Crusader Kings review

Swedish developer Paradox seems certain that there’s mileage in the engine for its real-time strategy game Europa Universalis. Crusader Kings marks the seventh use of the engine technology to come from the development house. The game takes place across three campaigns: 1066, after William the Conqueror’s success in England; 1187, with the third crusade; and 1337 at the onset of the Hundred Years’ War. Using the Europa Universalis engine means that the features and graphics that you’ve come to expect from the series are all present and correct, including the usual diplomatic, dynasty and combat options.

Overwhelming

The game has a very steep learning curve for anyone who is not experienced in this sort of in-depth strategy game. Starting a campaign gives you the choice of which of the three available you want to go for, then which country you want to play as and then presents you with a map. From here on you’re very much on your own. The interface gives little away and it’s only by studying the manual that you can learn how the game is supposed to work. If you can get into the workings of the game then there is much depth here from the various game elements, including diplomacy, internal affairs, dynasty building and war. Characters in the game have four basic traits - martial, diplomacy, intrigue and stewardship - as well as twenty-six character traits and several education and special traits. This lends a certain role-playing element to the strategy proceedings.

Guarding your own

To look after your own internal affairs you need to keep an eye on the peasants, burghers, clergy and nobles. Being good to one of these groups generally means upsetting at least one of the others and you need to carefully control your decisions to keep everyone onside. Decisions are taken as multiple choices, from a series of pop-up windows that appear from time to time, to advise you of matters that need your judgement - together with the result that each possible decision will have. As a ruler you can command the loyalty of other rulers. For instance a ruler might be the vassal to a king and might also have their own vassals. The ruler and their vassals need to have similar personality traits to ensure that their loyalty is guaranteed.

Getting on a bit

Crusader Kings saves can be loaded into Europa Universalis II so that you can carry on playing where your campaign ended in Crusader Kings. Whilst this feature is always nice to see it does mean that Paradox have been constrained to the same game engine, graphics and sound that they’ve been using for several years now. This means that the top down, 2D map of the world that passes for the main gaming screen is looking rather dated now. Equally, the troops that appear on the map to represent your army look very outdated, as do the pop-up screens that convey the events. The sound engine doesn’t seem too bad though. These games never seem to have great sound effects as there is little on screen action that really requires it and the score that keeps going as a background is not too bad. Of course, presentation is never going to be terribly important for this sort of a game. What people will care about more, and rightly so, is how well it plays.

Heir apparent

To maintain your dynasty and therefore the game, you’ll need to appoint an heir. You’ll need to get married and school your children, so that you can be sure that when the game passes over to your successor you’re leaving your legacy in good hands. Of course you’re really interested in a direct male heir, although an illegitimate heir can also succeed to the throne if needs be. Daughters are important as well, as they can be married off to cement relationships with other rulers and they need to be married as you get penalised for not marrying the eldest one away. These decisions will affect your piety rating. You are measured on this and prestige. Piety decreases as the church’s power decreases, prestige decreases as your areas fall into economic disarray or you start wars.

Crusading

The combat in Crusader Kings is rather basic. There is a strategic element to it as you have to find a case to go to war with any other province. This is generally related to trying to make a claim for a title or land. You can then raise an army from each of the areas that you control as well as requesting your vassals to raise armies for you. These are then moved around the map to meet the armies of your opponent and, once defeated, you can lay siege to their land. At any stage you can sue for peace and suggest that your opponent pays you gold and grants you the titles that you claim. As the siege goes on you become increasingly likely to get what you want. You have no direct control over the fighting, except for deciding how many of your host to commit to each battle. Commit too many troops and a neighbouring region might decide to lay siege to your undefended land.

Dragging it out

Crusader Kings is a fantastically deep strategy game. This is good news for fans of this genre and particularly for fans of Europa Universalis. However, it brings little new to the genre and re-uses an old and tired engine. Even so, it provides a rich and engaging game, which will reward fans with hours upon hours of gameplay. It will put off many casual fans or newcomers with its depth and steep learning curve but they’re just as likely to be put off by the graphics or sound. The people this is aimed at don’t care about such things, but enjoy spending their time mulling over diplomatic negotiations and how best to ensure the loyalty of the game’s four social classes. A game that excels in a niche market, then, but which also makes little effort to entice new gamers.