Version tested: Steam (early access).
If you have always dreamed of turning Germany into a communist regime, you certainly cannot let it slip away Democracy 4. The version we tested is a early access but the title does not present stability problems and flows smoothly between quick loads and menus without particular hitches.
The multiple factions available and the large number of political parties that you can choose, both in the government and in the opposition, pay off Democracy 4 certainly an interesting title for lovers of the genre.
The ultimate goal is to be re-elected and, to achieve it, it will be essential to satisfy one's ministers and avoid displeasing the voters. Like any self-respecting politician, on our journey to a second term, we found ourselves facing the threat of GDP and budget deficits that have strained our choices.
What game is it?
Democracy 4 is a management software that puts the player in the shoes of a head of state, whose purpose is to get elected for a second term.
In the version we tested, it is possible to play with several countries: United States, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. Each nation has characteristics based on real counterparts. For example, the United States is a major military power, South Korea is a major technology research hub, and Canada has a thriving healthcare system. But it is not excluded that the number of available countries may increase in the future, especially thanks to against.
In choosing the country to govern, we can also consider the percentages of religious belonging to a given creed, the number of inhabitants and the weak points, in order to understand which is more akin to our policies. Each nation also has a description that highlights its history, strengths and weaknesses.
After choosing the country, it's time to decide which party to use. Here the choice is truly unlimited. Democracy 4 has any political faction you can think of. It ranges from militarists and the extreme right, to supporters of the traditional family, to communists, to pacifists and environmentalists. Each of them has different objectives and is aimed at different segments of the population.
Before officially starting our mandate, we still have to choose some settings that determine the difficulty of the game. First of all, you have to decide whether you want to act within a tripartite system (with two opposition parties) or one made up of only two parties. Finally, we must manage settings such as the initial public debt, the levels of socialism and liberalism among the population and political apathy.
At this point we are ready to begin our mandate. The gameplay has a very simple mechanics and consists of an interface divided into a pie chart consisting of seven slices. Each of them contains the policies of a certain area: economy, taxes, safety, transport, health, education and welfare.
The game features a turn-based system, each of which constitutes a quarter of our term. For each shift, we have a certain amount of political power available that we can spend to accomplish our goals. It will be possible to modify the laws in force or create new ones which, however, will take time to be implemented and require a greater expenditure of power.
Democracy 4 it offers a variety of choices that allowed us to play it with always different approaches and test its reactions in terms of public consensus. We tried to militarize Australia with a far-right regime and make Canada an extremely liberal nation by legalizing soft drugs and laws in favor of the LGBT community. In short, the title allows you to realize everything that comes to mind, the only limit is your imagination.
What did we like?
The great variety of decisions that can be made is certainly one of the strong points of Democracy 4. As well as the large number of strategies that can be implemented. All this makes the game extremely varied and it is unlikely that the games will be the same.
Every single intervention in policies or laws has effects on different sections of the population, based on the real preferences of those groups. For example, increasing military power causes protests among the liberals but satisfies the patriots. The work done by the development team of Democracy 4 in balancing all these choices it is certainly commendable.
The game supports against e Positech Games has created a special site that explains how to create and install them. Many elements of Democracy 4 they are moddable, which is equivalent to potentially unlimited content that will constantly enrich the title.
What didn't we like?
The version we tested, as early access, is not perfect. The Spanish localization features several untranslated texts which, being a predominantly textual game, can compromise the experience for those unfamiliar with the English language. It is likely that these will be translated in the next versions or for the official release but it is necessary to report this lack.
In some cases, figuring out what to do to resolve a health emergency, terrorist threat, or other problem isn't that simple. Despite a tutorial well done, the large amount of menus, graphics and data to consult can become confusing, especially during the first approaches to the game. Nothing too serious but, even in this case, it could be done better.
Conclusions
Democracy 4 is certainly a valid title for those who love management and it is possible to enjoy it even without a degree in political science. The title has some aspects that, in our opinion, could be improved but the gaming experience is overall pleasant and well structured. The large amount of choices that can be made makes the game very varied and fun, prompting players to various sessions that always turn out to be different from each other.
