Even if you've never touched a Tropico game before, you won't feel like a fish out of water. Similarly, the in-game Almanac – which keeps tabs on your economy, foreign relations, faction standings, and things of the like – lays out the recipe for success without taxing your brain too much, and the aforementioned mid-mission quests keep you from accidentally bumbling your way into World War III. Other resources are similarly straightforward.Ībove: Not pictured: The environmentalist faction never shutting up ever And that's also where the tech tree ends. Now fine jewelry? That's where the money's at.

Now you're in business, right? Well, yeah, but not big business. Your next step, then, is to get a jewelry factory up and running. There's money to be made there, sure, but that's hardly worth cackling maniacally while pelting puppies with stolen baby candy over. Let's say you're working with gold mines. See, you're given access to all manner of piggy bank-stuffing revenue streams, each with their own paths toward glorious industrialization. Fun as your first many hours with the game are sure to be, there's simply not much here. However, as time wears on, the incredibly sexy dictator lifestyle devolves into rote day-in, day-out repetition. As a result, it's incredibly liberating for a bit – which is a tad ironic, given that this is a game about, you know, iron-fisted oppression. Sure, there are mid-mission quests periodically given out by advisors, foreign diplomats, and their ilk, but there's no real tension pressing a knife against your throat. Here's the thing: Tropico 4 is an incredibly open game. Dig beneath the surface, and there's really not much to see.Ībove: Yeah, take a look at that, Democracy. Like many politicians, though, El Presidente's incredible promise lacks substance. Our point is you've got some serious power – including, yes, limited time control. And by “them's,” we mean “your kneecaps.” And by “breaks,” we mean, well, you know. Sorry, rebellious types, them's the breaks. You can slip on your goodie two-shoes, kiss a few babies (and a few more asses), and climb to the top the hard way, or you can bulldoze your glorious tropical paradise to make way for a menagerie of military bases. You're an island dictator who's capable of, well, pretty much whatever he damn well pleases. Really, that sums up the game pretty well. “The ability to control time could be very useful,” says your fictional Presidente after one of Tropico 4's optional tutorials.

Tropico 1 reverting bulldoze