Introduction

The year is 2070. Over a century of human waste and neglect has ravaged the planet and brought about one of the worst disasters in human history. Swaths of previously habitable land are now deep underwater, and sovereign nations are a relic of the past. But there is still hope. What used to be little more than desolate deserts and other treacherous terrain have been transformed into veritable oases with enough resources to sustain humanity’s regrowth. How to effectively make use this second chance is up to you…

Anno 2070 is the latest entry in the long-running series of city-building RTS games, where each title focuses on a different time period of human history and colonization. Previous entries have spanned the years 1404, 1503, 1602, and 1701, but now the franchise is making a giant leap forward into the fictional future. The core gameplay is still the same, however -- you colonize an island, build up a city utilizing the resources available to you, and thwart off rivals, with force if necessary.

I admit I have never played an Anno game before 2070, but the series has always intrigued me. It combines several different genres including city-building and real-time strategy with elements of tycoon and trading simulators. Veterans of the series should know that the core gameplay remains unchanged, but there are a few twists. New to the series is a sort of “cause-and-effect” mechanism of environmental degradation. If you exploit the resources of the island you’re on without balancing the ecology, you will begin to experience random environmental catastrophes that will hamper your progress such as tornadoes and soil acidity.


In addition, you have now access to three unique factions that offer slightly different play-styles and requirements. Ubisoft also added some very interesting online mechanics that go beyond traditional multiplayer modes. Along with a cooperative campaign, there is a meta-game component where every player can vote on which faction should rule the “World Council” and what solutions should be enacted in regards to various global issues. There are also “Current Events,” daily unique missions to undertake in single-player, and “Global Events,” or time-limited scenarios that you can undertake with other players online to achieve a specific goal and earn its associated rewards.