Crusader Kings is the latest sim published by Strategy First and developed by Paradox, the creators of the acclaimed Europa Universalis series. The game uses the Europa Universalis engine, and the result is an extremely deep and complex strategy game. While the sheer amount of things to do will be overwhelming to some and may turn off casual gamers, hardcore sim fans will find something to love here.

Crusader Kings starts you out by selecting from one of many different nations during pivotal moments in European history, like the Battle of Hastings and the Hundred Years War. After you select your nation, you are automatically assigned a character as the ruler. From this point on, you will manage nearly all aspects of your feudal kingdom. You will even be able to take a spouse, have progeny and continue your bloodline.

Your territories are divided into four different social classes that you must manage: Peasants, Burghers, Clergy and Nobility. In order to manage them, you must utilize a system of checks and balances that will pull funds from one group in order to compensate another group. For example, by providing funds to the clergy, you must pull money from the Burghers (and thus, lose some of their support) and vice versa. The same applies to the Peasants and the Nobles, making the social class management portion of the game a struggle for stability between your upper and lower classes.

In terms of warfare, the game is quite complex, requiring you to make a reason for war, be it laying claim to a title or a land grab. Then, you invade and try to appease nearby nations by offering peace in order to keep them from attacking you. All in all, the combat system is very deep and layered.

This raises another issue for the game; the sheer amount of things that you can do. By having control over pretty much all aspects of a feudal government system, you have a bevy of options and gameplay strategies at your disposal at anytime. This may alienate gamers who are looking for a less deliberate, more action packed brand of gameplay. While Crusader Kings is challenging and addictive in its own right, the gameplay may be a bit too complicated for all but the most hardcore strategy gamers.

The graphics are pretty barebones, which should bother the crowd that this game was developed primarily for. The graphics are composed of small sprites and a huge map with all of the game’s nations on it. The map is very colorful, and the sprites look pretty good. As an added bonus, your character’s children will have certain facial features shared with your character. However, all in all, the graphical presentation is simple and doesn’t really stand out against other strategy titles.

The music is pretty good, with a lush orchestral score. However, aside from a few instances of fanfare, there really aren’t any other sound effects to speak of.

Crusader Kings has a lot of things going for it. However, given the sheer amount of choices and gameplay options at your disposal, the game caters to a very distinct crowd, which are hardcore strategy gamers. More casual gamers will be turned off by the complexity of the game and steep learning curve.

Gameplay: 8.0
Crusader Kings is a very complex and deep game. You have nearly complete control over all aspects of your nation, from social classes to warfare and diplomacy to your royal family and successors. However, this works as a double-edged sword for the game, as many gamers may consider the game to be too complicated to stick with it for too long.

Graphics: 6.5
Aside from some pretty good-looking maps and a few sprites, there isn’t much to look at in Crusader Kings.

Sound: 6.0
While the game has a great soundtrack, aside from some fanfare sounds, there really aren’t any other sound effects.

Difficulty: Hard

Concept: 8.5
Crusader Kings has a ton of gameplay features, which will certainly please hardcore strategy fans. However, more casual gamers may feel alienated.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The game has multiplayer capabilities for eight people as they vie for power over Europe, which stayed pretty stable throughout.

Overall: 7.9
Crusader Kings is a very deep and complex game, which will appeal to the crowd that this game is made for. However, the gameplay is a bit complicated, and may alienate more casual strategy gamers. Only hardcore strategy fans need apply.