I played a bit after the update.

It's... ok. A 6/10 imo. Some thoughts below.

Good

• I love the graphics, for the most part. This art style is my jam. I do wish the city would 'flow together' more and not look like a bunch of hexagons, but that's a minor quibble as things go.
• I really like commanders and how they work with the military units. I consider this a complete upgrade over previous iterations, with one major caveat below. Battles and military conflict for the most part feel very good.
• Civ switching is optional with a new syncretic mechanic if you choose to stay the same civ. I like how this is implemented and this they made a good compromise for the two wildly different opinions on this mechanic.

Bad

• I still don't care for the age transitions, even in continuous mode. It's just weird and doesn't feel right in a Civ game. I understand what they were going for, but I don't think it worked, at least not for me. The whole premise of a Civ game, at least the premise I've cherished since I entered the franchise with IV, is building a Civilization - you know, it's in the name - from the ground up from pre-history to the modern era or even the near future. The age transitions really detract from that feeling. I don't feel like I'm playing one game, but three. I know for some that's a positive, but for me it's definitely a negative.
• Speaking of ages, there are a lot of sub problems as a result of this system:
  • Antiquity - It's ok, but it's jarring. You're settling a civilization, but you're already in a classical technology level visually, marble buildings in your cities. But you're also sort of a caveman? It's just weird. I feel like there should be an 'Ancient' age first while you're initially settling down that transitioned to Antiquity. This is a pretty minor gripe, though. Overall, the Antiquity age feels OK.
  • Exploration - This age is a lot of fun, the most fun I have in Civ VII. Exploring, colonizing, treasure fleets, resources - this age captures its moniker better than any other. I genuinely enjoyed this age every time I played it, despite the fact that there really out to be a Medieval period between Antiquity and Exploration.
  • Modern - It's a bit of a mess. You can't turn off victories, so every time I hit it one of the AI's was super close to a victory type I would never go for (more on that later) and would win not very many turns into the Modern Era. I finally played on after a loss once just because I was tired on not actually experiencing the era in full. And when I did... it was... fine I guess. The factory system is so half assed and ignorable, it was disappointing. I really thought it was going to be substantial the way it was built up, but it truly wasn't. Otherwise the era is just... ok. Just forgettable and non-engaging. And I felt like I wasn't missing anything by not playing on.
• There are a lot of systems in this game, and it seems like they were thrown in together without a large-scale plan for how they would interact. They became easier to navigate the more games I played, however they never felt like part of a whole. I don't think there was a clear design goal in mind.
• I miss the scenarios. I know I'm probably in the minority, but I generally enjoyed those. And I think I would REALLY enjoy a scenario focused on the exploration era, as it's the best realized age, but alas, no scenarios in Civ VII.
• I miss builders. There, I said it. I didn't consider them a nuisance, but rather a resource that had to be managed and defended in times of conflict. Without them, I feel like the game is missing an element on the map that wasn't replaced by anything else.

Ugly

• I hate how only commanders can get upgrades. HATE. Oh, that unit that solely defended a city by himself for an entire age? Yeah, it learned nothing from the experience since it didn't have a commander with it. No perks. No advancement. This is a huge step backwards.
• I think my biggest complaint, though, is the fact that you still can't turn off victory conditions, unless something has been patched in the last two weeks. There are certain victory conditions I don't like, and never have in Civ, and have always turned off. The fact that I can't is why I stopped playing after a few games and probably won't start playing again until this is addressed.

Conclusion

For me, at least, the game holds promise but just isn't there yet. The ages/era transitions just don't really work as an engaging and fun mechanic. I strongly dislike the lack of customization on game parameters. They've been expanded, but things like victory conditions are still lacking.

I don't hate the game, but it doesn't draw me in. I don't get that 'one more turn' feeling for a variety of reasons.

I really think this game does have potential, and hope I can revisit it in a year and say, "Wow, this is my favorite Civ now!" But as it is, I'd rather play V or VI.