Crusader Kings 3 is now available in stores, at Paradox Interactive and Steam, and the game is also part of the Microsoft Game Pass. Cheers all over the kingdom, a new ruler has ascended the throne: the new part of Paradox Interactive's Grand Strategy series lets players once again control the fortunes of lands, subjects and their own royal family. For a recommended retail price of around 50 euros - optionally also via Microsoft's Game Pass - anyone can get started right away.
Crusader Kings 3 is the newest addition to the Grand Strategy franchise. Players lead a noble house through history, rule over countries, cultures and religions or pass the time with military operations. Is that already? Of course not: This game is all about leading a medieval empire and maintaining your own bloodline.
Quarrel and nagging among the royals
Players can intrigue in the shadows or openly advance their armies to push their boundaries. They use diplomacy and family ties, using relationships and influence to protect their bloodlines. But be careful, as powerful as a ruler may be, if he cannot produce a suitable heir, his line ends - and with it the game for the player.
Paradox Interactive has also published a launch trailer:
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Crusader Kings 3 has numerous features. Central: Each character has their own unique story and personality traits that are reflected in their portraits and the decisions they make. The events and options in the game are largely determined by the type of ruler the players deploy. Each other's personalities must be used in the right way to achieve their goals. Players draw from a rich fund of courtly, medieval life - including court spouses, advisors and their own armies. They entertain wandering guests, bring in the ideal heir to cement their line of ancestors, and send their more troublesome offspring to another foster family. They hatch intrigues and turn neighboring houses against each other.
Rule between war and diplomacy
Rulers are not limited to a small castle. Super spreading takes on a whole new meaning: with a world map spanning Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent, players can take on the role of a noble house from almost any culture - from the Vikings of Scandinavia to the tribes of Africa to the hordes of the Asiatic steppes. The descendants of the royal union are both the future of the house and a resource to attain greater power. Players use them to forge alliances in faraway lands and lay claim to coveted empires, expanding their influence to the farthest corners of the known world.
When diplomacy doesn't help, other operations make a plan work - preferably military ones. Quelling rebellions and sieging enemy castles can prove to be a quick route to glory. Players don't always act so obviously: Sometimes a plot, the subtlest kind of diplomacy, is most effective - a knife in the dark, a secret that can be used to your advantage, a spouse who is seduced. And because religion also plays a role, you can make use of it. Players set the religious course of their kingdom, whether it be maintaining the faith or adopting a heresy, to better align themselves with their own ends. And: If all else fails, players simply found their own religion.
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Crusader Kings III (PC) (64-bit)* | 45,99 EUR |
Crusader Kings is not a new invention. The third offshoot continues a series that Paradox Interactive started in 2004 and only continued with a successor in 2012. It should take another eight years until a new part appears with Crusader Kings 3. The basic gameplay has not changed and long-term support should also be guaranteed for the current offshoot. Paradox Interactive had 15 DLCs for the predecessor Crusader Kings 2 alone. Even if global strategy games mostly only address narrowly defined target groups due to their complexity, Crusader Kings 3 was a hotly anticipated title.
Not least because of the availability in Microsoft's Games Pass, the game should be accessible to a broader mass this time, so that one or the other young ruler will at least put the crown on a trial basis.
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