Buy Sid Meier's Civilization VI: New Frontier Pass

The Civilization 6: New Frontier pass is a season pass to six smaller gameplay packs that will be released over the course of the next year or so. It's not quite a full expansion as previous Civilization 6 add-ons have been. As of this writing, only the first pack, Maya & Gran Colombia, has been released; it includes a smattering of new content that adds some flavor to the title without redefining the gameplay.

The first addition is two new civilizations: Mayans with the leader Lady Six Sky and Gran Colombia with the leader Simon Bolivar. Both of these civilizations are extremely strong, but it heavily depends on your play style. Of the two, Gran Colombia feels easier to use. Their basic bonus ability is +1 movement to all units, which is a significant game changer, especially early on. At times, it can even be overpowered. They also can promote units without needing to end the unit's turn, which allows for some interesting strategies. Their units are strong, but given the additional movement ability, they can be absolute terrors on the battlefield.

The second organization, the Mayans, is more complex. The civilization is built heavily around their attributes, and Lady Six Sky provides a strong boost in an aura around the Mayan capital. Units are stronger, and yields are produced so there's a heavy focus on making your capital an absolute terror. On the other hand, yields are reduced when you're away from the capital, so you must focus on smaller areas. Mayans also don't get a housing benefit from settling near rivers, but they gain a general boost to Amenity and Farms. The Mayans feel heavily geared toward the new Apocalypse mode, which makes sense.

In Apocalypse mode, the game basically sets all of its disasters to turbo speed. Rather than being an occasional occurrence, they are something that you have to specifically build around and consider. That's because there is a new Soothsayer unit who can cause disasters. You can even sacrifice friendly units to an active volcano to appease the gods and earn bonuses for your civilization. This is important because you're effectively on a time limit. Once enough time has passed, you'll start being hit by solar flares and comets from space, and at that point, it's victory or doomsday.

Apocalypse mode is interesting, but it doesn't feel quite as appealing as the main mode. It ends up being an interesting gimmick rather than something quite as addictive as the regular gameplay. The constant disasters and focus on causing even more disasters feel depressing compared to the long-term building that is part and parcel part of the Civilization experience. It's a neat mode to try out a few times, but it isn't going to redefine how you play the game. With that said, the touch of mysticism is a neat nuance because it can be fun to call down the wrath of the gods upon your enemies.

At this point, it's difficult to say if The New Frontier pass is worth the money. The first pack, Maya & Gran Colombia, isn't worth the $40 asking price yet, but new content will arrive every other month, and the full New Frontier experience won't be complete until March 2021. As it stands, unless you genuinely love the two new civilizations or think the Apocalypse mode is going to tide you over for a few months, it would be best to wait until at least a couple of more game packs are out.

Score: 7.0/10