The developers of Europa Universalis 4 set out with an ambitious goal: to make their Renaissance-era strategy flagship accessible and intuitive to newcomers without sacrificing the depth and breadth that existing fans of the series love. The end result of this expedition is not only spectacular, but unlike the similarly ambitious explorers and colonists it portrays, it’s not going to give anyone smallpox.
Starting in 1444, EU IV gives the player the opportunity to select any significant nation on Earth, shepherding it through to 1821 amid war, dynastic politics, scientific advances, and the discovery of the New World. Par for the course with a Paradox Development Studio game, there is a lot going on. Values like Naval Tradition and Trade Steering will continue to cause head-scratching among the uninitiated. But just as your nation’s ruler can employ advisers to make up for deficiencies, EU IV has provided a peerless ally to aid your transition to world conqueror.
Your command center for the Enlightenment
This confidant is the game’s interface, which is representative of how far the studio has come from even newer titles like Crusader Kings II. All of the information you need is presented cleanly, elegantly, and with (mostly) idiot-proof tooltips. The star of the show is a new, context-sensitive hint system which can explain to you in plain, “I don’t play these games very often” English why your army upkeep is currently costing 10 bajillion gold more than it should, and why something called “Bogomilist Heretics” are a few battles away from taking over your government.
All of the menus you need to get to are easy to find—and easy to decode. Every action you need to take has a big, clearly-labeled button. Important information is shown in large, color-coded boxes and pop-ups that can easily be interpreted at a glance: Green is fine, yellow means you might want to take a look at it, and red means you failed your people, and should feel bad.
The interface isn’t the only thing that’s cleaner, more aesthetically-pleasing, and easier to read. Europa IV’s world map is rendered with vibrant detail, complete with changing seasons, animated trade routes, and detailed military unit models. It’s the studio’s first game that looks and feels truly modern, and the visuals are impressive enough that I found myself mostly playing in the raw terrain view, rather than with one of the game’s informational overlays permanently toggled on.
Europa Universalis IV is a masterwork of a strategy game. It still has its rough edges, and convoluted underlying systems that will only be comprehensible to the most in-depth and experienced players. But never before has the core gameplay been so accessible to a total grand strategy newbie. At any given time, you can get as much or as little help as you need from the interface regarding what you should be focusing on. PDS has demonstrated a precise understanding of what turned some potential world conquerors off of its previous forays, and proven its ability to improve on the formula in the right directions with the finesse of a true veteran studio.
The result of these efforts is a textured and engrossing simulation that conquers the common ground between your average Civilization V player and the long-time devotees of grand strategy. Never before have I felt that “World at your fingertips” feeling as strongly, and you owe it to your sense of discovery to give EU IV an hour of your life or two (hundred). Order in tonight. You have a world to dominate.
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