Democracy 4 Preview: Can You Run It Country Edition

Ever wondered about becoming the president of your country, running every department in the government and overseeing national affairs? Democracy 4 puts you in the shoes of the leader of a country whose mission is to create a supreme nation that runs like a well-oiled machine. But governance is not all daisies and roses and there will be plenty of thorns along the way. This is our Democracy 4 Preview!

Democracy 4 Preview Can You Run It Country Edition CoverPolitics is a tricky business, and no matter what the government does, there will always be a side that supports it and the other that opposes it. Politics is, after all, a subjective field. Every decision you take has its pros and cons. It does make us wonder, though. What if WE were the ones calling the shots? Would we govern our country better, or worse? Democracy 4 is your friend. The latest iteration in the hit in the franchise is here, and oh, does it deliver. Time for our preview!

Democracy 4 puts you in the hot seat as the top dog of a country of your choosing. Manage every single intricate aspect of the government, understand your demographic, contest, and win elections and so much more. You are also in control of your moral compass and affiliations to different groups of society.

Democracy 4 is available for purchase on Steam and is currently in Early Access.

STORY – MAKE ONE OF YOUR OWN

The story of Democracy 4 is that there is no story! This is a primarily sandbox experience, and the events unfold based on your decisions. Just like an actual government, you cannot predict the outcome of your policies and decisions until they are actually implemented. Your political career is built, and ruined, based on your cabinet members, statistics, graphs and predictions. Maybe a degree in Political Science will help you play this game, eh? At the start, you are shown a starting menu where you can choose the country you wish you govern.

At the time of writing, only five countries are available: the United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Canada. Although additional countries will be integrated into the game in the future. The mere fact that you can analyse Canada by it’s Maple Consumption Rate shows enough humour for me to know this is one hell of a political satire that is unironically accurate. You can be elected for real-life terms and finish your career after your maximum amount of terms are completed. Or you can be a timeless president, who can govern his/her nation as a pseudo-dictator, albeit a democratic one. And that’s a good thing!

Take your time researching each country before you make your choice.

Take your time researching each country before you make your choice.

GAMEPLAY – UNFORGIVINGINGLY CRUEL

Politics is an unforgiving business, and the same goes for Democracy 4. The game mechanics, although simple, are very difficult to master and you will often find yourself banging your head trying to figure out the sources and results of each policy. My mind wanders to the numerous conspiracy theory bulletin board webs we see in GIFs. This is a very technical game, for obvious reasons, and amateurs and newcomers to the series will face a steep learning curve. It is definitely a smoother ride once you understand how each mechanism works. Thankfully, the helpful devs have included a trusty and informative guide in the main menu to teach you and literally teach you for some concepts, the how-tos in democracy. Time to put your thinking caps on.

You will realise how difficult it is to run a country in-game, let alone in real life. The process is not easy, and you’ve got a lot of people to impress and keep happy. I spent the first hour just trying to get my policies implemented correctly and might have accidentally pulled a few of my hair strands out. Trust me; you’re gonna need the guide.

The Player Guide is your go-to feature for everything Democracy 4.

The Player Guide is your go-to feature for everything Democracy 4.

GRAPHICS AND AUDIO – FAMILIAR TUNES AND A WELCOME UI

You are greeted by the familiar orchestral music of political patriotism. It is soothing to the ears and truly makes Democracy 4 a successor of the series. A majority of the game’s sounds are the background tracks with a few sound effects sprinkled in for buttons and menus, and it rarely disappoints. As for the graphics of the game, it is heavily text-based and excluding the characters are all words and graphs. The UI might feel overwhelming at first, but you do get used to it after a while. The UI is definitely better than the third entry, though, and it is even better this time, thanks to the dark theme. Yes, Dark Mode for the win!

Besides the background music, there isn’t much to write about the audio of the game. Sure, I could use dialogues and some news flash sequences every now and then, but at the core of the gameplay, I’ll be fine with even elevator music playing in the background as 99% of my focus is on the main screen at all times. The graphics aren’t intensive either as the game will run on a potato too. But the game is seriously a lot for my potato brain, and I love it. My life doesn’t have enough challenges in it, and I am loving the fact that Democracy 4 makes me rethink every step I take, for better or worse. I mean, just look at the image below. How can a potato navigate this?

The Dark Theme is pleasing to the eye and improves the gameplay experience too.

The Dark Theme is pleasing to the eye and improves the gameplay experience too.

Democracy 4 was previewed on PC via Steam with a key provided by Evolve PR.

Summary
There is a lot of ground to cover and the game is still just in Early Access. New countries, a more balanced effects system and a streamlined flow are just a few of the many improvements planned for the game. I am keeping a close eye on this one and so should you. I really enjoy the Democracy series but it is definitely not an easy game to play. But the joy of watching your country and people prosper more than makes up for your hard work, as it should!
Good
  • Realistic Political Model
  • All NPCs are assigned their own loyalties and personalities
  • Accurate graphs and charts that depict your progress
  • Ability to govern for a limited time or unlimited terms
  • Each country has been meticulously crafted
Bad
  • Very text-heavy
  • Steep learning curve
  • Lacklustre UI that gets tedious after a while

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