Class A
Anno 1800
After its brief detour to apocalyptic future, the economic simulation series Anno returns to use a historical setting fully refreshed with Anno 1800.
The basic goal remains the same: explore an island world with your flagship, set an island starting with a simple warehouse, and develop the land into a metropolis through industry and transportation networks. Similarly to its brethren, The Settlers, you have to slowly expand your territory to make space for increasingly complicated production chains. But while in The Settlers the purpose of such industry is to support a strong army, Anno games focus on a more peaceful approach, that is, to fulfil the increasing needs of citizens in ever-growing cities as well as to trade with fellow governors and industrialists.
Unlike in previous Anno games, the world of Anno 1800 is divided into an old world and a new world, both of which provide different scenery, raw resources, and building options. The interplay between these regions is crucial to develop cities to their highest tier. Another addition to the series is the workforce, which is required for all industrial buildings. Therefore, both the growing of cities and the balancing of different citizen tiers have more vital role than previously. The game adds numerous new ways to optimise production, such as employing specialists, utilising propaganda in regularly published newspapers, and adjusting work hours in factories. Although at easier settings the game can be a soothing town builder, at higher difficulties such micromanagement becomes necessary, providing a very different experience.
With a good number of high-quality expansions available, the game can provide an enormous amount of complex yet smooth gameplay. Being the newcomer to a 20-year old franchise, Anno 1800 is truly exceptional.