RETRO -Once again we get to conquer the New World, at least those who will try out Max Design’s newest game. The Anno 1602 is continuing the tradition of Sim City, Conquest of the New World, and Ceasar 3: in Anno 1602 we will have to forge our tiny villages, and cities, into massive empires. However the Columbus sitting in front of the monitor will have to prepare a lot as the adventure will not be easy: we will not just have to manage our colony, but also survive against rival conquerors, pirates thirsting for our treasures, and blood, not to mention the constantly complaining population of our colony.

For old Amiga users Max Design is a familiar name: the Austrian team was responsible for the brilliant game called 1869. Their games have always had a detailed trading part, the mimicking of the era, however they did show a certain restraint in their games. As in Max Design games combat was not at the forefront of the gameplay mechanics – if combat was even present in some of their games. The same can be said about Anno 1602 – we can establish colonies on the New World, and create a safe haven for our pioneers – the combat is just an added bonus here for the players.

We need a town chief for our colonies

In Anno 1602 we should expect gameplay similar to Sim City, and its clones. Build up a tiny village from a small amount of resources, make it self-sufficient with its agriculture, and industry, while also upgrading the colony to a bigger size. Also we need to look out for the population so that they have enough supplies, basic materials, foods, goods (alcohol and cigars – the most precious treasure in the XVII century). We can only raise new buildings if the population is large enough, well fed, and does not lack in anything. Of course as beginner this will be hard to achieve so it is recommended to that the trade lines be well maintained. Unlike in Conquest of the New World, and Colonization we cannot trade with the motherland: In Anno 1602 we have to rely on the neighboring conquerors, Indians, and the free merchants that travel between the cities via ships.

Gorgeous New World?

The game’s 3D isometric graphics reminded me of Caesar 3 the most. Buildings that are true to the historical era will become bigger, more advanced, and the streets will be filled with richer, prettier clothed citizens. Unfortunately the population is less in terms of amount and variety compared to the old Sierra games, and you cannot ask them for their opinion about their life, or the city’s quality. The buildings are not as detailed as in the other games, but the colonies look like actual XVII century villages/towns: we did not encounter a part where the giant golden statue had a few rundown houses next to it. Finally we can also not just rotate the map but the buildings also, unlike in Ceasar 3 where we always saw the same side of the building.

“This continent is not enough for the two of us”

World history has proven to us that for every war you need money. This is no different in Anno 1602, as a lot of time needs to pass until we can finally take care of rival conquerors that plague the city. The AI is usually is in a passive defense mode: the enemy colonies will not attack us too much, but if we attack them then they fight like lions. Although the controls are like in any other real time strategy game, because of the small island sizes the battles are more like invasions: we’ll have to take over buildings most of the times. If we successfully destroy the enemy warehouses, and markets, the suffering population will soon join us, and the city will be ours.

“Captain, Black Flag ahead!”

While the enemy colonies are not much of a threat, the pirates that plunder the islands are a big one in this game. Those who plundered islands in Pirates! with a grin will finally get to know what it is like to be on the receiving end as a colony leader. Seeing the materials and food plundered that took ages to collect can be a heartbreaker. Those who do not wish to suffer this fate should build a large navy to counter the Wolves of the Caribbean. If you liked Settlers, or the Ceasar series, and would like to try something in new in a more exciting environment than there is no better game than Anno 1602 for that new experience.

The New World?

The developers were really on the lookout for Anno 1602 to be the best: the gameplay and graphics are up to par with the standards of gaming. The gamers who love Sim City and Ceasar 3 will be more than satisfied with this game: the management of the cities and population is in depth and well designed. There are no boring moments in this game unlike in Settler 3, and we are always running to fix the next problem. The animations that sometimes appear are really great, although it can get a little boring after a while, and some people might deactivate them. The same happened to the annoying music bits in the game that belonged more into a Smurf cartoon than to an RTS. It shows that while the developers were historically accurate and precise, not a lot of original ideas made it into the final game: Anno 1602 does not add a lot to the Sim City type games, so much so that it could have been an expansion pack to Ceasar 3, if it did not have a different graphical layout. Due to this the game becomes boring: the different maps can be conquered the same way, and once perfected no challenge is offered by Anno 1602.

-Bad Sector- (1998)

Publisher: Sunflowers Interactive Entertainment Software GmbH

Developer: Max Design GesMBH

Genre: strategy

Publication: 1998