Tropico - the original game - had soul, charm, and was a caricature of a very specific concept - and was nothing like this corporate product. Even Tropico 3 had some of that original spark. Then they started doing the "lulzy" caricatures of people in Tropico 4 which set the tone for the games which followed. Tropico became a caricature of itself. Tropico 5 and Tropico 6 are more or less the same game. The game is completely sanitized, every operation gamified, and every DLC overpriced and seems to be aimed at the R*ddit crowd. I suspect this will be the end of the series as we know it. Next iteration of Tropico will be some kind of free-to-play always online MMORTS where you can buy packs to open for rare items like a new limited edition pipe for your presidente! Don't waste time on this, the developers have no idea what they are doing. Play Tropico 3 or 4 even, or even the original. This used to be a good series of games and now it is a dumpsterfire.
If you liked Trails in the Sky first and second chapter, this is for you. All the old characters are back and backstories are revealed. The plot is nothing to write about, it's not about the plot, it's about seeing old friends again. Easy to recommend, but if you thought the Second Chapter re-used too many assets, this one goes a step beyond. Falcom really got three games out of the First Chapter. Still for the intended audience, it's great.
But RRT3 is a very old title and this offers more or less that experience, only with nicer graphics. So if this is an itch you're looking to scratch, Railway Empire should do just that. I've played this game on and off for a year or so, and bough all the DLC and quite enjoyed myself. This is a solid 4 out of 5 star game. But it is not a five star game, it's a four star game - which means, while it's mostly excellent and way ahead of the average game of a similar nature, there are a number of rough edges, annoyances and such things which preclude the game from reaching the heights it would otherwise easily reach. Some of these are from comparison with classics such as RRT3 and some spring up simply from the way the Railway Empire presents itself. Good things: - in-game graphics are pretty and inviting - laying tracks is easy and innovative - options and strategies seem well balanced, i.e. one can build an empire on many pillars Bad things: - the game is too easy, because the strategies are too simple, it's very hard to lose - the cartoony style of the AI is annoying and out of place, like an afterthought - the UI is very bad, lacking tooltips and is a chore to muddle through Ugly things: - the day/night cycle is a switch, as in, do you want day or do you want night... I don't even - there is no weather, and the only seasons are winter and summer - the game only goes to 1930 and there's a lot of DLCs
