Ubisoft & Blue Byte’s city-building series is back at it again with another installment in the Anno franchise, titled Anno 1800. This time however, instead of the distant future, we gaze back in time (rather unsurprisingly based off the title) to the 1800’s at the dawn of a spiffing industrial age full of Victorian style social unrest. It’s the 19th century and Blue Byte’s writers have positively nailed the setting. The long-running series offers a complex and challenging experience that History buffs and strategy fans alike will enjoy as they tackle all the drama around that period of Mankind.


The tiny town of "Ditchwater" off to humble beginnings!

What’s an Anno?

If, unlike me, you’ve never seen a single game in the series, Anno 1800 will serve as a pretty good starting point. They’ve taken special care to develop an introductory story mode that works as a solid, albeit somewhat slow tutorial. It’s in no rush, making sure to establish the rules of the detailed supply chain systems the game utilises one element at a time. Now and then, the tutorial even falls a little short and you’ll need a little bit of ingenuity to preempt problems (who knew one needed many fire stations on one’s island?). For the most part, the story mode covers what you need to know. Don’t expect to become a master of logistics all in one go, however. The game has a lot more subtle nuances you have to pick up through playing before you can truly master it.

The campaign, rather bafflingly, tells the story of you returning home and then immediately leaving to a next-door island with you in search of a fresh start. Your father has been accused of treason! Followed by a suspicious demise in custody, your moustache twirling, and power-hungry uncle takes power, and as you’d imagine, he immediately makes your life miserable. After fleeing his Machiavellian grasp, you begin building a new town and trade empire. The tale is entertaining enough, especially with the delightful prose of the Victorian era characters (who’s dialogue is written perfectly!) but it mostly just serves to establish the game's complex web of systems and mechanics.


Through the magic of TRANSFER SHIP we are off to the tutorial!

Complex Web of Systems and Mechanics

As it always has been, the Anno series is about city building and supply chain logistics. Anno 1800 is no different. Starting with nothing, your objective is to lovingly plan and cultivate your island nation, balancing the people's mirth and needs with the economic growth. Any 4X fan will be well at home in this sphere of the game (eXploring, eXpanding, eXploiting trade and, should the worst come to pass, eXterminating your foes). The game is fully real-time, so you certainly feel as if you’re constantly on your feet as a governor, rushing about dealing with trade deals, lack of schnapps, workers unions and commanding your fleets to sail the high seas. Staying on top of the economic food chain is important and it all becomes a lot to take in very quickly. Like its predecessors, Anno 1800 is an extremely dense game, essentially merging what is three games worth of concepts into one. Yes, the campaign will get you started with the basics, but as I’ve mentioned before, there are a lot of subtle complexities (and some skill with juggling) you’ll have to pick up to actually master the game.

Like its predecessors, Anno 1800 is an extremely dense game, essentially merging what is three games worth of concepts into one.

For example, there’s a sidequest system that plays a major role in how your city relates to your neighbours. If you don’t get on their good side early through the use of these little quests for your fleets, negotiating trade agreements and making military alliances will be much harder in the late game. It also of course helps that they fling some pocket change at you every time you complete one (after all, no one turns down more capital!).

Overall, the “tutorial” section is quite lacking in the trading and diplomacy sections but progresses at a slow enough pace that teaching yourself isn’t a difficult task. Just go out there and wheel and deal (whilst listening to the charming Victorian era dialogue). There is a gratifying sense of achievement that comes with evolving and expanding your little village up to a town and then to a bustling industrial city. Stick with it and you’ll be rewarded.


Ditchwater grows! I'm sure I won't need any sort of those newfangled installations like "fire stations"

Same, but Different

Aside from the obvious thematic changes to the game (the last one WAS in the distant future after all), returning players will find a new mechanic in “Expeditions” which offer a fun change of pace to the game. As more of an “end game” content, you only unlock them when your city is pretty advanced. Each expedition contains a great deal of risk, so you have to decide how to prepare and provision the ship according to your captain’s recommendations. During the journey, your ship’s crew encounters many events which can then lead either to a safe outcome and reward, or to loss of one of your crew members, or even the whole ship! It’s a clever little mini-game that adds more to your plate (if there wasn’t enough already), but is a fun addition.


Always be discreet around dragons...

The Diplomacy system has also been refined and developed and, once again, highlights the eternal struggle of industry and supply chains that Anno loves to drive. Every factory you construct will bolster your economy but in return reduces happiness and increases pollution on your island. Produce too much industry and your agriculture begins to dwindle. Without food supplies from a neighbouring island, your economy could collapse. Or perhaps it’s the other way around? You’ve invested heavily in the farms and production of all food goods but leave them “unprocessed” to export to the hungry industrial islands to keep them alive.

I’ve found the best solution is to take the “Thanos” approach, in that there should be balance in all things, both farmer and worker.

Even your city workforce comes with its own balancing act. You can choose to produce Factory workers by “upgrading” farmers houses, meaning that you gain 10 plucky factory hands but also leaves you with 10 fewer honest farmers minding the pigs. Without the pigs, you can’t make the sausages your plucky factory hands desire to get an honest day of work in… and pretty soon you have a riot on your hands, all because you got too greedy (and didn’t import sausages). In my gameplay, I’ve found the best solution is to take the “Thanos” approach, in that there should be balance in all things, both farmer and worker (ed - Not sure eradicating half the population is the answer there).

Eye Candy

Anno 1800 has a delightful art style. Blue Byte show their experience in design as the cityscapes look fantastic as they organically grow around your small kernel of beginning. The characters you interact with are delightful, if somewhat over-the-top, and even getting up close and personal with your people yields its own rewards as you watch the busy little townsfolk going about their days and making quippy period appropriate one liners.


This newspaper title in no way indicative of the fact that half my city burnt down in a raging inferno...

Final Thoughts

Doing its predecessors proud, Anno 1800 is a return to exactly what gives the Anno series its reputation with enough fresh tweaks to keep it a modern game. The game is extremely dense and contains a lot of depth, and if the concept of building up a sprawling city supported by a fleet of ships and a labyrinthian logistical empire, the game is for you. If supply chains give you a headache, you may want to give this one a miss. But for now, I’m off to find out why my textile manufactory chain is performing sub optimally!