Model license in the genre of sandbox management, Civilization however, never sparked on consoles, for lack of suitable handling. Around Before We Leave to give it a shot, minus the extermination aspect. Steeped in ecology, is his universe well in tune with the times worth paying attention to? Answer now.
The apocalypse is good
Truce of suspense, if it is, yes, yet another post-apo story, however, neither hordes of zombies, mutants or any other species of dingoes launched on the trail of black gold, driving a backfiring racing car. No, we are content here with our humble humanity, which hides in good big bunkers.
The game, for the good men that we are, starts following long years of confinement. Our objective ? Take charge of the destiny of a new generation of good men, that is to say, rise to the surface in order to pollute once more, or rather repopulate the foster mother harmoniously. We have indeed learned from the mistakes of our ancestors; it is in any case the postulate of the title.
Rebuild on sound foundations
City builder obliges, our (re)establishment will not be done without squandering a good number of resources and raw materials, contrary to the green ambition initially displayed, because our needy little characters are toiling away to build many factories and buildings. A necessary step for the demographic and technological development of our population, which has the good idea not to put itself on the face for a yes or a no. So reign the most total of peaces, it is undoubtedly there the guarantee “sustainable development” of the title.
So we have plenty of time to swarm, create, cultivate ourselves and, soon, travel: first at sea, as soon as our first boat has been repaired, then in space when we have finally made sufficient progress in our technology tree. On board our inaugural rocket, we set off in search of other planets to colonize.
Where is happiness, where is it? In the stars
But before getting there, we will have to pamper our good men lost in the jungle of evolution, in particular by meeting their needs for water, food and clothing. Good news, all in their joy to find the fresh air, these dashing young people seem particularly difficult to upset, except to pile them on top of each other; so it is crucial to manage the number.
30 men in perfect physical and mental health, technologically advanced, make it possible to form an interstellar cohort which, once unearthed the appropriate star, will proliferate there at will, according to the same productive and evolutionary pattern as its earthly counterparts . With, in sight, the construction of a new rocket in order to trade with them and subsequently, our various colonies in the four corners of the galaxy.
Only vary, from one game to another, the worlds visited, randomly generated, as well as the materials they contain, the structure of the game remaining unchanged. This does not prevent it from offering 6 unique biomes, some of which are incompatible with the use of specific technologies, requiring us to adapt via the panel of construction tools made available to us.
No violence, it’s the holidays
Distortion from tradition, neither war of civilisation, nor cataclysm on the horizon, except for these space whales, whose unexpected appearance compels us to return to our underground shelters. You might be tempted to deactivate their presence in the game options, at the risk, however, of depriving yourself of an important part of the gameplay and the narration, where they occupy a place of choice.
Apart from these (rare) enemies, the weather will also play tricks on you, although mild most of the time, except for headwinds. It’s clear, Before We Leave prefers to the noises of boot of an authoritarian State, the calm and relaxing strategy, the development of our little good’z’hommes according to four scenarios with the variable difficulty, in addition to the Campaign mode.
Obviously less intuitive than with the mouse, the maneuverability ultimately acts as a potential opponent. This inactive touchscreen, what a waste! Admittedly, the joystick controls are fortunately decent, on the big or small screen.
A nice artistic touch
As for the colorful graphics, largely inspired by the concept of the sphere covered with a mesh of hexagonal boxes, dear to the saga of Civilization, their charm operates thanks to the constant renewal of environments, generated procedurally. Finally the soundtrack, although slightly redundant, is in a similar vein.
Conclusion
MOST
- A nice soundtrack…
- Un gameplay simple…
- An addictive game
- Calm and relaxing
- Colorful graphics
- In French
- A very good lifespan
- 4 scenarios in parallel with the Campaign mode
- Randomly generated environments
THE LESSERS
- … which can be a bit repetitive
- … still very repetitive
- No touch
