Tropico 6 Review (PS4)

In Tropico 6, you assume the role of “El Presidente”, the ruler of a Caribbean island nation that you will gradually expand and improve (or ruin). As ruler, you must juggle improving your nation’s infrastructure, military and economy while keeping your citizens satisfied.

Straight of the bat, Tropico 6 looks very appealing graphically and the attention to detail is highly appreciated. The most obvious change besides the updated visuals is the addition of multiple islands which are interconnected. The extra space is welcome change and presents you with the opportunity to expand your nation.

The game is played through four different eras: Colonial Era, World Wars, Cold War, and Modern Times. Each era has different applicable buildings and challenges related to the specific time period. In addition, your citizens are divided into factions such as capitalists, communists… As El Presidente you should try to keep everyone happy otherwise a Rebel faction will revolt, burn buildings, and eventually attempt to kill you. However, you can’t please the different factions all of the time since some of the goals contradict each other which makes it difficult to gain everyone’s approval .

As ruler of Tropico, you are able to assassinate, bribe or jail citizens that are causing you trouble. But if you get too extreme with your actions, this could potentially backfire and cost you in the long run. What Tropico 6 does better than any other Tropico is allowing you control over the ideology and way your island functions. Propaganda and influence feel effective and substantial. The campaign provides some really enjoyable missions and the witty humor is abundant as in previous games. Multiple islands provide a welcome dose of realism along with the opportunity for huge sprawling cities, and of course a suitably massive palace for El Presidente.

The controls are fluid and easy especially when building new structures and roads. At times, there might be too many things going on but in general you are able to keep everything under control thanks to the plethora of tools provided. This makes tasks and gameplay feel smooth which is a major factor in this genre of games. The PS4 version’s controls are responsive, for the most part, and the game doesn’t really feel like a port from PC.

Overall, Tropico 6 provides countless hours of enjoyable gameplay as you continuously improve and expand your island nation. The most notable qualities of the game are the visuals and the ability to build across several islands. The gameplay is extremely addictive and does a great job at constantly giving you new things to do. This PS4 version also looks and feels satisfying considering the game was originally released on PC. However, there are still a few flaws that must be addressed such as the cluttered user interface and steep learning curve.In conclusion, the humor and aesthetic of Tropico 6 do well to differentiate it from similar games and is a step in the right direction for the series.

GameRev was provided with a digital download code for the purpose of this review.