From the view point of a historian or a history enthusiast looking just a few years back, there was a huge lack of realistic historic games. There was the Total War series and with that, only hardcore fans would’ve found something for their taste with regular gamers left for dust. The games that were available were either fictional or outdated. But then, one day the tides turned and a historically accurate strategy, game arrived. It was modern and well made to say the least and that is why it attracts so many fans and players from around the world. A historically accurate game with great mechanics, tons of features and lovely graphics, what can be better for genre enthusiasts?. We’re talking about EU IV or Europa Universalis IV (whichever you prefer) today.
To begin with, it isn’t the first installment in the series, as the title suggests it is the fourth and the latest game and so it’s no surprise that the list of features and possibilities are as broad and as close to limitless as it has ever been. This game has no scripted story for you to play out. The catch is that the player selects a nation and you, the player build your own story and play it out. Although there are a lot of scenarios resembling true life events, such as the fall of Byzantine, Seven Years War and many others to test, you can also choose a random historical date (between 15th and 18th century), a country to play as and after doing so, carry out the task of expanding your borders and crushing your enemies. The game is a strategic masterpiece with advanced yet very fun management mechanics. Since you play as a ruler of the country, either as a King, a Grand Duke or an emperor, you are responsible for your country’s budget, military capabilities, trade power, foreign politics, internal stability and progress. Each of these ranks has different meanings and different levels of freedom when it comes to decision making. So if you strive for complete freedom, consider switching to a despotic monarchy, but if you want a liberal and righteous democracy, consider working towards the scripting of a constitution. If you successfully combine the mentioned categories the ruler is responsible for, you can make your country in to a global superpower.
Or you can start as one. Through my personal experience, I’ve found that starting as a weaker nation and building power over time and expanding, can be a lot more fun than taking, for example Russia in the late 17th century, and plowing down your southern and any other neighbors (although it can be very competitive and fun if you try to fight the Ottomans, Austria, France or even Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth while it’s still at the peak of its power). Building an empire and expanding should be your number one priority in EU 4, while becoming a powerful economy, building universities and exploring the seas can all be fun, but the game itself puts a strong vocal point on war. War mechanics are great and as close to reality as it could possibly be. You have to have a valid casus belli (reason to go in to war) and justify a conflict to go to war, unless you wish to have an alliance of around 50 nations invading you without any warning signs. Fighting with an equal opponent is usually very intense and fun, but to increase your chances of victory, you have to form alliances using diplomacy analysis and sending gifts to other monarchs, making royal marriages and pulling all strings to ensure future victory. During your gameplay, various events happen, most of them true to real life, for example the rise of reformation, and you have to choose what kind of path to take in this situation, these decision influence your situation and add a twist to the history that is unfolding during the gameplay.
The history of the world is written by war and the winners of it, so you have to lean on your ingenuity and use every ounce of your smarts to create a strong nation and maintain its powers. Most of my time playing I spent in Europe, because it is more competitive there. Fighting against tribal enemies in South America or Africa is challenging to some extent, but playing as Prussia and aligning with Brandenburg to crush Austria seems a way more interesting and challenging task rather than beating some “Watutu” tribe. But every taste will find what he’s looking for.
Nevertheless, during the game there isn’t just war. There is a lot more, mainly a complex apparatus you are responsible for – the state. You have to hire advisors, deal with corruption, take care of estates that demand power and territory in your country, pass laws and acts, build infrastructure and tribute sleep for the sake of your nation. Managing these is challenging, but very rewarding. For example after you win a war and incorporate a region in to your country, a wave of separatism might decrease your stability, following it, your prestige is going to decay, you’ll lose power, influence and harmony in the state. So to avoid it you core the province (make it official that it’s an essential part of your nation), maybe grant it more autonomy for the sake of peace, or build a governmental institution to prove your authority over the local separatists. The game does wonders for those who are looking for a great, realistic and extensive simulation of ruling a country.
To add to an already great package you also have to progress and distribute your monarch points (ruling power) to one of the three areas: Administration, Diplomacy or Military. Each of these has its benefits. For example administrative category gives you a wider choice of internal political power and a lot of tricks to help you become a dirty and skilled political genius to have absolute control. Diplomacy is closely tied with the navy and exploration as it is related with foreign politics, and military speaks for itself. Military power and the more modern your military is, the better your chances are to win a battle. You might be outnumbered on the battlefield, but if your troops are correctly positioned and equipped properly, you’ll win even while being outnumbered. A modern Bavarian army – 5,000 strong might crush a poorly equipped and low-morale Tatar army with a few times more soldiers, maybe even 20,000+.
Paradox Interactive drew a masterpiece, but it has some minor issues that are worth noting. Performance can be a bit lacking once you hit late 1700’s, since there is a lot going on and you might suffer FPS drops even if you hadn’t had any earlier. Some events that happen are just dumb and unexplainable + they tend to repeat. But overall it is more than solid and very memorable to play.
This game rewards you for preparation. If you plan to invade a neighboring country, make sure you have all of your forts manned, your army is prepared and you have gold to spare for at least a few years. When it comes to money there are a lot of ways to earn it: build great infrastructure and improve trading power, increase taxes and get more quickly, but de-stabilize your situation or the old fashioned way – win wars and add more regions who pay. Whatever the case, you need gold for any kind of steps to be made. Every step you take has a benefit and a drawback. The weight of these drawbacks and benefits + the vision you have are the main wheels that drive your country towards its future, whether it’s prosperous or disastrous – only time is going to tell.
To sum up, EU 4 is a great game with many features and accurate history so any strategy enthusiast is going to wildly appreciate what this game has in store and also learn a lot along the way. This game deserves a spot under the sun and to be recognized. Along with very wide lists of modifications available, EU 4 can become a game that is going to be played for a long time in the future.
9.5/10
Cheers.