This is going to be a bit of a two-for: you see, in the past weeks I’ve been given access to both the excellent iOS port of Civilization VI and the Nintendo Switch port of the same game. It goes without saying that I am not a man with a lot of free time between jobs and kids and wife and jobs and sleep. BUT! And this is a big but (ha.), I make room for Civilization always and especially when it becomes so easy to pick up and put down (or not put down). The Nintendo Switch version of Civilization VI is simply sublime, right alongside the mobile version which came out just a bit longer ago. This is our quick review.
If you recall from our iPad review earlier this year, Civ VI is awesome. However, the iPad screen real estate allowed this to be the case – the much smaller mobile phone and Nintendo Switch screens seemed like they wouldn’t quite be able to do the game justice. But lo, they have. The menus are slick, responsive, and offer as little or as much information as you desire. The screen real-estate for the map itself is just as it would be on PC, and when you zoom in to watch your units go about their business or check out a wonder. It all looks as it should and without compromise.
The biggest dealbreaker in Civ 6 on the Switch is probably that it doesn’t have pass-and-play couch multiplayer, which feels like a big missed opportunity. Online and local multi-console matches can be done, but you won’t be getting competitive in “hot seat mode” as you can in pretty much every other rendition of the series. Even the iOS version has this available, and seems really random that it’s missing here.
Still, it’s clear to see that Civ 6 is going to be one of my most-played Switch games, because that’s just the kind of game it is. You can’t say no to one more turn, and I can already foresee many times where my feet fall asleep in the bathroom. TMI?
