At long last, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (hereafter Civ VII) has introduced a feature that allows players to carry a single civilization through the entire campaign.

Civ VII is the latest entry in the long-running series, released last year. It managed a lukewarm 80 on Metacritic—the lowest in series history—and stumbled into a 'Mostly Negative' reception on Steam, with many fans labelling it the worst of the lot. The primary culprit? The 'Age Transition' mechanic, which forced a reset of civilizations that left players feeling rightly frustrated.

Taking the feedback to heart, 2K has been heads-down on improvements. On the 7th, they unveiled 'Trial of Time,' a massive free update featuring new victory conditions. Rolled out on the 20th, it stands as the largest content drop since launch, born from over a year of rigorous playtesting and refinement based on player input.

The crown jewel of this update is the 'Time Tested Civs' feature. Previously, you were forced to switch civilizations at every era transition, but now you can stick with one for the duration. The old system remains for those who prefer it, but to keep single-civilization runs viable, new mechanics ensure that unique abilities evolve naturally even outside of their peak era.

Take the United States, for example: they gain gold when developing resources in the Ancient Age, but the payout scales significantly in the Age of Exploration and even further in the Modern Age. Units also receive combat bonuses carried over from their predecessors, ensuring that your hard-earned progress isn't tossed out the window. Additionally, new 'Syncretism' and 'Affirmation' systems allow players to mix unique infrastructure and military units from other cultures to craft a custom strategy.

Furthermore, the old 'Legacy Paths' have been scrapped in favour of the new 'Great Success' system. These are optional, high-stakes challenges tied to six pillars: military, culture, science, economy, diplomacy, and expansion. Victory conditions have been completely overhauled, too; instead of focusing solely on late-game performance, the game now calculates your total impact and strategic dominance across all three eras.

There is a plethora of other additions, too. Alexander the Great has been added as a new leader, available to all owners at no extra cost. We have also seen the introduction of fractal continent maps, a revamped trade screen, and a new advisor council feature. Numerous narrative events, biomes, expert systems, and soundscapes have also been polished or rebalanced to round out the experience.