my son left for tropico: now he's a sugar farmer and only eats 1 meal a day
City building has a relaxing charm to it; it's fun to watch your city slowly progress through time, slowly sculpting itself into your vision from scratch. Tropico 4 has the player taking on the role of the customizable, illustrious and industrious "El Presidente" to guide the nation of Tropico to glory, whether it be a Communist utopia nightmare dimension or a Capitalist industrial nightmare dimension. Hey, at least the zoos and aqua parks offer your unyieldingly loyal Tropicans some respite!
healthcare is terrible and his friends are dead
Set to the tune of a handful of dazzling and energetic Caribbean soundtracks, the game offers a campaign storyline and a sandbox mode, both similar in gameplay. The backbone of Tropico 4's gameplay has the player developing a nascent island economy by harvesting and exporting raw materials such as ore, farm foods, salt, and logs. As time goes on, industry and service sectors become primary forms of income. However, this must all be done while juggling favor among Tropico's multiple factions. El Presidente, the Communists are raving for adequate housing and better healthcare again; the Environmentalists are demanding more gardens and a demolition of every lumber mill on the island; the Militarists just want more soldiers in their petition- the list goes on and on. It is up to the player as to which factions will hold priority, but beware: unhappy Tropicans are likely to protest, stalling production, and ultimately may end up as rebels!
The buildings and structures available in Tropico 4 are vibrant and demonstrate great attention to detail. The camera level can range from omniscient Tropican god to street level plebeian where you can watch your people go about their daily activities. Tropican lifestyle is ultimately dictated by the player, but a variety of life comforts must be available: food quality, job quality, religious satisfaction, entertainment, etc. Again, if these requirements are not met, Tropicans may defect and rebel. Perhaps you've created a religious police state where any heathen against the personality of El Presidente is arrested? Maybe a tourist paradise, juxtaposed with the poor and ragged toiling away in chemical and weapons factories just the next block over? Although the threat of rebellion from Tropicans demanding freedom of speech and increased liberty sounds pretty scary, the actual consequences of a rebellion are rather low.
there's no fire department; only 6 casinos and a zoo
In the event that the rebels do decide to launch an attack on one of your buildings, your army will be called in to deal with them. Even if the rebel threat isn't dealt with, the worst I've seen in 30 hours of gameplay is simply a single building destroyed. Although Tropico 4 is a kind of laid back, relaxing city builder, the sense of agency it attempts to create with its political system (for example, if relations with the US or USSR get too low, they may invade your island, ending the game) isn't quite all there. Foreign relations are relatively simple to juggle; completing two or three objectives lands you in a pretty spot with world powers. This leads to much of the game's more intricate features being somewhat wasted: options to interact with citizens or bribe faction leaders will mostly go unused. More often, I will find myself in an awkward position where my economy is shot down the pipes, leaving me unable to spend anymore capital as my treasure descends into the nether world where the debts pile up. My island would still run and there wouldn't be any serious repercussion; even being down tens of thousands of dollars did not lead to any losing condition.
Micromanagement of buildings can also be a hassle as the game's interface only allows for a single building to be selected at once. This leads to a problematic late-game scenario where you'll want to adjust wages for all of a certain type of building and then having to hunt them down, one-by-one. User interface issues are extended in the event of natural disasters: tsunamis, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, etc. can damage or destroy buildings, leaving a small indicator as to where the building is (or was). Again, if you've gotten far enough into the game and are managing a rather well-to-do island, it can be frustrating trying to find every little building that was destroyed in your urban sprawl.
tropico's top selling book: the naughty toucan
Despite suffering from a rather underdeveloped political game and annoying interface issues, being able to create your own story and vision for how your island develops is at the core of what makes Tropico 4 so addicting and rewarding. Strategy games often have that "Just one more turn!" feeling where even after you've won, you just want to keep going. City building sims also exude that satisfaction of a planned and elaborate cityscape. Even after you've beaten the campaign and its various challenges, player made levels are also available, tacking on more content for the player to explore and share. Tropico 4 also boasts a great sense of humor; it's characters and voice-acting satirize real world counterparts and archetypes, fleshing out the entire experience and adding a great sense of aesthetic pleasure.
Take that bucket list out of the trash- your dreams come true in Tropico! Now get off the game and find a job.
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