Civ 7 Steam Reviews Criticized: Advanced Access Woes

Civilization VII's Early Access Launch Met with Negative Steam Reviews

Civilization VII (Civ 7) launched its Advanced Access five days ahead of its official February 11th release, but the early reception on Steam has been overwhelmingly negative. The game currently holds a "mostly negative" rating, largely due to player complaints focusing on several key areas.

User Interface (UI) Criticism: A significant portion of the negative feedback targets the game's UI. Many players describe it as clunky, unattractive, and inferior to Civ VI's interface. Some comparisons have even been made to "free mobile knockoffs," raising concerns about the overall polish and presentation. Accusations have also surfaced suggesting a console-first development approach, resulting in a perceived lack of UI flexibility and options.

Map Issues: The game's map generation system has also drawn considerable criticism. Players cite problems with map selection, limited map size options (only small, medium, and large, compared to Civ VI's five sizes), and a lack of customization. The lack of detailed map type information during selection has also been highlighted as a significant drawback.

Resource Mechanics Controversy: The new resource mechanics represent another source of player discontent. Unlike Civ VI's map-based resource system, Civ VII assigns resources to cities or empires through strategic management. This change has been criticized for potentially reducing replayability compared to the more random resource distribution of its predecessor.

Firaxis Games Responds: Firaxis Games acknowledged the negative feedback, specifically addressing the UI concerns and promising ongoing improvements. They also indicated that future updates and expansions will further develop the map system, suggesting that player feedback will influence future iterations. The developer's response hints at a commitment to addressing player concerns, but the initial negative reception highlights significant challenges facing the game's launch.