Paradox Interactive is an eminent name to the strategy game fans, specifically when it comes to historical real-time strategy. Over the past few years those of us that have been keeping up with them, we knew that they were coming close to delivering something remarkable. And with their latest, Europa Universalis 4, it delivered. It’s the one perfect game for which the fans have been craving for years. A strategy game unlike any other that comes with perfect gameplay mechanism, grand nation management, and an especially flawless multiplayer mode.

Europa Universalis 4takes place between1444 and 1821, when players experience historic wars, dynastic diplomacy, dynamic trading and eventually explore their way towards victory. The ultimate goal of the player is to power their nations throughout this era and become the most established Empire. Europa Universalis has everything a grand strategy game can endure. It provides significant freedom to control a nation flanking precise depth on the history of Europe, and some Muslim nations such as the Ottoman, Mamluk, and Persian.

The biggest improvement of Europa Universalis 4 comes with its interface design. Even though it’s the fourth installment of the series, the game hardly has any similarities with previous entries. Those who are familiar with a separate series from Paradox, Crusader Kings 2, will find a lot of similarities, especially; with the interface and mechanisms of the game. Unlike CK2, the interface here feels advanced, easily accessible, more informative and clearer. Even for someone unfamiliar with the UI won’t take long to get used to it.

Grand strategy fans crave loads of tools to operate hefty and complex scenarios, and EU4 is an inclusive package of it. Every single action has a clear explanation and they never feel confusing. Happenings within the game are displayed in different colors, and they can be interpreted easily at a glance. World map view is a delight to stare at. Unlike any previous game, changes of seasons, detail of each nation and military units, and dynamic trade routes make the map exceptionally impressive. Never has a historical grand strategy game looked this lively before.

Europa Universalis 4 doesn’t really offer any fixed victory provision. Instead players can set goals according to their will. Based on the immense strategic choices available, anyone can maximize the quest to its finest. Colonizing, carrying out military conquests, and politics are all part of the missions. But the most remarkable addition is the newly introduced trade system. There are trade routes a nation can gain control and earn a hefty piece of gold. This feature isn’t just a new addition, rather connecting with the core of the game. These routes can be divided and merged, steering them towards a nation most beneficial. It’s not possible to take control of an entire trade route, but the more under your control the better. A defensive run headed by a powerful fleet is vital here, because without protection, no merchant ship can trade in your territory. I found this feature easy to start with, but became really complicated in the long run. Though trading doesn’t directly affect other elements such as the diplomacy and warfare, it’s a whole different ballgame to be in.

It’s not just the trading system, but political scheming has a new definition too. The game gives players enough freedom for building their nations. But outlining a government to constitute the society and to manage trade politics along with warfare, are never supposed to be easy to muddle through. Players’ diplomatic skills are heavily tested when the gameplay goes deeper. If yours isn’t a powerful militaristic nation, other nations will form a coalition to bring you down. On the other hand your aggression for conquering neighbors wrecks your reputation from being a peaceful nation. Additionally, there are always threats to deal with accompanied with the rebels. Thus, as much as players need to maintain balance between warfare and peace, dealing with internal issues such as keeping the military in shape, and managing a powerful fleet to steer the trade routes are equally important. It’s obvious that you can’t keep every single nation worshiping you, but as long as you stay outside their fences abhor towards you won’t matter much.

Multiplayer experience is yet another delight of this game. Players can play skirmish against each other, or join forces for cooperative play. Up to 32 players can join a single map. Without stepping into the multiplayer stage, it’s hard to realize how massive Europa Universalis4 can get. At the multiplayer mode players can drop in and out anytime during the session with the help of its hotjoin feature without difficulty.

Experiencing the history is an element of Europa Universalis 4 worth mentioning. There are literally thousands of historical events to get familiarized, presented in a unique manner for every single nation. Forget the gameplay; if you want to discover European history, this game has enough in its bag to keep you busy for days. It’s truly amazing to witness how all these histories with precise details are being presented. Along with the regional histories, there are thousands of historical leaders, and more than four thousands Monarchs accompanying you while you’re in the game.

Well, I’ve never thought I’d be able to say this for any strategy game, but Europa Universalis 4 is flawless. The only downside I felt the game has is its complexity for newcomers. Strategy fans unfamiliar with the mechanisms this game offers, can find it easy to play this game but extremely difficult to master it. So unless newcomers spend an adequate amount of time with the game, longing to master it may fade sooner. If compared with the Civilization series, it’s both easy to learn and master the game. But in this came mastering requires intense patience.

Despite its rough edges to control the difficulty level, however, gamers will still enjoy the game at their utmost. Europa Universalis4is a strategy game unlike any other. It’s the start of a new era for grand strategy genre, and things can only get better from here. If you are a strategy game fan and want to devour pressure, look no farther and order this game.

Sarwar Ron, NoobFeed @SarwarRon