Say Goodbye To Your Life Once Again
Europa Universalis IV is about as ‘Grand’ as Grand Strategy games get. With an epic soundtrack that perfectly resembles the time periods, and historical accuracies galore, there is almost everything a historical strategy buff needs. But for how long will EU IV keep you intrigued? Answer: A hell of a long time.
I’m going to have to admit to you, I’m a total fan of all things grand and strategy. Something about the slow paced, mellow gameplay and rather complex game mechanics keeps me calm and collected. If there’s any reason to fear, a good old strategy game will wash it away post-haste! Europa Universalis defines everything that a strategy game needs. Complex decisions, a rather steep learning curve and adequate difficulty levels. Europa Universalis is definately not for the kind of gamer who prefers gunfights, instead it favours the crowd of meticulous planners and nimble minds.
Throughout the 12 campaign levels, you’ll be challenged with building up your empire and preventing the expansion of many others. With the selection of many colonies of the time, this allows the player surpassed amounts of variety in their strategies. Will you tackle the Ottoman rise as the English? Or will you rise to power as the Ottomans? This decision is entirely up to you and allows new tactics in gameplay, far outweighing the variety in opposing strategy titles. EU4 doesn’t restrict you with specific winning conditions, instead favouring a players self-defined goals and ambitions.
EU4 is a must-have for any historical buff, like me. Every settings and time piece is perfectly recreated, where you can change the outcome, the actions of opponents and beginning set-pieces allow for total historical immersion. Where a game like Civilization falls on being far off correct historical accuracy, EU4 brings the player into the time period, with the woes and issues preventing their expansion! EU4 allows the player to see what would happen if another country had won a war, if the french revolution was prevented and if the English went for total European dominance, It allows the player to craft their own history and majestically rule in whatever way they please. Alternate histories are key to the foundries of EU4. Forging alliances, capturing land and fighting wars, EU4 brings strategy to a grander scale than it has been seen before, at least to an accuracy standpoint.
EU4 doesn’t encourage brute strategies however. If you attempt total colonization and destruction of your opponents, you incur severe penalties, causing allies to form alliances with each other against you. This is where Europa shines and shows the player that it’s not that easy to conquer the world. But troubles with neighbouring countries aren’t the only issues you face in EU4, oh no, you will also be tasked with keeping track of your empires internal affairs, such as revolutions. This allows EU4 to thrust the player into many difficult situations and often bombards you with new objectives. But you are free to tackle them however you want, and although Europa has a rather steep learning curve, it’s systems are far easier, than other strategy games, to master.
Europa Universalis 4 is a great game, I may even call it ‘grand’. It’s easy to understand yet rather complex nature may be a turning point for some, but it’s definitely refreshing for a strategy game to show such levels of refinement and complexity. The accuracy of historical superpowers and their tactics are admirable and the necessity to carefully manage every aspect of your expansion are great features and I haven’t played a strategy game that could replicate them. EU4 is a must buy for any die-hard strategy gamers and may even be a great purchase for newcomers to the strategy genre. If you’re looking for a stellar, complex and historically accurate strategy game, EU4 is the one to go for. With almost limitless amounts of hours to count and mod compatibility, I can see myself spending a lot of time in EU4 and suggest you do too.
9/10
The Freelance Critic 