Crusader Kings III Review (PC)

excellent
key review info
  • Game: Crusader Kings III
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Crusader Kings III artwork

How many sons is too many sons for a Medieval king looking to keep his realm as united as possible? An heir and a spare sound like a good idea but what do you do when you love your wife and have a tendency to father boys? You can disinherit, for a hefty cost.

You can scheme to murder, which is ethically disastrous and blows past stress limits, but some rulers might actually have fun doing that. Or maybe it’s a good idea to embrace fragmentation and the opportunities it brings while pushing your culture to discover the good that primogeniture can do (until your heir has the lunatic trait and you have to seriously consider assassination again).

Crusader Kings III is developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. I am playing it on Steam and the PC, but the company will also launch it on the Xbox Series X, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 5 on March 29. This is a grand strategy experience with a big focus on role-playing.

Players can pick a ruler to play as in either 867 or 1066. There are five scenarios, featuring hand-picked major historical figures, that players can choose from. But I like to simply pick one of the starting dates and then look around the map for interesting situations or cool combinations of culture and religion. The role-playing elements of Crusader Kings III are clear in the focus it places on interactions between characters and on the evolution of both the ruler and his dynasty. The game is also filled with many events, both singular and in connected sequences, and a lot of writing, most of it solid.

Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III
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Rulers do not have undisputed authority over a state, as they do in Europa Universalis or Hearts of Iron. They need to deal with vassals and with lieges. Faith leaders and their representatives can wield enormous power. The people can revolt because of differences in culture or faith. Dukes join in factions to force kings to act in certain ways. Other rulers and courtier’s scheme. The player can launch plots to both control his own realm and to try and extend it.

Most important people in Crusader Kings III have secrets. Find out one and you can try to blackmail them, getting access to a hook. It can then be used to force courses of action, shaping the possibility space for a political entity or a particularly powerful character.

The game throws a lot of other ideas at the player. Rulers gain stress that needs to be dealt with, but they also gain power based on lifestyle. One can fashion both culture and religion to help particular play styles. There are event chains that lead to some pretty weird results and can severely alter the balance of the game.

I love the role-playing elements of Crusader Kings III and the way it makes the political feel personal. But this focus makes some aspects feel less interesting. War is more about preparation and alliances than about actual maneuverings and tactics. Even a powerful emperor sometimes lacks options to protect his own family.

Money and prestige costs and rewards also need better balance. For a small ruler, an event can offer as much money as a decade of taxation. For massive courts, the cost of a pet can be a big part of the overall budget. Computer-controlled opponents often fail to make sensible moves and often succumb to realm fragmentation.

But even when I notice a lack of balance or dumb moves from other rulers, I tend to keep playing because of the vast array of possibilities that CK III always offers. Sure, I lost half of my kingdom because I didn’t have the heart to murder some kids. Let’s see what this next generation can achieve. It might be nothing, but it will be fun.

Crusader Kings III is the best-looking title Paradox has ever delivered. The painted-map look isn’t the best at delivering information, but it is beautiful. Zoom in for more terrain detail and use the many offered overlays to get details about your realm and others.

The way tooltips can nest inside each other is a brilliant way to deliver information and help to the player who needs it (the contextual menus also deserve praise). There are tons of map modes and plenty of ways to customize what and when the player sees. The soundtrack is good enough to never replace with one’s own music, which is a big compliment given tens of hours that I’ve already spent with the grand strategy title.

Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III
Crusader Kings III
+4more

The Good

  • Role-playing possibilities
  • Hooks and schemes
  • Large variety of alt-history scenarios

The Bad

  • Some weird character interactions
  • Balance issues, especially around money
  • Warfare feels a little limited

Conclusion

Crusader Kings III has good mechanics and production but what sets it apart is the way it connects to the era it depicts. The experience leans into role-playing and personalities in a way that feels true to the image that most players have about the period between 867 to 1453. Without striving to be educational, the Paradox title also manages to be an excellent jumping-off point to learn more about the period, its main characters, its social dynamics.

The development studio has also done well when it comes to post-launch support. There’s downloadable content, of course, but free patches have also arrived regularly, improving systems and eliminating bugs. But more work is needed both in the balance and the immersion department. Crusader Kings III is an excellent way to tell and enjoy stories and I can’t wait to experience how Paradox will add depth to its various mechanics.

Review code provided by the publisher.

story 9
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 9
audio 9
multiplayer 9
final rating 9
Editor's review
excellent
 
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Crusader Kings III screenshots (21 Images)

Crusader Kings III artwork
Crusader Kings IIICrusader Kings IIICrusader Kings IIICrusader Kings III
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