HUMANKIND™ - Cultures of Oceania Pack Review Summary

This DLC brings unique cultures, beautiful visuals and audio, yet balance issues, lingering bugs, and a poorly designed World Congress undermine the experience.

DLC is a worthwhile addition: Multiple reviewers agree that this DLC adds enjoyable and great content to the game, improving the overall experience. It is considered one of the better DLCs for the game.

New cultures are unique and fun: The DLC introduces a wide variety of cultures including Pama-Nyungans, Polynesians, Rapa-Nui, Māori, Hawaiians, and New Zealanders, each with different affinities, mostly naval-based. Reviewers find these cultures very unique, more interesting than the base game, and fun to play.

Polynesian cultures offer strong early advantages: Playing as Polynesian cultures provides significant advantages for early navigation, colonizing isolated islands, and building a strong early navy. Their expansionist traits and unique districts accelerate growth and facilitate expansion.

Adds variety and deepens gameplay: The DLC brings more variety and possibilities, expanding and deepening the game's mechanics. It freshens up the metagame and opens new combinations of cultures and possibilities.

Visuals and audio are beautiful: The DLC features beautiful illustrations, an awesome soundtrack, and stunning visuals for new water-adjacent buildings. The game remains a visual treat with this addition.

Balance issues persist: The game suffers from far-skewed balancing in mid and late game, with some cultures being more balanced than others. This leads to a weak economic start and weak military performance later, making the game feel broken.

Game remains buggy: Players report that the game still has bugs, including movement issues that have persisted since the public beta. These unresolved bugs contribute to a feeling that the game is not polished.

DLC cultures are situational: The new cultures from Oceania and other regions are highly situational and rely heavily on water, making them less useful than vanilla or Latin American cultures. This undermines the DLC's value, especially since naval power is not crucial in this game.

World Congress design poor: The World Congress design is considered poor and has turned the game to garbage. This feature negatively impacts the overall experience, contributing to the game being no longer enjoyable.

Developers lack content understanding: Players feel that the developers do not understand how to create content, as evidenced by the situational cultures and poor design choices. This criticism is tied to the overall dissatisfaction with the DLC.

Naval-focused cultures and gameplay: The new cultures are predominantly naval-based, suited for maritime gameplay, and heavily water-dependent. This makes the DLC ideal for players who enjoy ocean exploration and naval strategies.

Ocean exploration and colonization: The content emphasizes exploring the map across oceans, with Maori and Polynesian cultures providing advantages for early navigation and colonizing isolated islands. This supports a strategy focused on fishing and maritime trade.

Seven new independent leaders: The DLC includes seven new independent leaders, adding more variety and strategic options for players. This is a notable addition alongside the new cultures.

Fifteen new events included: The DLC features 15 new events, enriching the gameplay experience with more narrative and dynamic occurrences. This adds depth to the game's event system.

Polynesian expansionist trait and district: Polynesians have an expansionist trait and a unique district that accelerates with numbers, encouraging wide play and rapid growth. This is a strong incentive for aggressive expansion.

Mixed purchase recommendations: Reviewers are split on whether to buy, with some saying grab it on sale and others saying not worth the money. This indicates a polarized reception.

Recommended for naval enthusiasts: A reviewer recommends the game for players who enjoy naval gameplay, suggesting the content includes naval elements that are well-received. This is a specific positive aspect.

Encourages personal trial: One reviewer recommends trying the game themselves, indicating that personal experience is valued over external opinions. This suggests mixed but not negative feedback.

Maritime Explorer: Focuses on naval units, ocean exploration, and maritime strategy. Motivation: Exploring the map and engaging in naval gameplay. Stance: buy.

Dedicated Content Seeker: Engages with cultural selection, wonders, and long-term progression. Motivation: Expanding their experience with new cultures and wonders. Stance: buy.

DLC is reasonably priced: Multiple reviewers note the DLC is cheap or reasonably priced for the content offered. This makes it a good value purchase.

Adds six new cultures: The DLC introduces six distinct cultures, including Māori, Hawaiians, and New Zealanders, expanding gameplay variety. This is a key content addition.

Includes six new wonders: New wonders like Uluṟu and Mauna Kea Observatory are added, providing strategic and aesthetic benefits. This enhances the game's world-building.

Adds independent peoples and events: The DLC includes seven independent peoples, 15 narrative events, and new music by Arnaud Roy, enriching the game's narrative and atmosphere. This adds depth beyond just new civilizations.

Educational about overlooked cultures: Reviewers appreciate learning about lesser-known cultures, some of which are unfamiliar even to archaeologists. This educational aspect is a unique selling point.