The Anno series returns, this time bringing us to the water-logged world of the near future, where global warming has reclaimed the land and mankind subsists on the oceans. We sent Jason Weston into this waterworld to see if he could survive.



While it has been with us on and off for many years, the latest game in the Anno series really marks a confident step sideways into a new world of modern technology. 2070 is all about the future and sadly, it is not a rosy picture. Mankind, in the relentless pursuit of wealth and economic success, has trashed the planet. Global warming is a reality and the oceans have reclaimed many of the coastal regions, changing the cultural and geopolitical landscape of the world - all presented rather tastefully in an intro video that sets the scene for the rest of the game.

You are also introduced to your computer interface (called E.V.E). We are sure the acronym stands for something, but frankly couldn't be bothered working it out. Indeed if you are a fan of acronyms there are tons of them in the game, as every company, new technology and just about everything else has a S.A.N. (Stupid Acronymed Name). You don't have time to learn what these are either as there is a lot of other stuff you do need to learn if you are to master this complex technology driven game.

2070 eases you into the action with a tutorial that leads you by the nose when it comes to the basics. That said, there is much that is left out if you want to learn about the complex economic, political, technological and social rules the game expects you to live by. Keeping the manual handy is pretty much the go as you get your feet wet. And get your feet wet you will, as you are the captain of a submersible central command submarine/trading post/city called an Ark. There are other Ark captains out there and you will all have to learn to get along.

At the core of the game's mechanics is a series of complex inter-dependencies. You have to attract workers to your cause, as they will help you develop new technologies and earn you an income. Your workers must be fed, have a job, and must always have a roadway or path linking them to your town centre, their house, their work and their food. Fail in this respect and your charges will quickly get cranky. They may even leave in disgust!

That said, the very same workers need new technologies so that they are kept happy and can develop into more skilled citizens who can then develop even more advanced tech. So, you are often having to sculpt and redesign roadways, laying down new building types and making sure everyone can reach everything. Naturally, your citizens get fussy once they are more educated, inspiring the need for new types of technology (to appease their ungrateful souls), more resources and more buildings and so the vicious cycle continues.


Buildings often have 'area of effect' ranges which are highlighted, and you may have to construct new building types right in the middle of an established neighbourhood in order to keep your workers happy. You may need to erect a concert hall, conference centre or casino. It can get very complex and often you are destroying just so you can build afresh with new needs in mind.

On top of this you have to make sure your settlements are powered, using a variety of technologies, each with their own pitfalls and advantages. Pollution solutions and crop types have to be researched and sometimes you have to acquire a new 'fertility' just to plant some measly rice! This aspect of the game is a little confusing, but to put it simply, some crop types just won't grow until you have purchased fertility rights for a new settlement. Anno 2070 might sound like a lot of work, and it is! But once you learn to become the consummate acrobat, balancing a plethora of diverse needs, you will find the game is quite rewarding.

Oh, and there is more. The game has a diplomacy model, with other factions you can ally or trade with, as well as one faction, the Neo Skulls, for everyone to fight against. There are also aircraft and ships you can develop to wage war and there are 'technology' credits that you can earn (by completing quests) or purchase from other Ark captains. Add to this the option of developing trade routes and the fact that you can build cities under water as well as on dry land, and you have a very complex game on your hands. The deep sea element is quite intriguing too - to be successful you need to rely on submarines as well as surface ships, and all of the buildings and resources you find underwater are different to those located on terra-firma.

All of this makes for a game that gives you a huge array of tools and lets you just get on with the experimentation. The two core sides you can play as (Global Trust and Eden Initiative) have unique buildings and technology models, just to keep things interesting. There is also a third group, the S.A.A.T and you'll get to play with their toys from time to time too.

2070 delivers continuous play and campaign modes that will keep you entertained for ages. There is online play too, but at this stage it isn't massively popular. There is scope for Facebook updates from within the game though, as well as instant lobby online access, so who knows, this could grow as well. The game has quite a chilled out vibe, with a lovely ambient soundtrack accompanied by some great looking tropical islands for you to colonise. The visuals are detailed, with plenty of great animations and some lovely translucent water effects.

2070 isn't perfect though. If, like me, you are enterprisingly devious, you might find that you have somewhat ruined the scripting of a particular quest. For example, at one point all of my workers started getting sick. E.V.E kindly pointed out to me that it was the result of rotten fish that was being caught by my stupid fishermen. E.V.E then got on with the job of finding a research solution, and even asked me to fish in a new area to find an uncontaminated fish to act as a control group. This was all fine and a solution to the problem was found.

However, there was an issue E.V.E hadn't anticipated. I was using fish as a major export product and selling tons of it to nearby settlements. So, being the dodgy geezer I am, I decided to flog off all of the rotten fish I had left to my neighbours to see if I got away with it. I did, free cash for stinky fish!

This worked a treat until E.V.E then asked me to provide a sample of the rotten fish to complete the quest. I couldn't comply. I had sold it all off and temporarily demolished the old fisheries to save on building maintenance costs. Any new fisheries I built weren't catching rotten fish and so I was unable to finish the quest and advance to the next quest in that chain!

There are a few times like this where the game is so tightly scripted in the tasks that you must do that any initiative you might show can sometimes come back to bite you, forcing you to restart a level again. This can be doubly frustrating when some maps can take hours to get to complete! That said, if you are like me you will still find the effort is worth it and you'll redo the level, building a more cleverly designed settlement and enjoying the process anyway.

Anno 2070 may not be for everyone. The interface, though keeping true to the Anno style, isn't what I'd call intuitive. Sometimes it is easy to lose track of what you are trying to achieve as you get swamped with information and options too. All in all, however, the game is a definite winner for world building fans. The real time combat element is fairly insignificant and really the game is all about clever design and management. So why not dive in today?

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