History is built in layers. This was the key concept Firaxis kept in mind as it planned Civilization VII, the next entry in its long-running 4X strategy series. Civilizations are not static; they rise and fall, and new cultures take over and build on top of them. With Civ VII, Firaxis is aiming to make its playable journey through history more dynamic than ever, capturing how civilizations themselves change and adapt over time.
One of the keys to this new approach is a trisected campaign, splitting the historical drama into three distinct “Ages:” Antiquity, Exploration, and Modernity. Each of these roughly tracks to moments and advancements that are familiar for longtime Civ fans, but introducing these eras is aimed at providing better pacing and a sense of culmination for each era, as securing objectives will help determine your options as you move from one Age into the next.
“Players love to play the Antiquity phase of Civ VI,” executive producer Dennis Shirk told GameSpot. “They might play until things get a little difficult or crowded, and they’re like, ‘Okay, I’m done. I’m going to start over and play this way.’ There are other play…