3/5 ★ – russelljar6's review of The Battle for Polytopia.

This a simplistic 4x game, or as simplistic as a 4x game can probably be. If you are interested in 4x games, but are discouraged by the complexity, The Battle for Polytopia is a good gateway into the genre. There is a short tutorial but no campaign, and players can easily jump straight into skirmishes after the tutorial. Being so streamlined, this game can claim things most 4x's cannot. Matches are generally quick (15 mins) and really scratch some of the strategy itch. The tech tree is wisely small for the genre and some of the design choices are really smart for what the game is trying to accomplish. The biggest of these is that once you level up cities to a certain point, they will start spawning Giant units with each upgrade. These Giants are the most powerful units in the game and can really snowball the late game (in a good way as to not drag out the match). Of course if you want a long drawn out match, they have a variety of options in the Custom games to fulfill that desire, but they aren't as satisfying since you hit the late game so quickly. While the game certainly seems to accomplish its goal of a more accessible 4x game, this also holds it back a bit. Some of the best aspects of 4x games are the complex systems in place, so the lack of depth does take away from the experience overall. As a Game: 7/10 My Liking: 7/10