Dictatorship simulator finally sees PS4 release, almost a full year after its PC counterpart. That’s communism for you.
Tropico has always been a fun series. Simulation titles generally either go one of two ways: they follow the ultra-serious Sid Meier/Civilisation path, of heavy stats and tightly-woven politics; or they go down the Maxis/Sim City route, of llamas and comedy apocalypses. Alas, the modern iterations of Sim City have become flabby about their midriffs – hence the uproarious reception for spiritual re-birth Cities Skylines – and if you want your simulation to still be a bit wacky, then you’re going to want to charter a flight to the fictional Caribbean República de Tropico.
Kalypso Media’s latest banana republic ’em up in the series – Tropico 5 – has you occupying the shoes (and moustache) of beloved tyrant El Presidente, and as is often the case with countries of its ilk, everything you say goes. If you want to open the island to tourism to improve the economy, and generally build a better life for your subjects, then you can be as progressive as you choose. Or you could have them all living in ghettos, working on your plantations. Swings and roundabouts. At least being a despot who seized power through military force (and is likely to rule until death, or someone assassinates them) makes more sense than being a disembodied omnipresent being in the sky; as if simulation games ever needed a reason.
Tropico 5 is a lot of fun for it, too. It’s intricately designed and the look and flavour of the game really lifts it above other strategy titles. It’s easy to make an absolute mess of things though, but given you’re playing the role of a corrupt dictator anyway, nobody is ever surprised!
Now Tropico 5 is available to buy on PS4 today. Is it greatly improved by playing on the PS4? Not really. Strategy games are always better with a mouse, and if you’ve got one handy, you’re probably going to want to use it. But it’s still an absolute riot and well worth purchasing if you don’t already have the PC version. You can also pick up a natty limited edition Tropico 5 bundle with a stack of DLC included. Not that anybody is trying to bribe you, El Presidente. We’re just going to leave the DLC on the table in plain sight and turn around, and if it’s not there when we turn back, let’s just say we won’t ask any questions.
