It is no secret that I, Variant Rory, am a student of history. If you look through our blog, there are plenty of instances where lessons are pulled from history for game play which is one of the reasons I wanted to do a Crusader Kings III review. Recently, this has come to somewhat of a culmination with my recent obsession with a new (to me) game.
Crusader Kings III (CK3) is a medieval grand strategy game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive in 2020. Its prequel, CK2 is beloved and hated among the strategy game community for its exciting gameplay and equally infuriating challenges. While I am admittedly late to this party, I can assure you I hold this sentiment as well. I have been playing this frequently since I picked it up during the 2024 summer sales, and got sucked in right away.
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CK3 is a grand strategy game mixed with an RPG. The player chooses either a historical character, or is able to create their own in a rather robust character creator for a game that easily could have skipped it. You then guide your character and the realm they control through the Middle Ages, dealing with war, culture clashes, religious contention, plague, and court intrigue along the way. The base game has two starting dates depending on how and when you want to play. The first is 867 AD at the height of the Viking raids across Western Europe, or 1066 when William of Normandy conquered England. Recently, a third start date was added for 1178. All the start dates provide unique experiences, and there are many secrets and events that happen after each date.
The gameplay is entertaining as well, focusing on your character, dynasty, and legacy as you gain experience in one of several skill trees and manage your family members, making alliances as you go. I have one major complaint with the game, and it will be a familiar one if you have any experience with Paradox titles… There is way, way too much DLC and it is very costly. If you were to purchase the base game and all DLC’s, it is well over $150.00 USD. Furthermore, most of the DLC offerings have mixed reviews for the content at best. There are several features that arguably should be in the base game and are not despite community request to the game developers. Now, there are frequent sales and the game is certainly a barrel of fun without the DLC’s. On top of a great base game, there is plenty of mod support.
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I recommend Crusader Kings III for any of you history enthusiasts out there. If you are on the fence about it, the game is absolutely worth the initial investment. Have you played any of the Crusader Kings games? Which one is your favorite and why? Tell us more about your CK3 stories in the comments. We would love to hear about your experience with this and other CK games. Be sure to check back here at Variant Ventures for all things gaming and entertainment!
