“Dictatorship shall become extinct, Tropico shall please stay”
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been 20 years since the inception of Tropico. Even in the games industry that’s a long time and we’re extremely grateful to be part of that journey for Kalypso’s 15-year history. Alongside us, millions of players have fallen in love with Tropico and we’re endlessly proud to be the caretaker for such a beloved series.
Tropico, known world-over for its cheerful brand of dark humour, upbeat soundtrack, lush beaches, deep strategy gameplay and of course, protagonist El Presidente and his servile sidekick, Penultimo, has a lot of fans – reason enough for us to do this little piece surrounding industry professionals and what had them fall head-over-heels for the series.
Here we go:
“With Tropico, I always liked the funny dictator artwork. It reminded me of Clever & Smartboard games from the 80s. I remember, in a moment of boredom, I once tried part of the series on the Xbox 360. Anyway, the menus and tables evoked such an aura of tax returns that I had to soothe my eyes afterwards with images of a Caribbean vacation I’d never experienced.”
Jo Hesse (before spieletipps, now working with Gronkh)
“Tropico is political satire – and that is quite unusual in the medium of computer games. But Tropico is much more than that, it’s a WELL-done political satire! And as if that wasn’t sensational enough, Tropico is also a very excellent construction game. Dictatorships should be allowed to die out, but Tropico should please stay”.
Christian Schiffer, Journalist, (WSAD-Magazine and others)
“It’s easy to underestimate the power of aesthetics in a strategy game, but staring at a lush island paradise for tens of hours is hard to pass up. Tropico is a game that can reward corruption, assassinations, xenophobic immigration policies, and openly dictatorial regimes. And somehow, despite all of this, the mood is light and jovial.”
Sin Vega (Writer at Rock Paper Shotgun)
“The Tropico series always managed to excite me. As El Presidente, the series gave me the opportunity to throw all my moral and ethical principles overboard and exploit my people. This was not always successful and usually ended in a rebellion. But, it made me laugh a lot and I had lots of fun. Even today, it feels good to return to the tropics to create my very own island paradise.”
Fabian Carvalho, Twitch/Youtube (Playerz Only, kreis3production)
“For me, Tropico’s unique charm, coupled with humor and yet crisp difficulty, is what makes it so special. Which for me makes it probably the most well-rounded of all building games, and for such a long time already!”
Eikarrramba, Twitch/ Youtube
“I remember my mom bringing me a pineapple juice with a straw to the PC while playing Tropico. I put my feet up and thought it was actually better than a vacation.”
Nina Schild, aktuell Nerdbeeren, ehemals EA und gameswelt.de
“The Tropico series has managed a tightrope walk that not all video games succeed at, and could have ended badly in this case: making thoroughly serious topics – dictatorships, oppression, abuse of power – entertaining and interactive to experience with macabre humor.”
Andreas Garbe, Games Editor
“Caribbean flair is far from all Tropico has going for it. For 20 years, it has been thought-provoking about different political practices, strategically challenging and, fortunately, not taking itself too seriously. The music is and always will be a dream and invites you to party, while the stories captivate you because they are ingeniously thought out. Congratulations Tropico on your 20th anniversary!”
Bisu Zimt, Twitch/Youtube