‘Rising Tide’ boosts ‘Beyond Earth’ gameplay
For all its novelty, “Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth” was far from perfect. The sci-fi spinoff to the venerable turn-based strategy game echoed much of what fans love about the series. It took different societies, dropped them around a world and let the factions duke it out in a battle royale for resources and power.
The twist was the setting. Because “Beyond Earth” was on another planet, the calculus for survival was different. The alien life has a hive mind and pillaging nests would anger natives. Players could adopt different philosophies on survival, guiding the evolution of the human race. With this Affinity system, they could go the cyborg route (Supremacy), they could keep their humanity intact (Purity), or they could learn to coexist and meld with the alien life (Harmony).
Although “Beyond Earth” had plenty going for it, the spinoff felt too barebones for a “Civilization” game. Parts that are normally robust were lacking and the lack of mythology behind the science fiction made it feel like players were just shuffling around faceless units or adding buildings with spiffy names and nothing else. Fortunately for fans, Firaxis Games always improves their games with expansion packs.
And that’s what the developer did with “Civilization: Beyond Earth — Rising Tide.” The team looked at the weaknesses of its past effort and fixed the flaws. The update adds improvements that lend the spinoff its own distinct personality. One of the bigger changes is the concept of “seasteading.” Now players can build cities atop oceans, and these structures can move, adding a new dimension to gameplay.
This move opens up the map so that bodies of water are no longer channels for naval warfare. Players can escape from being boxed in by other civilizations by building colonies on the water. The seas have all the same resources as land, and with additional dangers and secrets, so using a society that excels on water such as the North Sea Alliance, is a viable way to win.
The other big upgrade comes in diplomacy. Firaxis overhauls the system letting players develop a leader’s traits. They must spend a new resource called Diplomatic Capital to boost a leader’s power-ups in four areas: character, politics, domestic and military. They can also spend capital to negotiate agreements with other leaders; the deals offer boosts and other perks that players will need to rely on if they want to get ahead. It creates a sense of politics much like the World Congress did in “Civilization V.” Players will have to turn down foes and forge alliances. What’s great is that “Rising Tide” makes this transparent as stats show how other leaders fear or respect players based on their actions. Improving relationships earns players better deals while sabotaging relationships may cut players off from agreements that could be key to success. Like anything in “Rising Tide,” the system is a two-way street and alliances do have their drawbacks, like being drawn into a war players don’t want.
Lastly, Firaxis solidifies “Rising Tide’s” fiction through an Artifacts system, new quests and a more diverse set of troops. Explorers uncover Artifacts on the planet surface and each piece has its own sci-fi lore, making the hostile planet feel more grounded. Further cementing this commitment to narrative, Firaxis adds more quests and even offers hidden missions that provide a tangible boost to players. With the troops, Firaxis went back and made them more diverse by tying them more to a player’s Affinity. Usually players aren’t strictly Supremacy, Harmony and Purity; they’re mixed. Military units reflect that heritage through hybrid troops that have their own distinct traits and stats.
For all its improvements, though, it’s disappointing that “Rising Tide” doesn’t offer new or upgraded paths to victory. There are still five ways to achieve a win by conquering the planet, making contact with aliens or pursuing an Affinity’s ideal world. Within a few turns, players need to know their goal and plan ahead. This hamstrings the emergent storytelling that “Civilization” games are known for and makes campaigns feel uneven with most of the fun coming in the beginning rather than the end of the game.