15 hours in, it seems like an improvement on Civilization VI's missteps.

Making the seventh Civilization game is a tall order. With six prior entries, each with a different flavor, it's challenging to create a unique identity to get people to buy it while ensuring it’s familiar enough that it doesn’t drive long-time fans away.

This week, I spent 15 hours playing Civilization VII—which is slated for release next month—through two of its three ages: Antiquity and Exploration. That’s enough time to know that this is the most radical overhaul yet in a single new release without any expansions.

Regardless, my initial impressions are that this is also a return to form for the series. Like many others, I had many gripes about Civilization VI. To be clear, VII isn’t a reset to pre-VI times; many concepts introduced in VI (like the hex-based city district system) are revisited and refined here.

But there’s a lot to like here for new and old players if you have an open mind. A full review is coming early next month, but for now, here are a few initial observations from a long-time Civilization geek.

...read more at arstechnica.com