Democracy 3: Africa is a stand-alone expansion to the third installment of the Democracy series, which debuted on PCs in autumn 2013. Its creation is the responsibility of the creators of the original game, the British studio Positech Games led by Cliff Harris (alias Cliffski), known to players thanks to the original strategy game series Gratuitous Battles. The title is a stand-alone production and does not require the base version of Democracy 3 for operation.
Story
In the game we once again play the role of the leader of a modern democratic state, and our task is to make many key social and economic decisions that influence the directions and pace of development of our country. At the same time, we must also ensure an appropriate level of among the public, which, with its votes, ensures that we remain in power. Unlike the mainstream Democracy games, this time the action takes us to the African continent, which, combined with the uniqueness of the African countries, poses a number of completely new challenges for the players. During the game we can become the head of one of ten countries: Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Zambia, Senegal, Tunisia, Botswana and Mauritius.
Mechanics
In of mechanics, Democracy 3: Africa is no different that its original, simulating a series of political, social and economic processes taking place in a democratic state. During the turn-based game, players are forced to constantly make key choices for the country and society, which may have a positive or negative impact on various aspects of citizens' lives. The whole project was realized in a rather minimalist form, and during the game we are accompanied by a whole lot of diagrams and charts, illustrating the changes taking place and helping us to make subsequent decisions.
As in previous parts of the series, our effort is hampered by a whole series of randomly appearing events requiring quick and decisive action, which can often undermine our entire development strategy to date. As the game takes place on the African continent, the specificity of individual events also changes, which are a bit more closely related to the main problems of this region of the world. In the course of the game, we will be struggling, for example, with poverty, malnutrition, corruption, as well as access to drinking water, education or health care. It is not uncommon for us to have highly developed countries offering material aid or investments in our economy.
Technical aspects
Democracy 3: Africa is powered by the engine of the base game, offering a similar and rather minimalist audiovisual setting. Although graphics are rather secondary to the game, the devs have created completely new graphics, animations and soundtracks to suit the African atmosphere of the game.
