Can you survive in a world savaged by global warming?

Anno 2070 is the next game in the popular city building strategy series, moving from the established historical, to a futuristic setting.

Waterworld

The year is 2070, and rising sea levels have made most of Earth uninhabitable, and unfortunately reminiscent of Kevin Costners’ Waterworld. Anno 2070 mixes this nominal story with the classic city building and management gameplay that fans of the series will know. This demo lets you play the first two mission of the campaign, creating a settlement and completing tasks for your boss Mr Strindberg.

Graphics

The graphics in Anno 2070 are much improved, although while they are very detailed they aren’t quite as polished as other real time strategy titles like Starcraft II. The sound is good, if a little uninspired. If you zoom in on settlements, you’ll hear inhabitants expressing their feelings, but this quickly becomes repetitive.

Gameplay

The biggest problem with Anno 2070 is that it’s a little tough to get into. These early missions are clearly tutorials of a sort, but there is actually not enough hand holding. Nevertheless, a little experimentation and persistence will get you through. Anno 2070 is still a pretty old fashioned game, despite the added polish. Fans of the series will enjoy it, but it may be a little archaic for younger gamers. Online multiplayer is coming in the full game, but we have yet to see how this will be handled.

Anno 2070 looks like being a detailed and engaging strategy game, although it’s not as accessible as it could be.