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Anno 1602 History Edition

Anno 1602 History Edition Game Cover
78%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:optimization, replayability
Most mentioned negative aspects:gameplay, music
78% User Score Based on 104 reviews

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PCWindows
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Anno 1602 History Edition Game Cover

About Anno 1602 History Edition

Anno 1602 History Edition is a single player and multiplayer economy city builder game with economy, medieval and historical themes. It was developed by Ubisoft Mainz and was released on April 22, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Relive the beginnings of the Anno series with the Anno 1602 and its expansion New Islands, New Adventure in this History Edition, updated and optimized to work smoothly on current computers. The New Islands, New Adventure expansion for Anno 1602 features more than 40 new scenarios and 200 new islands, plus improvements to AI opponents and overall gameplay. Your cities look better than ev…

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Reviews

78%Audience ScoreBased on 104 reviews
optimization3 positive mentions
stability2 negative mentions
  • Timeless classic city-building and economic strategy gameplay that still holds up well decades later.
  • Large amount of content and replayability with 64 scenarios and scenario editor included.
  • Modern upgrades like higher resolution support and enhanced multiplayer while preserving original mechanics.
  • Mandatory Ubisoft Connect launcher with frequent login issues and always-online DRM frustrates many players.
  • Dated interface and clunky controls, including awkward unit management and poor AI pathfinding in combat.
  • Steep learning curve with unclear tutorials and hidden mechanics requiring external guides to master.

  • gameplay

    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    18% positive mentions, 64% neutral mentions, 18% negative mentions

    The gameplay of this classic city builder remains solid and engaging, particularly its core economic mechanics and strategic island expansion, offering deep and varied scenarios without relying on scripted events. However, some game mechanics are poorly explained and hidden behind a dated UI, which can frustrate players and may require external guides to fully grasp. Overall, it preserves its legacy with smooth performance and offers extensive replayability despite its simpler, older design.

    • “The core economic gameplay holds up really well, the combat less so.”
    • “Surprising creativity and diversity in scenario design, despite lacking scripted events or more elaborate gameplay features of later titles.”
    • “The gameplay centers on exploration and careful expansion across an archipelago of islands, each offering different resources and strategic possibilities.”
    • “Some details about game mechanics (such as that fishing only happens on medium blue tiles) are not well explained and consulting online guides may be necessary to make the most of every concept.”
    • “Terrible UI and hidden mechanics. Instead, players get punished for mechanics hidden behind bad UI.”
    • “Very dated, not only in visuals, but also in gameplay mechanics; that said, this was a favorite title for my brother and me growing up, and the fact that it's been preserved and enhanced (entirely new multiplayer UI and support), is a dream come true.”

  • music

    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    25% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, period-inspired compositions and calming ambiance that enhance the relaxed, steady pace of gameplay. Battle themes add dynamic contrast, though some players note repetition when facing frequent skirmishes. Additionally, recent updates have enriched the soundtrack with pieces from newer titles, maintaining the classic charm while improving audio quality.

    • “The music is beautiful, the progress is satisfying, the pace is perfect!”
    • “Audio design complements this atmosphere with calm, period-inspired music and ambient sounds that reinforce the game’s relaxed but focused pace, encouraging long play sessions built around steady progress rather than constant tension.”
    • “After many years still worth playing, even if only to hear its exceptional soundtrack :)”
    • “The music switches to battle music when you fight, but it goes back to the first track afterwards, so I often get stuck at the first few pieces, just because some pirates keep harassing my ships.”
    • “But this only happens if you play the soundtrack sequentially, instead of shuffle.”
    • “10 euros is a steep price though but it has music added in from newer titles and modern resolution support.”

  • graphics

    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    43% positive mentions, 14% neutral mentions, 43% negative mentions

    The graphics retain a classic, colorful style with lively animations that evoke nostalgia, though they appear dated and can be difficult to see at low resolutions. UI scaling introduces graphical glitches, impacting visibility, but overall the visual charm and preserved enhancements are appreciated by longtime fans.

    • “The art style retains its classic charm, with colorful buildings and lively animations that convey a sense of growth and activity.”
    • “The voicelines, the music, the graphics, it's simply marvellous.”
    • “Of course, the graphics and effects are from last the millennium, but when playing, it honestly does not matter.”
    • “At that resolution the graphics are so tiny it's extremely difficult to play.”
    • “The UI can be scaled, which causes all manner of graphical glitches, but it's impossible to see anything.”
    • “Very dated, not only in visuals, but also in gameplay mechanics; that said, this was a favorite title for my brother and me growing up, and the fact that it's been preserved and enhanced (entirely new multiplayer UI and support) is a dream come true.”

  • story

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    20% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 20% negative mentions

    The story provides a great atmosphere but is hindered by unclear instructions and unbalanced enemy strength, leading to frustrating trial-and-error gameplay in some missions. Players may need external guides to progress due to limited resources and challenging encounters.

  • optimization

    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    75% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 25% negative mentions

    The game’s optimization is generally well-executed, running smoothly on modern systems and preserving the original gameplay experience. However, some users report poor optimization issues, indicating inconsistent performance across different setups.

    • “The first Anno ever made, optimized for modern systems, which is - from what I could see so far - well made.”
    • “Developed by Ubisoft Mainz and published by Ubisoft, this history edition brings the original colonial-era city builder into the present with technical upgrades that allow it to run smoothly on modern systems while preserving the core mechanics and deliberate pacing that defined its legacy.”
    • “And the launcher has absolutely no impact on my performance.”
    • “Very poorly optimized.”

  • stability

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    33% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 67% negative mentions

    The game runs smoothly overall, providing a stable experience on PC; however, some issues like buggy camera movement and graphical glitches when scaling the UI can cause occasional stress and visibility problems.

    • “The new camera movement is buggy and adds extra stress in challenging situations.”
    • “The UI scaling causes all kinds of graphical glitches, making it impossible to see anything.”

  • replayability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game offers substantial replayability through its extensive bonus level packs and new expansions, providing a mix of structured challenges and open-ended sandbox modes. This variety enhances long-term engagement by showcasing different facets of its economic systems. Overall, it holds up well for a 90s strategy title in terms of content and replay value.

    • “The History Edition of Anno 1602, which includes all the various bonus level packs, offers a surprisingly large amount of content and replayability, holding up well for a 90s strategy game.”
    • “The inclusion of extensive scenario content with new islands and the new adventure expansion significantly expands replayability, providing structured challenges alongside free-form sandbox play that showcases different aspects of the economic systems.”

  • grinding

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    Grinding is described as tedious and frustrating, with issues like disproportionately small roads that make planning difficult and imply a need for excessive effort or retries.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”

  • atmosphere

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is characterized by a calm, period-inspired audio design that enhances a relaxed yet focused mood. Ambient sounds and music support steady, tension-free gameplay, encouraging extended play sessions centered on gradual progress.

    • “Audio design complements this atmosphere with calm, period-inspired music and ambient sounds that reinforce the game’s relaxed but focused pace, encouraging long play sessions built around steady progress rather than constant tension.”
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Play Times

10h Median play time
10h Average play time
10-10h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Anno 1602 History Edition is a economy city builder game with economy, medieval and historical themes. Common tags for Anno 1602 History Edition include turn-based, politics, colony sim, exploration, war and others.

Anno 1602 History Edition is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 10 hours playing Anno 1602 History Edition.

Anno 1602 History Edition was released on April 22, 2024.

Anno 1602 History Edition was developed by Ubisoft Mainz.

Anno 1602 History Edition has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Anno 1602 History Edition for its optimization but disliked it for its gameplay.

Anno 1602 History Edition is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Anno 1800, Anno 1404, SimCity 4: Deluxe Edition, Anno 2070, Stronghold 2: Steam Edition and others.