The recent additions "Gesunkene Schatz" and "Botanika" for the building-up Anno 1800 were quite nice, but they offered above all experienced strategists too little challenge. But that is exactly what the developers of Ubisoft Mainz want to change with the third DLC.
"The Passage" brings not just some fresh content with it, but also a new story that takes you to the Arctic. The wife of the famous explorer Sir John Franklin asks you to find her husband again. This is missing since the departure for an expedition into eternal ice. As a gentleman of course you go in search of Franklin and his followers.
It's not that fast. Because in order to even travel to the passage or Arctic, one of your existing settlements must have at least one engineer. That, in turn, requires promotion to the fourth level of the population. At first glance, this condition seems to be as annoying as it is a hindrance. However, it has its justification: The developers want to make sure that no bloody novo beginners dare to the new add-on. Because they would be completely overwhelmed and would therefore have little fun with the additional chapter.
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Out in the cold
Once you have started your trip to the Arctic, you can choose the route of your expedition yourself. But your initial thirst for adventure should be a harsh – no, rather a cold – dampened shortly after the arrival in the eternal ice. Because instead of being able to spread out as usual in reasonably pristine regions, you have to fight for survival in "The Passage" from the first minute. You not only encounter the native Inuit, but also the remains of a small settlement that has to be laboriously rebuilt. This is anything but easy, since your settlers are bothered by the enormous cold.
In order to get a grip on the temperatures, you can build the much-needed heaters, whose heat runs through pipelines to the buildings of the settlement. However, you need plenty of coal to burn these stoves. However, as the islands in the Arctic provide too little resources to cover all coal needs, you depend on imports from the Old World. On this occasion, you can introduce as many other goods that your residents really need or would like to have.
This small example makes it clear how demanding the gameplay in "Die Passage" is. Those who are less than perfect with the mechanics of Anno 1800 will quickly skid and face a host of frozen settlers due to their erroneous plans. A whole corner becomes more complex in the development of cliffs. Because only there there is the gas needed for the construction of the new and very practical airships.
Since the direct route to the cliffs is blocked, you have to transport all goods and workers by air, which in turn requires a corresponding amount of resources. You see, what this amounts to: Without good planning, a clever organization of transport routes and a certain foresight is not.
Only the tough get into the garden
But who bites through, is rewarded with a deep sense of satisfaction. Once the transport routes are working properly, you can proudly watch the hustle and bustle on the screen. In addition, thanks to 32 new buildings, additional merchandise and a multitude of new properties, you'll have plenty to discover, so there's no shortage of variety for a while.
The construction of the new campaign has also been successful. Although the story about the missing expedition is not particularly profound. But thanks to "scavenger hunts," collecting tasks, and finding the pages of a logbook, the Quest series is more exciting than in the previous DLC episodes. Real gameplay innovations are missing, but this balances the successful as well as harmonious presentation of "The Passage" again.
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The developers of Ubisoft Mainz have put a lot of effort into making the icy arctic regions of the Arctic very detailed and threatening. This starts with almost idyllic snowdrifts and does not stop at flying snowflakes. In addition, there is a great background music that even strikes melancholic tones. The atmosphere is not as gloomy as the thematically similar development game Frostpunk, but also less cheerful than in the main game.