Crusader Kings III - Review @ NME

Crusader Kings III review: a superb sequel that welcomes new players to the joys of grand strategy

In making grand strategy accessible, Paradox has brought hours of absurd joy to a whole new generation of gamers

If there's anything you take from this review, I hope it's that you never neglect your children when you're playing Crusader Kings III. In my first playthrough of the latest instalment of Paradox Interactive's famously Daedalian grand strategy series, I'd extended beyond the tutorial as green as the hills of Munster in which I was based, fumbling my way into a surprising position of power.

I'd just formed the Kingdom Of Ireland after years of attrition, and though I sent many of my children to fight and die for the title as knights, I still had many heirs and was ready to settle into my role as a royal and preserve my precious dynasty. I did lose my wife to leprosy, but I had married my eldest daughter to the King Of England! For every cloud, there's a silver lining.

Yet, as I turned the game speed up to its fastest notch and tabbed out for a spot of doom scrolling, I was hit almost instantly with a humbling notification: I was dead, and my reign was over. Despite theorising that I would have many comfortable years of collecting taxes and stacking levies in my future, the lack of conventional medicine meant that old age took me mere months after my ascension to the throne. What's worse is that the title I'd worked my whole life to build was now passed to the runt of my large litter.

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Our Verdict

Crusader Kings III is an amazing sequel that has finally made grand strategy accessible to the average player, and in doing so unlocked hundreds of hours of fun for players unfamiliar with this niche genre. If you play games like Civilization but are unsatisfied with the level of autonomy, then this game needs to be on your radar.

Each playthrough of Crusader Kings III feels like writing a gripping novel full of intrigue and excitement, one that is only limited by the player's imagination. I urge you to look past its set dressing and dig into the absurd, beautiful systems that lay under the hood. Please don't knock it until you've tried it.

Pros

• Tons of accessibility features cut through the fog of complex mechanics for new players
• 3D-rendered animated characters breathe life into the game's absurd stories
• Unbelievable depth and near-infinite replayability

Cons

• The introduction of so many new features mean it's going to need quite a few balance patches post-launch