Crusader Kings III - Review @ Emergent Mage

Crusader Kings 3 Review: Medieval Roleplay Refined

Crusader Kings 3 is an RPG/grand strategy game in which you play the ruler of a medieval dynasty. Expand your power, land, and lineage using diplomacy, warfare, scheming, and your family bloodline.

The game simulates the medieval world of cultures, religions, and rulers across a map that includes Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

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Medieval Shenanigans For All

Crusader Kings 3 is a gorgeous refinement over the previous title with engaging new mechanics and improvements to make the complexity more accessible.

I found that hours flew by while playing Crusader Kings 3; it's simply a blast. The game constantly gives you decisions and actions to make and allows you to direct the type of experiences you want to have, and there are many.

If you play Crusader Kings 2, you will feel right at home here. You'll be able to interact with the overall game loop with agility and aplomb. No doubt about it. I say this because, in some respects, Crusader Kings 3 is very much an overhaul of the graphics and aesthetics. Much was put into better character portraits, user interfaces, and maps.

The features that were added or expanded upon like the hooks, lifestyles, and faith founding mechanics were carefully selected to heighten player interaction and engagement. This means making the game a little more RPG and a lot more fun.

For me, and I think for a lot of gamer's that may have struggled to get into the Paradox grand strategy titles, the real success may be in making the game easier to understand and more accessible. New players have a decent tutorial to get them going, and an interface and messaging that provides actionable direction.

I did mention issues that I had with the preview build of the game. It's quite likely that some of these will be fixed in a day-one patch and you'll never experience them.

With future DLC releases and the wealth of mods we can expect in the near future, Crusader Kings 3 is a strategic sandbox toy that will continue to give you enjoyment for years to come.

A big congratulations to Paradox Development Studios for an amazing game. Well done.