Since its inception, the Sid Meier's Civilization The franchise is one of the biggest names in 4X games. Across six different mainline titles and several spin-offs, Firaxis continues to give players thrilling adventures through history. Sid Meier's Civilization 7 The biggest title ever. Because of its success, it's easy to see why other studios would want to offer a similar experience of their own. And Oxide Games has done just that Saw: The Untold History.
Announced back in 2022, Saw: The Untold History Following in the footsteps of Sid Meier's Civilization A franchise that has allowed players to forge their own path throughout history. They take over civilization once again, guide it through several ages, and hopefully make their mark on the world before they are kicked out. But, that core gameplay loop can be fun, by the way Saw: The Untold History Approaching it leaves a lot to be desired.
Ara: History Untold's gameplay loop can be exciting
Anyone who has ever played Sid Meier's Civilization Know exactly what to expect Saw: The Untold HistoryThe core gameplay loop. Before the game starts, players must select their nation, from over 40 different real worlds to choose from. Each leader has their own pros and cons, with each having three different appearances to choose from. Once players find one that suits their playstyle, they can manipulate the settings to build their own experience before jumping into the world. Saw: The Untold History.
one time Saw: The Untold History To begin, players are given a starting city and must build from there. They should train a scout to explore their surroundings, start construction on some useful buildings within their city, and begin their first research. Then, they press the next turn button, sit back, and wait until their current projects are finished. And once they are, they do it all over again.
As players progress through the game, they will encounter other civilizations, tribes, and dangerous animals roaming the land. If they want to survive in this world, they must try their best to keep their neighbors friendly or prepare for some terrible war and destruction. Additionally, they must be careful not to fall behind on the technology tree, or they risk disappearing from the face of the world forever.
While this gameplay loop isn't much different from what came before, it's still very satisfying Saw: The Untold History. Oxide Games seems to understand what makes titles tick Sid Meier's Civilization tick, so it chose not to change it much. That being said, there are some unique mechanics that keep things a bit fresh, but also a bit frustrating at times.
Saw: History Untold injects some interesting mechanics into its cities
One of the biggest changes in the Saw: The Untold History That's how cities grow. Instead of waiting for the city itself to claim hexes, once a city has leveled up, players are prompted to claim new parcels of land. Each surrounding plot has its advantages and disadvantages, so players will want to plan accordingly to ensure their city has everything it needs. Then, after claiming said land, they are able to build various improvements to help their civilization flourish.
These improvements come in the form of various buildings, and since there aren't any builders here, it's also where players build things like farms or mines. Additionally, these buildings do more than just provide background bonuses. Instead, they actually need to craft different resources that players like Anno series. These resources can help give bonuses to cities if applied as a feature, or they can be required as part of a construction project.
However, the sky is not the limit when it comes to these buildings. In fact, each parcel of land actually has a pre-determined number of buildings that can be built within. So, players will want to make sure they are using their space wisely, because once the slots are filled, they will either have to demolish some improvements or wait for the city to level up again. And if they want to build some victories in the game, they will need to isolate the entire region just for that.
Also, as the city levels up, it will sometimes unlock some specialists as well. These specialists can be applied to certain buildings, giving them bonuses such as faster production or more food. There isn't really much outside of these specialists, but their existence helps give cities a bit more functionality, which is nice to see.
While all of this gives cities a bit more life, as crafters are constantly crafting stuff and things need to be managed all the time, this is also where one is. Saw: The Untold HistoryProblems come into play. It may be a 4X game, but sometimes it can be overwhelming because there is so much going on, especially when players have multiple cities. The whole thing isn't helped by the fact that the UI is often difficult to navigate, it's not always clear how to find certain things. And after a while, players can get burned out just from the sheer number of things they have to juggle.
Ara: History Untold acts and Eras is a unique twist
I like it a lot Sid Meier's Civilization, Saw: The Untold History It also places great emphasis on researching new technologies. This research gives players more things to improve their civilization, and as they progress through the different ages, they'll unlock even more exciting technologies. But, while that's not too different from what came before, the way these technological eras work feels incredibly unique.
As players engage in things, research technology, and various tasks, they will earn prestige points. These reputation points are earned throughout Saw: The Untold HistoryOf the three major actions, each civilization is displayed on the scoreboard. As the tasks progress, civilizations are divided into three different tiers based on how many points they have. The top three tiers are protected, but if the bottom tiers are not careful by the time the Act expires, those nations will be eliminated. This means there is a constant race to make sure players have enough Prestige Points or the world can move on without them.
Once a certain number of civilizations reach a certain technological age, Saw: The Untold History A countdown will begin until the current task is finished. So, if players are not close to finishing the current tech tree, they are able to move on if they want. They'll lose a lot of bonuses, though if it's the only way to survive, it's what they have to do. Fortunately, some future technologies will include those bonuses as well, but some may be lost forever. This makes for an interesting research system. However, it can also be a bit hectic, as players have to spend more time collecting reputation than finding their way through history.
Saw: The Untold History Falls Short of Being a Genre Great
Not only can the UI be cumbersome and many of the game's systems a bit heavy, but there are some other aspects that allow it. Saw: The Untold History For starters below, the game's battles are rather lackluster, with them mostly focused on taking or securing a single city. This means that players won't get the massive 4X battles they want, especially if the units don't have 3D models unless players specifically choose to see the outcome of the battle. Instead, they send out a giant icon that displays their unit type with a number to attack next, quickly ending the battle before it even begins.
Along with that, there are hardly any options for diplomacy, random quests don't feel that rewarding, and it's not always clear what players should focus on. While it offers some strategy thrills, all of this prevents it from truly being another genre kingpin. With DLC and future updates, it might get a chance to iron out its weak points. But, outside of a few odd twists, it feels like it's missing something to make it truly worth the price of admission.
Final score: 6/10
