Have you grown weary of the current political climate and dissatisfied with the status quo? If you’ve ever wanted to instigate change and rule for the people, Democracy 3 grants this opportunity. Whatever your political allegiance, you can implement policy based on your beliefs. Following a country’s current path is significantly easier than radically reforming the political landscape which has existed for some time. Democracy 3 highlights the impossible task of being fiscally responsible without upsetting a country’s population. Even though the experience is compelling, certain aspects lack enough depth to make your legislative changes feel groundbreaking.
Success in Democracy 3 is determined by your ability to get re-elected whilst enacting political transformations. Elections are based on the two-party system which is overly simplified and removes important concepts such as protest votes, extremism, coalitions and groups who represent one issue. Also, different voting mechanisms like First-Past-The-Post and the Electoral College contain no differentiation. Popularity is key and Democracy 3 emphasises how difficult it is to please the entire electorate. Raising the Inheritance Tax rate will impress socialist voters but dismay wealthy and retired people with substantial assets. The whole game is a balancing act between unpopular policies which are economically beneficial and favoured schemes which help people but cripple your economy. Democracy 3 accurately portrays that all out expenditure may in fact increase poverty and unemployment.
After beginning a new game, the home screen can appear at first glance to be daunting and unfamiliar. The white circles signify concrete laws which can be refined and even abolished in some cases. Blue icons provide information about Productivity, Health, Education and other vital areas of daily life. Clicking on one of these bubbles outlines causes and effects so you can try and alleviate these problems through policy adjustments. Green objects denote fields of expertise where your country is excelling over rival nations. Red nodes are catastrophes waiting to happen and need rectifying immediately. Often, these are the results of your actions as implementing a policy often aids one demographic whilst hindering another. For example, after escalating a tax on Luxury Goods and heightening Corporation Tax, I was penalized with the Brain Drain crisis.
Introducing schemes which preyed on the wealthy discouraged innovative entrepreneurs from investing and forced them to conduct their commerce in rival countries. National problems can arise fairly quickly and require substansive efforts to eradicate completely. This is reflective of society and accurately depicts the impossible task a government faces. Each circle is interconnected by arrows which illustrates the impact of your initiatives. Theses arrows have varying speeds depending on their relevance so that you can prioritize what to change first. Overall, the UI is remarkable and incredibly well designed with graphs, popularity meters, in-depth focus groups and other trinkets of information.
In addition to managing a nation’s laws, you must control your Cabinet Ministers and use them wisely. Each minister has a particular political leaning with varying levels of loyalty and experience. If you adopt a Conservative approach without any compromise, Liberal ministers will become outraged and resign. Any legislative changes are restricted through the Political Capital mechanic where points are deducted for every alteration in government policy. This prevents the player from making sweeping changes that are incompatible with a nation’s history. These points are affected by the loyalty and commitment your ministers have to the cause. If certain members aren’t pulling their weight you can replace them or reshuffle the entire cabinet. A minor number of points transfer over after one turn, so if your staff are fanatical about your leadership, you can enact more controversial policies. When playing as the United Kingdom, each turn represents 3 months in office, with 16 turns signalling election time. This gives you ample opportunity to introduce short-term popular initiatives just before an election.
Every so often, events will ensue which are a result of your actions and occur if you neglect specific policies. Sometimes random encounters pose awkward questions designed to query your morality. During longer playthroughs, these proposals can become mundane as they rarely deviate from what you expect. As a result, your attitude becomes increasingly blasé towards them. You can either approve or disapprove motions on troublesome predicaments such as the legalization of Euthanasia. Your remarks feel disconnected from the government strategy because no visual indication is given outlying how your decisions altered policy and popularity. Perhaps executing this feature with a graph demonstrating the possible results or allowing ministers to dispense advice would help.
There are occasions when the game misrepresents public opinion on its popularity scale. For instance, a Tobacco tax in the UK has an approval rating of 0% even though statistics show that in 2010 only 21% engage in this habit. The majority of non-smokers dislike the fact that their air is being polluted by others and would prefer to see a hefty tax imposed. Democracy 3 depicts drugs in a straightforward manner and demonizes even recreational smokers. Legalizing all drugs boosts the crime rate by 21.19% in comparison with a total ban.
Narcotics and their consumption is a complicated issue which is not completely positive or negative. In Democracy 3, your political opposition is moot because they don’t draft their own policies or scrutinize current reforms. Successfully enacting a bill into law doesn’t require a Congressional debate and is far too easy to implement. Common delay tactics like filibustering or legislative riders are not included and would have compounded the difficulty curve through diplomacy. The only competition you receive is from yourself and your government’s activities.
Conclusion – Is It Worth Your Money?
Democracy 3 provides an excellent introduction into the rudimentary mechanisms of national government. The core gameplay involves micromanagement between popularity and economic prosperity. Adjusting policies is a trial and error process which panders to your inquisitive nature and is particularly cathartic. Annoyingly, the game is let down by glaring omissions such as active opposition parties and political mudslinging. On a more positive note, the User Interface is exceptional and presents vast sums of data in a clear and streamlined manner. Positech has compiled a game which may disappoint hardened political management fans. I would avoid this latest offering because it is overly simplistic. Democracy 3 is now available for £18.99/$24.99/€22.99.
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