Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide E3 Preview

Sid Meier’s Civilization series has captivated audiences for over twenty years. It is the pinnacle of turn-based strategy combat. Civilization: Beyond Earth released late last year, four years after its groundbreaking predecessor, Civilization V. Rising Tide is Beyond Earth’s first expansion, and it’s a game changer. Though gameplay remains the same, the expansion broadens the existing map and adds a lot of new content.

Gameplay

Gameplay remains almost exactly the same: the graphics still look incredible. Comparing Beyond Earth to the original Civilization, I can see how much technology has changed over the last twenty years. I am astounded by how much the series has evolved.

A few new factions have been added. The E3 demo highlights Al Falah, led by Arshia Kisk. Al Falah traveled space without cryogenics, meaning the culture has an extensive history and a talent for working with scarce resources. The diplomacy HUD has been upgraded to better show relationships between communities.

Artifacts are another new feature. They can be uncovered via excavation, conquest, or collection. They can come from Old Earth, aliens, or the Progenitors (a race the demo avoids elaborating on). Collect them for an immediate resource yield or combine them to gain additional benefits like buildings or perks for the player’s colony.

New creatures have been added to the game, too. The E3 demo highlights Hydra Coral -- non-aggressive sea creatures that block ideal waterfront settlement sites. They function on rough terrain. Though destroying them unlocks land space, it upsets the planet’s ecosystem. Destroy enough Hydra Coral, and the wildlife will start to attack cities. Makara, Rippers, and Sea Dragons start attacking the capitol city. Through strength and smart tactics, the E3 demo was able to fight back the incoming onslaught.

The Map

A lot of expansions broaden the size of a game. Rising Tide increases Beyond Earth’s mass. Players can now dive below the ocean and collect resources, fight sea creatures, and colonize. About half-way through the hands-off demo, I see an oceanic explorer dive below the depths to collect resources. A few seconds later, I see a group of patrol boats move to recover an abandoned resource pod; they recover an artifact. Almost all areas of the map have been unlocked. Players can now freely explore every inch of their planet.

Conclusion

Though it only adds a couple new features, Rising Tide is a fitting addition to Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth. Now players can explore every inch of their planets. With each update, Beyond Earth comes closer to its original vision: to create the perfect space colonization simulator.