, when this happens a couple of times in a row, frustration can quickly follow…
Despite it not being the cleanest format in which to play the game, I would not give the console copy of Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition which I received an intrinsically negative review. Could it do with some cleaning up in areas? Yes. Will it ever be as good as the PC version of the game though? No. In my honest opinion, if you are lucky enough to have the choice, you should play Tropico 5 on PC where it is at its best. Nevertheless, that being said, Tropico 5 Penultimate Edition sums up the
title game’s journey with great success. The definitive version of the latest title in the Tropico series to date, this is a game that you really need to play!
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