Join El Presidente on his latest scheme as he oversees the development of Spitter, Tropico’s own llama-themed social media.
Type: Single-player, Multi-player
Genre: Strategy, Simulation,
Developer: Limbic Entertainment
Publisher: Kalypso Media
Release date: 23 April, 2020
Overview
Tropico 6 is hands-down one of the best city builders out there. Players take on the role of the incredible shady El Presidente, the leader of the banana republic of Tropico, that’s usually more concerned with his Swiss bank account than his people’s welfare. Along the way, faction loyalties will need to be balanced, world powers will require appeasing, the needs of Tropicans must be met, and, of course, a profit must be made. These pieces make for an island dictator simulator that provides many hours of entertainment, though perhaps one of the strongest elements of all is that the series has always been hilarious and there’s been no sign of it slowing down yet.
If the first paragraph didn’t seal it in, I’m a fan of Tropico. I’m also a big supporter of quality DLC releases that give us more of what we already enjoy. Tropico’s latest DLC, Spitter, adds some more toys to our box, but I struggle to justify its price.
Who Needs Twitter?
Spitter is Tropico’s take on Twitter and El Presidente wants nothing more than to force it onto his people. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be all that impressed by it, so in classic fashion, El Prez decides that no measures are worthy unless they’re drastic. As the scenario progresses, a new story unfolds complete with a handful of new buildings, a new feature involving big-name celebrities, and the Spitter app itself that grants you a new avenue to make friends and enemies with the click of a button. Don’t worry though, the faces that we’ve become familiar with are heavily involved as well.
This DLC is a single scenario that unique features are only available within it. As far as scenarios go, Spitter’s a decent enough one, though I’d say that overall it’s not as enjoyable as many of those that came with the base game. It takes place solely in the modern era and you begin with loads of resources; there’s no need to quickly get a strong economy up as you’re only a step or two away from it at the start. Three new buildings stand out here: the super villa, the beauty farm, and the rehab center. The super villa offering new options for housing the celebrity arrivals, the wealthiest of residents, and tourists. The beauty farm and rehab center assist in having celebrities arrive on your island as well as provide some of the needs for your rich citizens and tourists. These are certainly welcome additions, though nothing brings enough of an impact with it to justify the asking price.
Verdict
Spitter is an entertaining enough scenario, though I’m hard-pressed to suggest it’s not significantly over-priced for what you get. The new features add a few interesting elements, but nothing that shakes up the experience to the extent that it feels any different than it did before. The story, while still the quality of what we expect from Tropico, is by no means exceptional and doesn’t stand out as much as some of those that were included in the base game. For fans of Tropico 6 that want more, this DLC is worth picking up, though I’d recommend waiting for a good sale to knock it down to a more reasonable price. If you’re just thinking about getting into Tropico 6, or if you’ve gotten your fill of it at this point, I wouldn’t recommend Spitter as it’s mostly more of the same with an oddly high price tag.
