Flut ist gut

As the name suggests, the second add-on Gathering Storm is primarily about nature, natural disasters and how mankind deals with them ... and is also to blame for them. After all, anyone who blows coal into the atmosphere for centuries should not be surprised that their coastal towns are drowning. Conservatives and oil lobbyists may see it differently, but perhaps it is a small consolation to them that our opponents are also sharing the boat with us.

The expansion introduces eight new ones, bringing the number of playable factions to 37 nations! In terms of content, I don't want to go into any more detail, because a welcome pattern is emerging in the addons: a great expansion with meaningful content and new factions, which in turn have once again been given an excellent musical treatment of their national identity. In my opinion, the only thing that cannot match the qualities of before is the Gathering Storm theme when compared to Sogno di Volare (The Dream of Flight) and Rise and Fall.

Games from the Sid Meier's Civilization-series

Sid Meier’s Civilization (1991)

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (2016)

In contrast to the previous albums, I usually like the modern variations of the tracks in this expansion the best, even with representatives such as the Incas, whose empire collapsed a good 450 years ago. There's just something about witnessing the evolution of the Maori haka, for example, from its archaic form to an epic orchestral piece in the atomic age. However, before I go back over every civilization, I'll leave it with a small overview of the newcomers and briefly name the (folk) songs their themes were based on:

• Canada - Vive la Canadienne / The Crooked Stovepipe / O Canada
• Hungary - Hej Dunáról fúj a szél / Cinege, cinege
• Inca - Siempre Macho
• Mali – Mali Sadio / Masana Seesay
• Maori – Pokarekare Ana / Ka Mate
• Ottoman - Ey büt-i nev eda olmusum müptela / Yelkenler Bicilecek
• Phoenicia - Hurrian Hymn
• Sweden - Helan Går / Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle / Polska efter Pelle-Fors

So if there's a nation you're particularly interested in or you just want to hear more of the (very good) same, go for it!