Game:

Neocolonialism (2013)

Category:

Review

Duration: 25:24

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31

I'm playing Neocolonialism, a turn-based global strategy game by Subaltern Games. The objective of each twelve-turn game is to make the most money at the expense of the world. You can play against the capable, if robotic, AI or online against real humans. Each turn consists of three phases. The investment phase is where you buy votes to elect a prime minister. A minimum of three votes in a region is required to initiate an election, and a prime minister is required to provide per-turn income back to the voters. Personal wealth is spent purchasing votes, the cost of which is determined by the level of regional improvements. During the policy phase, the prime minister can build improvements (mines and factories) to generate more income, enact trade agreements to improve income in both regions, or funnel vote income to the Swiss bank account (which is how score is kept). Elections take place every three turns, and the pace of the game is generally speedy. The final phase of a turn is the IMF phase, where one player manipulates the International Monetary Fund and makes one decision in a ravaged region. Neocolonialism is a strange, unique strategy game that uses all the world as a stage for economic backstabbing.