Supreme Ruler 2020 (PC) review on HonestGamers

Systems > PC > S > Supreme Ruler 2020 > Staff Review

Sign into your user account to view or leave feedback for this review. Don't have an account yet? You can click here to open one. It only takes a minute, and it's free!

Review by Will Roy
March 12, 2009

Supreme Ruler: 2020 is exactly what I adore: a strat title nearly unapproachable due to its level of depth, but promising months upon months of diverse enjoyment. I do so love a challenge.

Sequel to the similarly named Supreme Ruler 2010, this ten-years-later iteration places you in command of your very own real-world nation on this ball of dust we call home, and the international community is, as it always seems to be in video games, poised on the brink of all-out war. As any nation must, you are charged with overseeing matters of foreign policy and diplomacy, allocate funding to industry, research and military projects, exploit and acquire resources to keep your country alive and prosperous; there's a lot going on while you're playing. And, thankfully, the game can be easily paused to permit one to get one's bearings.

But I'm sad to say that while the interface is very carefully streamlined to minimize confusion, very little is done to acquaint the player with it. Tutorials are included, but they consist of little more than pointing out various functions in no particular order and instructing how to complete basic tasks. It's a little like being taught how to drive by having a mechanic explain how the engine works and what all the readouts on the dashboard mean - informative, certainly, but not very helpful without context.

This leaves the player rather...floundering. Thankfully, while the tools to control every aspect of your nation's government are there, most of the micromanagement and minor policy decisions can be handed off to very competent AI-controlled ministers. These ministers have their own agendas and political leanings, though, and their vision of utopia may differ from yours. But if you're not keen on checking up on your cabinet every once in a while, you can modify their level of autonomy, have them clear certain decisions with you first or simply lock them out of specific policy areas altogether.

Enemy AI is just as smart as these ministers, and in an offline game you'd best be prepared to fight tooth and nail for every advantage and resource you can get your grubby little fingers on. It could be I don't know quite how to play, but I found the AI extremely challenging.

And, you may recall, I love a challenge.

Once I got my head around how to play (to some primitive extent), I found myself in a deep and extremely detailed sandbox world. The hundreds, possibly thousands of real-world cities dotting the map, diverse regions and resources to exploit, and smart enemy AI added a lot to the sense of immersion. Of course I quickly led the great nation of Egypt into ruins, having only the vaguest idea what to do, but it was fun while it lasted.

Supreme Ruler 2020 does not have what anyone can call a gentle learning curve; you can expect to pour a long series of weekends into this game before you start to play it competently. Fortunately the AI can still lend a hand and stave off defeat for a little longer, but gradually you'll want to disable minister control of important stuff. It's a good learning tool, but as anyone with a copy of Master of Orion 3 can tell you it's no fun watching a game play itself.

(If any of this sounds appealing to you, dear reader, I suggest seeking the playable demo and giving it a spin; you may find it more informative than my valiant attempt to distill a deep and complex strategy title into a series of words)

Rating
9	Depth and difficulty in equal measure. I like it that way
Read more about the review rating scale...

Staff reviews represent the opinion of the individual staff member that wrote them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the site staff as a whole. If you disagree with the contents of this review, you may click to leave feedback on our dedicated forum. Thank you!

HG 2009 Fundraising Progress: $348 / $2500 (14%)

Click to learn about the Fundometer or to advertise.

Game Profile & Content

All

Staff Score (Avg): 9.0 User Score (Avg): N/A Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 1 Guides: 0 Cheats: 0 Ratings: 0	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 6 Videos: 0

Title: Supreme Ruler 2020
Genre: Turn-Based Strategy
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer: Battlegoat Studios
Release Date: May 17, 2008
ESRB: E

Do you own this game? Register for a free account to track it and other games in your collection!

Voice Your Opinion...

Average User Rating (0 ratings)

Only registered users can rate this game!

PC discussion forums

While you're here...

7.62 is another PC game in the Turn-Based Strategy genre that has been attracting activity lately, so you might want to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about!