Anno 1800 Console Edition is another addition to Ubisoft’s growing list of city-building real-time strategy games. This time, however, the release marks an important landmark for the Ubisoft team. The Anno series celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023 and Ubisoft could have not been more proud. Since Anno 1800 was released for PC in 2019, it has quickly started gaining popularity. We played the Console Edition on a PlayStation 5 to see whether the hype around the game is worth it. So, if you’re interested in buying Anno 1800 Console Edition, we’d recommend that you check this review first.
Anno 1800 Console Edition Review
Story and Setting
Anno 1800 takes place during the late 19th Century – the dawn of the Industrial Age. As the protagonist, you are busy exploring the New World with your companion. All seems to be going smoothly until you receive a letter from your sister Hannah Goode that turns your world upside down. She mentions that your father, owner of the shipping company Goode & Sons has been put behind bars for alleged treason.
As you hurriedly make your way back to the Old World, you learn that your father has died. Word around town is that he couldn’t handle the humiliation. However, his cause of death remains unexplained. And then, the plot thickens.
The antagonist and also your uncle – Edvard Goode – usurps Goode & Sons. Luckily, with some leftover funds, Hannah buys an island called Ditchwater after which both of you set up a company to challenge your evil uncle. This is the overall plot summary of Anno 1800.
Keep in mind that you can also choose your difficulty level before starting the campaign which will set a higher and lower budget accordingly. The main story campaign has a total of four chapters and is at least 15 hours long. We have a long way to go before beating the game. So it’s best you explore the rest of it yourself!
Gameplay
Anno 1800 Console Edition lets you enjoy two modes of gameplay – Campaign and Sandbox. The latter is completely customizable and allows you to randomly generate maps, tinker settings, difficulty levels, characters, and also victory conditions. The game also has some breathtaking visuals which maintain its quality and FPS even while zooming in and out of Ditchwater.
While making the Console Edition, Ubisoft had a huge job on their hands to replicate the effortless and smooth controls on PC. However, they did this with some aplomb to be absolutely honest. Right from constructing buildings and using tools to tracking quests and interacting with the map, everything felt seamless from the get-go. All in all, we really loved how Anno 1800 felt on the PS5 DualSense controller. The guides were extremely helpful too as they not only help you adapt to the new controls but also learn how the game works overall, especially the “Building” mechanism.
Building is at the heart of everything in Anno 1800. For instance, you have to build dirt roads to connect your Harbour building to farmer & worker residences, Marketplace, and several other production facilities. The entire process is endless yet extremely gratifying. You will need to construct new buildings and production chains during quests or while meeting the demands of your citizens. Your duty is to satisfy their most basic needs, however, you need to ensure their working conditions are healthy as well. This simply means that if you overwork them, they will be less happy and your empire’s growth will be impacted negatively.
We noticed that not maintaining your citizen’s happiness can also cause riots which can be a huge setback to your progression. This comes under City Incidents and includes Fire and Illness as well. You will also get frequent reminders to clear Dichwater of debris and ruins. You have the opportunity to earn rewards like Bricks, Timber, and more in return for beautifying your land.
The Domino effect is quite evident in Anno 1800. We really liked how challenging it was to attract more Workers, increasing the happiness of citizens but also encountering a Workforce shortage. We found ourselves in situations like these quite often. And it took us some time to strike a balance between the productivity of workers and also the happiness of citizens.
On the other hand, combat and warfare are present in Anno 1800 Console Edition as well. We personally liked the economic impact of combat – the need to protect your islands, build warships and conquer other islands. However, we feel the true essence of Anno 1800 lies in its city-building and economic management.
Another gameplay feature that we were quite impressed with was the soundtrack. Anno 1800 possesses a fine range of background music that adjusts according to every situation. For instance, when there was a fire or an invasion, the music immediately became tense and suspenseful. On the other hand, while constructing production facilities and arranging our city layouts, the music was pleasant and made us sit back and absorb Anno 1800 in all its glory.
Verdict
So now, it all boils down to whether you should buy Anno 1800 Console Edition. If you have already played Anno 1800 on PC and want to enjoy it on your console too, then this purchase makes complete sense. For newcomers – Anno 1800 will leave you in awe and begin to grow on you as time passes.
So for the uninitiated, you’re jumping into a game with an already massive player base and one which gets DLC updates quite often. And did we forget to mention that Anno 1800 Console Edition will be free to play for a week? Starting from March 16, the game will be free on all consoles until March 23, 2023. If you’re in two minds about it still, go ahead and play the game for free. You can then make up your mind on whether you’d want to purchase it. The best part is that all your progress is saved during this Free Week period.
To sum it up, if you want a relaxing experience and love city-building games on consoles, then Anno 1800 Console Edition would be worth the money.
That’s all we had for you in our Anno 1800 Console Edition game review. We hope you enjoyed reading and found this helpful. While you’re still here, we’d recommend you check out Review section for your favorite games!
