You’re either going to love this game or hate it. For the record, put me in the “love it” camp. But love will only get you so far in Europa Universalis III. Much like a real relationship, getting anything worthwhile out of this game is going to take a lot of work. And the path to bliss isn’t always easy or even apparent.  In the end, what you get out of Europa Universalis III depends on what you’re willing to put into it.

If you’ve been along for the ride since the good old days of EU I & II than this review is largely irrelevant. You’ve already bought EU III and are probably enjoying it immensely. If you’re new to this series then, well… sit down, son. We’ve got to have a little talk about the facts of life.

Rewrite History

Europe Universalis III is a monstrous strategy game that lets you play out the Age of Discovery however you see fit.  Players can embark on paths to glory via trade, diplomacy, or conquest. What sets this apart from more conventional strategy games is the sense of scope. Much like Civilization, players are free to rewrite history as they see fit. However, unlike the Civ games, Europe Universalis is more firmly rooted in actual history.

The game is played out on a reasonably accurate representation of the earth as it was circa the late 15th century. In picking out a country to play, all the usual suspects are present and accounted for. Go ahead and pick your favorite European flavor and get to work making war with your neighbors and exploiting the new world.

More than meets the eye
 
In mucking about on your first play through, it quickly becomes apparent just how detailed this game is. Players have an incredible amount of control over nearly every aspect of their country’s development. An excellent tutorial and thorough instruction manual makes tackling the steep learning curve somewhat less daunting. But you’re still going to want to keep the manual on hand (and probably read it in your spare time).

It’s only after you’ve let the game mechanics sink in that it hits you. Most strategy games give you a handful of paths to victory. Europa Universalis III plays out more like a giant sandbox simulation. Sure you could pick Spain and do the nasty all over South America. But what if you tried invading, say, China? Or how about if Scotland focused on becoming a trade empire? Or don’t you think it’s high time the Burmese ruled the world? Obviously playing the game as a world power is vastly different from playing as a relatively benign culture.  But what’s interesting about Europa Universalis is that it really alters the way players can approach the game. 

If you start out as the Iroquois like I did during one play through, you’re going to have a rough time of it because they were technologically behind the European superpowers. So I spent a decade or two of game time in relative peace with my Native American neighbors, slowly expanding my territory and make making good progress. It was a rude awaking when the computer controlled white man came knocking on my door. But it was great too, because I was able to try out a bunch of things to see if I could thwart their advance. I lost, of course, because I suck, but it was a good ride while it lasted.

…but she’s got a great personality.

And that’s the real draw of Europe Universalis III. Go ahead and rewrite history if you can. It’s fascinating stuff that’s reason enough to play this game. Good thing, too. Because there’s little else in this package that will probably entice you to play. The game is, in a word, ugly. The visuals are functional, and that’s about it. The interface has improved vastly from previous efforts, but it’s still filled with design choices that don’t really make sense. Why is it I have to move my ships out of port into the open sea before I can have my troops board them?

As good as the manual is, and as user-friendly as they’ve tried to make this whole thing, there’s no getting around the fact that this is once complex simulation. The whole trade mechanic is enough to make your head spin. But it’s hard to find fault in that. Few games even attempt this level of detail. No, it’s not pretty. Yes, it’s pretty demanding. But if you’re willing to put some effort into it, Europe Universalis III is immensely entertaining and rewarding.

Article by: Greg Bemis
Video produced by: Michael Benson