When launches on February 11, it will include extensive changes to many of the core gameplay systems from the franchise, including a complete overhaul to combat mechanics, city building, a new Ages system, and more.
Developers for the new installment aim to reduce micromanaging aspects of civilization development by streamlining or simplifying some of the more tedious tasks.
By reducing the amount of mundane tasks, hopes to draw in a broader audience and prevent some of the log jams and bottlenecks from and its predecessors.
This approach to more entertaining and efficient gameplay comes with many pros, such as making combat more dynamic and less confusing, but it also comes with many cons, like having a limited number of leaders to choose from at the start of each Age.
Balancing some of the problem areas from previous games might come at a cost, and it remains to be seen whether these larger changes to gameplay will end up making things less cluttered and overwhelming in the endgame.