Follow Genre: Simulation, Strategy
Modes: Single Player
Released: 01 Sep., 2011
Audio: 5.1 Surround
Publisher: Kalypso Media

OnLive: Tropico 4 Review

January 5, 2012 - RyanDeJonghe

OLF Score

9.0

Good: Tropical Environment, Involving Quests, Bountiful Humor

Bad: No Social Sharing

User Score

8.1

(9 votes)

Click to vote

Relax. Lean back. Grab a cocktail. Let all your thoughts about city-building drift away into the warm
light of the sun. What you may have experienced before is nothing like what you can experience in the
enjoyable interactive-entertainment of Tropico 4.

To make things clear, Tropico 4 is worthy of any video gamer’s attention. Whatever misconceptions
you hold about city-building—tedium, micromanagement, complexities, boredom—should be let go.
Tropico 4 offers you the chance to run your own country; one which is located on a beautiful island. Let
me tell you, El Presidente, you will come across some of the richest and most satisfying moments in
gaming.

Location, Location, Location

That’s probably what holds my attention most: location. When winter is beating on the door, nothing
soothes like a jaunt to a tropical island. Tropico 4 captures the tropical ambiance with absolute
perfection. At times, you’ll find yourself adjusting the camera to watch a cruise ship meander into the
hill-lined bay, past the setting of the sun. Small details fill in the picture-perfect island experience, all of which is orchestrated by the ambient-producing tropical music.

The island is where the magic begins. Everything begins simple, with an easy task here or there. Build a
shack, sure. Start a farm, not a problem. But soon things get more involved, to the point of deciding to
feed your people, increase tourism, or propagate your personal agenda. Tropico 4 offers an increasing
set of choices to combat the many presidential challenges, all of which offer different results.

You’re in control—and not just a city

People tend to view Tropico 4 in one way: a knock-off city builder. This is not your typical city-building
experience. On the surface, the game may appear simple; build buildings and feed the people. The
main difference with Tropico 4 is that you are running a country and you aren’t God—you’re the
president! This means you can run things on a macro- or a micro-level. You’ll contend with many
factors during your presidency: tourism, politics, economy, health, and much more. Things turn dicey
when resources run low or natural disasters strike.

To help explain the nuances of Tropico 4, I asked the game’s publisher, Kalypso Media USA, “what makes
your game so different from games of the same genre?” Vice President, Mario Kroll, answered, “I think
what draws gamers to the series is the artful balance of a relatively deep economic and socio-political
system with a light-hearted approach where you get to play dirty and bend the rules if you want, just
to find out what would happen.” Sounds to me the developers know there is a little dictator inside
all of us. Kroll continues, “Doesn’t everyone wonder what it might be like to step into the pantaloons
and jackboots of a banana republic dictator, wear a super cool military outfit of your own design, spot
the ultimate facial hair, and imprison, torture or ‘make disappear’ your most vocal detractors? Who
wouldn’t love that?”

Problems—or rather, presidential ‘challenges’—are solved through a variety of available tools. Some obstacles are overcome by mandating a global policy change, while other interferences can be done
away with via an assassination. The goal of Tropico 4 isn’t about balance, as much as it is about
priorities. Being the nice guy doesn’t necessarily equate to a large off-shore bank account, but neither
does being a dictator.

What makes this simple, but deeply complex game, a true treasure is the ability to control it with a
keyboard—or a gamepad. Many games of this genre require the use of several inputs, usually only
obtainable by a keyboard and mouse. The developers of Tropico 4 have taken the time to offer their
game to a broader audience. After I used both input methods, I’m convinced that Tropico 4 can be
explored and played with equal enjoyment on any device.

The Fourth Time is a Charm

Forget about any of the previous games; this is the one that matters. Whether or not you’ve previously
worn the presidential ornamentation, Tropico 4 is a game you can jump right into. Truth be told, my
experience with previous iterations in the Tropico series left me with a showering feeling of ‘meh’.
Upon stepping into, as Mr. Kroll refers, the pantaloons of El Presidente in Tropico 4, my feelings of ‘meh’ turned into jubilations of ‘yeah’. Yeah, this feels right. Yeah, this clicks. Yeah, I can get wrapped up in this.

When Tropico 4 released on OnLive, I interviewed Ted Brockwood, the Head of Public Relations for
Kalypso Media USA. One of my questions referred to the differences between Tropico 4 and earlier
renditions. Ted answered, “Tropico 4 adds a significant amount of new content and features, while
maintaining the gameplay the fans love. We’ve added 20 new buildings, huge island maps (for your
sprawling cities), interactive disasters (how will you deal with a tornado decimating the island?), new
nations to negotiate with, a fantastic new story campaign, enhanced import/export controls and much
much more.”

I didn’t sit there and count how many buildings there are, but the choices are plenty. At first, the
offerings seem spread thin, but these quickly compiled into an array of options. Pickings include
everything from car ports to Ministry of Affairs. Every element of your government can be, for a lack of
a better term, dictated, by these choices. Fill these buildings with local home-grown candidates or hire
them from afar; the choice is yours, dictator.

OnLive and the Final Equation

Having Tropico 4 on OnLive offers benefits, but also has a few minor drawbacks. Beginning with the
drawbacks, you are unable to upload custom-made maps for others to play, or take pictures of your
island to share on Facebook. However, OnLive offers the ability to brag clip your hot-air balloon ride
into the sunset and post that on Facebook. The other benefit of playing Tropico 4 on OnLive is the
ability to hop from device-to-device. Switching from PC to console controls is nearly effortless and can
be done without too much second guessing. Furthermore, while the developer cannot confirm if touch
controls are in the works, OnLive’s booth at E3 had the first few levels available on an iPad.

In all, Tropico 4 has been a pure pleasure to play. I’m not a city-planner by nature, but thankfully neither is Tropico—it’s much more. Politics, greed, and humor are added in huge measure. If my review has caused a wondering itch, there is a demo that is free—and instant—to play. Head to OnLive, hit the button, and rule the world!