Europa Universalis IV

 PC
User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1463 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,250 out of 1463
  2. Mixed: 115 out of 1463
  3. Negative: 98 out of 1463

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  1. eva3si0n
    Oct 7, 2017
    10
    The best strategy at the moment if to reject casual Civilization. Not in one game there are no so many opportunities and game mechanics for such big historical term. The entrance threshold at the games Paradox is very high, but if you have overcome it. That you receive the sea of emotions and pleasures.
    PS. 1000 hours, a game release me.
    PSS. The price policy of Paradox is awful. Paradox    The best strategy at the moment if to reject casual Civilization. Not in one game there are no so many opportunities and game mechanics for such big historical term. The entrance threshold at the games Paradox is very high, but if you have overcome it. That you receive the sea of emotions and pleasures.
    PS. 1000 hours, a game release me.
    PSS. The price policy of Paradox is awful. Paradox you are ****    … Expand
  2. rowt
    Jun 16, 2017
    1
    4 years ago (when I bought it) this game was 100% worth it, kind of bland at some points and a little buggy but still lots of fun. Today, at the current prices, i can't justify dumping this amount of money on it (+DLCs, which the game feels bland and outright broken at parts without). It costs about the same as an AAA title from the past 2 years and it's just not in line with them, sorry4 years ago (when I bought it) this game was 100% worth it, kind of bland at some points and a little buggy but still lots of fun. Today, at the current prices, i can't justify dumping this amount of money on it (+DLCs, which the game feels bland and outright broken at parts without). It costs about the same as an AAA title from the past 2 years and it's just not in line with them, sorry Paradox but I'm not sorry… Expand
  3. elegioneer
    May 18, 2017
    3
    This game is the best strategy I ever played, but the problem is in Paradox: the simply broke the game in a $*%#ton of DLCs which cost half of a game itself.
  4. Tmonahan
    May 5, 2017
    10
    Best strategy game that I have played so far. Good replay value, and addictive gameplay. I strongly recommend to all strategy fans.

    The user reviews on steam are low due to DLC, but I do not own any and its still fun.
  5. MikeB26
    Apr 27, 2017
    0
    Bought it. Wasn't able to start a Steam account. Was told to "try again later." Did this several times over 30 minutes. $39. Can't play. Rip off.
  6. Sam0202
    Apr 10, 2017
    9
    With almost 1000 hours put in this game and the flexibility it allows you to play in one of the most interesting times in history. However, it does have quite a steep learning curve, which can put off the new player for a grand strategy game. It has a lot of number crunching, which personally I'm not a fan of but it doesn't stop me from having fun and dominating as a one nation minor. ItWith almost 1000 hours put in this game and the flexibility it allows you to play in one of the most interesting times in history. However, it does have quite a steep learning curve, which can put off the new player for a grand strategy game. It has a lot of number crunching, which personally I'm not a fan of but it doesn't stop me from having fun and dominating as a one nation minor. It is a game of which has a diverse play style. You can be a military world power, or king of the sea and trade, it is totally up to you, the player, to follow history or create your own. The only reason it doesn't get its perfect score is because of how overwhelming it can be, even with 1000 hours, but this can be a pro for some players. I would recommend.… Expand
  7. Gamer_X-Fight
    Jan 18, 2017
    10
    One of my favourite strategy. The developers made a great job. The game sends me to the deep medieval world. One week I could not move away from my computer. I think this is the best historical strategy from Paradox.
    After I start to play Europa Universalis IV I couldn't play the sid meier s civilization.
  8. Jaehaerys61
    Dec 31, 2016
    9
    Encore un jeux pour stratège que j'aime merci Paradox et aussi merci pour les DLCs qui améliores encore grandement le jeux dans ses différents parties qui sont très nombreuses.
  9. conus21
    Aug 20, 2016
    9
    You can hardly find another cool nerdy game like EU! Building empires, crushing revolutions, vassalising smaller nations... tons of stuff! Although I admit it's a hard task for newbies to get into this game.
  10. Juggulator
    May 19, 2016
    10
    Wow....all i can begin with is wow....the depth added to the game by all the dlc is truly worth spending your dosh. It is one hell of a game where you ca alter history and take over the world....best played with the extended timeline mod.
  11. mmyers94028
    Apr 13, 2016
    10
    This game has kept me addicted for months. I have racked up around 200 hours of playtime so far and have not regretted a minute. This game is fairly complicated to learn, but once the basics have been mastered, it is incredible. Not only is it fun, but it often follows history so well that it is incredibly interesting as well. Definitely worth it to buy
  12. godunow
    Mar 22, 2016
    9
    Great game. I played this after Crusader Kings 2 and I must say that it offers a simple trade off: get rid of being character-centric (which made CK2 such an amazing experience) for sake of being much more accessible.

    Thats very fair trade off. You get this game and you do not need any other games for the rest of your life :)
  13. Jcourtney
    Mar 18, 2016
    10
    There isn't anything else like this game and the game is still getting support with DLC even years after release. Once of the best Grand Strategy games ever made so far.

    Just buy the DLC on sale.

    10/10
  14. losik
    Feb 13, 2016
    9
    This is everyones favorite empire building/map painting simulator. Developers still release patches & DLCs because people are still playing the game. I guess it is the theme that matters - I feel it is a struggle of different nations, not just a bunch of generic A.I. with some random country name like in Civilization.
  15. mvm900
    Feb 5, 2016
    8
    I, unlike others apparently, enjoyed the game. Sadly it seems that some people couldn't figure out the game and I must confess that, in my 400 clocked hours on steam, have never touched the tutorial. I learn myself from just jumping in and seeing what happens and EU4 wasn't too hard to figure out. Some mechanics are still kind of weird and alien to me, like the trade system which isI, unlike others apparently, enjoyed the game. Sadly it seems that some people couldn't figure out the game and I must confess that, in my 400 clocked hours on steam, have never touched the tutorial. I learn myself from just jumping in and seeing what happens and EU4 wasn't too hard to figure out. Some mechanics are still kind of weird and alien to me, like the trade system which is actually kind of weird. All in all as a game I liked it for it's historical accuracy it aims to have.

    And onto the DLC. This game has been updated and changed since it's inception. It is now an almost completely different game. The DLC only adds stuff and you lose nothing by not buying them, and they go on sale quite a lot. A lot of paradox games do. In fact I picked up CK2 and all of it's DLC for $40. And they do it rather fairly on multiplayer because if the host has it everyone can use it.    … Expand
  16. Lich_Master
    Jan 8, 2016
    9
    Really good game.
    -1 point for DLC milking policy, and fact that game was stripped BARE at release (+ Paradox has no quality control on their games, so DLCs were buggy as hell).
    Buy basic game, then wait for DLC sale (prices are ridiculus)
  17. jclaiborne2007
    Dec 15, 2015
    1
    There is only one way to play this game. Buy the base game and never ever update. This game has gone from good to horrible with every poorly conceived and ill executed expansion. All of the talent is gone to make a space game leaving 2 imbeciles to wreck this once great game. I would like to introduce these greedy sobs to a brand new concept: Quality Assurance.
  18. Ntek_sr
    Dec 7, 2015
    0
    I have played the game for about 1000 hour. After a update to create a "pay-wall", you have to buy a DLC to be able to develop your provinces. And you buy the development by "Monarc"-points that is the same for a large as a small country. Mighty empires will not develop.

    Other untested major changes they did (almost everything changed) destroyed the balance and alter the game into    I have played the game for about 1000 hour. After a update to create a "pay-wall", you have to buy a DLC to be able to develop your provinces. And you buy the development by "Monarc"-points that is the same for a large as a small country. Mighty empires will not develop.

    Other untested major changes they did (almost everything changed) destroyed the balance and alter the game into another game. A game that is bad.

    Sadly it seems that Paradox have begin to abuse DLC a lot... don't know if I can trust them any more.    … Expand
  19. Telembrium
    Dec 1, 2015
    4
    Europa Universalis 4 is a game that I want to like, but that I just cant due to a number of different issues. From a severe reliance on RNG to inconsistent AI competence, the game just irritates me whenever I try to play it to the point where I don't enjoy it. The large amount of DLC with features that have large effect on the base game don't help either.

    By far the worst problem with    Europa Universalis 4 is a game that I want to like, but that I just cant due to a number of different issues. From a severe reliance on RNG to inconsistent AI competence, the game just irritates me whenever I try to play it to the point where I don't enjoy it. The large amount of DLC with features that have large effect on the base game don't help either.

    By far the worst problem with the game is the AI. Like others have said, the multiplayer is barely functional, so this is a primarily single-player game. What does a single-player game need? AI that is both intelligent and consistent. Instead, it ranges from being near-brain-dead to nonsensically clairvoyant. The AI will frequently march armies back and forth between two provinces while their country gets occupied by a tiny force in comparison to theirs. They'll sign peace deals for idiotic things. I've seen Brittany force a Burgundy that annexed France to release France only to have France declare war on Brittany to vassalise them immediately after. Then there's attrition: AI are completely unaffected by attrition caused by troops that are not their own, frequently resulting in doomstacks of 100K+ men. The AI is unaffected by naval attrition entirely. They'll stupidly colonise provinces with no value while high-value ones are unclaimed. Then there's the flip side. Several small nations will manage to act as a single, cohesive force and win against impossible odds because their large enemy splits its armies into tiny chunks and never changes its strategy in reaction to its losses. The AI will know exactly when armies are coming and exactly when a country is in a weakened state, resulting in a dogpiling effect that destroys otherwise strong nations. Paradox decided to try and fix this by adding in a feature which gives bonuses to a country which is suffering, which offers massive benefits to large countries while giving small ones nothing.

    Speaking of massive benefits to large countries while completely ignoring small ones, Paradox loves to do this. Larger countries get free diplomats, a no-upkeep general, and are somehow able to manage their larger administration more effectively than a small country can manage their smaller one. Larger countries also get benefits that change with their government type, such as conquered lands being more susceptible to pay taxes and contribute manpower. What do small countries get? Nothing. Worse, the larger countries get bonuses that specifically make it easier to peacefully vassalise and promptly annex the smaller countries without giving the smaller country a chance to become powerful. Then there are "lucky nations", which are significant bonuses which get applied to countries which were historically successful, just in case their overpowered "idea" bonuses, or the bonuses from their rich lands, or the bonuses from tailored missions and events weren't enough.

    Then there are more general annoyances. The rivalry system for example, forces the AI to have as many rivals as possible even when it is completely against their strategic interests, resulting in things like Scotland fighting an independent Ireland rather than cooperating with them and leaving England to just show up and annex at their leisure. As mentioned, the heavy reliance on RNG in combat constantly results in losses that should have been victories. Then there's development, which rather than increasing slowly in a somewhat uniform manner with exceptions to areas of plenty such as large cities and trade centers, increases based on the expense of magical "monarch points" to conjure taxpayers and soldiers wherever one wises. This results in metropolises next to dirt hut villages and in ridiculous places like Shetland.

    Finally, the DLC. Imagine if Bethesda released Dawnguard in parts: For $30, you can have the mechanical changes: such as vampirism, the quests, and crossbows. For $12, the dawnguard and vampire armour would come with the new models and textures rather than just looking like the base game's leather armour. For $4.50, you get the music from Dawnguard. Oh, and by the way, the game's mechanics were changed to be balanced around having crossbows and vampire attacks with the "free" patch shipped alongside the DLC, meaning the game is unbalanced if you don't have the mechanical changes DLC. If you choose not to update though, you won't get the included bug fixes or sparse optimisation and gameplay improvements. That's a total of $46.50 for the DLC included with ONE patch, for a $60 game. To top it off, mix in a hearty serving of game-breaking bugs, incompatible saves, crashing, and problems ranging all the way to being unable to even launch the game for at least a week after the patch. That would be Skyrim's Dawnguard DLC if it were made by Paradox.

    Overall, I'd give the game a 4/10, because it shows potential, but nearly $240 (and counting) to play the full game leads me to believe that that potential will never be more than just potential.    … Expand
  20. XDavidX
    Nov 23, 2015
    10
    The game is just amazing. I love play this game. For me this game is amazing ! Nothing more to comment because this game is amazing ! I rate this 10/10
  21. Harlot
    Nov 17, 2015
    10
    Been for years with Paradox. Raked near 2000 hours in this game and the constant updates and punishingly hard achievements mixed with an awesome community keep me coming back. For fans or real complex grand strategies or those that feel the need to challenge themselves (I mean really challenge) or even for people who just love history and want to live it or flip it on its head it's a must have :).
  22. epistm87
    Nov 11, 2015
    10
    An Enlightened balance of depth and accessibility that brings grand strategy into a new era. smooth gameplay, great songs, minimalistic. It has a high replayability,
  23. jmhoffer
    Oct 29, 2015
    5
    Europa Universalis is nearly brilliant. Nearly.

    On the grand strategy level, it is beautiful; make alliances, arrange marriages, control trade, pirate your rivals' trade, colonise the primitive lands and more. But where it fails spectacularly is on the TACTICAL level. Which, if you plan on expanding by conquest, is major. The inherent problem with combat is that you have zero    Europa Universalis is nearly brilliant. Nearly.

    On the grand strategy level, it is beautiful; make alliances, arrange marriages, control trade, pirate your rivals' trade, colonise the primitive lands and more.

    But where it fails spectacularly is on the TACTICAL level. Which, if you plan on expanding by conquest, is major.

    The inherent problem with combat is that you have zero control over it. You send in some armies and then everything is handled automatically. The problem with this is that the combat is SPECTACULARLY complex. And despite being complex and difficult, the only control you have is how many men you send into battle and whether or not they have a general leading them.

    This means that you win or lose battles for entirely unknown reasons or by total random chance. The battle system is so complex that the only way people actually know anything about it is by delving into the code. Despite this, again, you have ZERO control. Worse yet, random chance can easily screw you over when you otherwise have an overwhelming advantage.

    Unless you study the battle system like you study for your college exams, you have no chance of understanding it or how to win. This completely takes away from the rest of the game to the point where it just gets frustrating and no longer fun unless you have a strange obsession or literally have no life other than working and this game.

    Of course, the combat becomes much easier when you get cannons. The secret to cannons? Get a **** ton of them. The more you have, the more likely you are to win. So have as many cannons as you have men in melee and you'll nearly always win. But until then, combat is spectacularly difficult without doing an immense amount of research and asking for immense amounts of help from people that have delved into the code.

    Either pick a start date where cannons are already available or only fight when you have overwhelming numbers on your side.    … Expand
  24. Thunderstorm
    Sep 6, 2015
    0
    Could be a decent game, if it had a tutorial that wasn't broken and "learning" the game would be remotely fun. It requires an unknown amount of entertainment-free work for a new player to do anything meaningful. I don't know where game developers get the idea that it's ok when your game sucks for a while.

    For me it was a clear zero, a complete waste of time and money.
  25. Road_Monkey
    Jul 2, 2015
    10
    Schönes Spiel. Muss auch erlich sagen, das mich das Gameplay mehr fesselt als es Civilisation tut. Negativ kann man die DLC Politik betrachten. Unmengen an Geld mit DLC's zu schäffeln ist nicht die feine Art, aber sie lohnen sich... ^^
  26. Fibsi
    May 28, 2015
    10
    Since I have it it is my favourite strategy game on Pc. You can Play every Nation in year from 1444 to 1800. You can Play in this game all over the world, but it is very addicting.
  27. Tubey
    May 16, 2015
    7
    Hmmm what to make of this... on one side of the coin, this is an absolutely majestic bit of game making with an unparalleled amount of attention to detail. But on the other side, it is horrifically dictated by RNG random events and has the smallest UI text known to mankind; which is bad because this game lives and dies by its' massive amount of menus and sub menus.

    Intricate is the    Hmmm what to make of this... on one side of the coin, this is an absolutely majestic bit of game making with an unparalleled amount of attention to detail. But on the other side, it is horrifically dictated by RNG random events and has the smallest UI text known to mankind; which is bad because this game lives and dies by its' massive amount of menus and sub menus.

    Intricate is the buzzword here. It is a horrid game to try and get into, and a lot of players will turn it off within 30 minutes because not since the likes of X-Com (the old one) has a game been this reliant on literally hundreds of micro options. So it's crucial you get the UI and navigation right - EU4 does and doesn't in equal measure. The menus are strategy gamer porn - but you need a magnifying glass to see them. So it makes the game a pleasure and a chore in equal measure.

    A key part of the game is a stat called Stability, and it is this that is very much in the hands of the RNG gods, as random events pop up at... well, random, to undo your best laid plans. Rather than add to the game an element of dynamism, they serve to by and large annoy.

    You can pore hundreds of hours into this, then look back with satisfaction but also an element of "what the hell did I just do all that for?" It's fun and tedious, compelling yet labour intensive.

    In summary, if you love Civilisation and want an extra challenge (albeit an overstated one; when you get the hang of this, it's positively easy), then EU4 is for you. If you haven't played Civ, consider picking up Civ4 first and getting your feet wet before delving into this, as it's a game where even the tutorial takes pleasure in complicating you.    … Expand
  28. Martingus
    May 7, 2015
    10
    First thing... I thought i was a fan of strategy games and had a good picture of what was out there but even though I've played hoi3 for years I just tripped over this game.

    My mind is absolutely blown away by this Masterpiece of a strategy game! With basically every sphere of ruling a nation being webbed together to teach you one or two about national economics and with the    First thing... I thought i was a fan of strategy games and had a good picture of what was out there but even though I've played hoi3 for years I just tripped over this game.

    My mind is absolutely blown away by this Masterpiece of a strategy game!

    With basically every sphere of ruling a nation being webbed together to teach you one or two about national economics and with the groundbreaking feature of working diplomatics (yeah diplomatics work!) this game is unknowingly made to force you into ditching your copies of all total war games and buy this to give your brain a treat!

    Yeah I had to say all that in one sentence.

    Few games would ever deserve a 10/10. Though this game has a few flaws, the magnitude of the cons make those so inferiorly minor that i already forgot all of them.    … Expand
  29. domadordepollos
    Apr 18, 2015
    10
    Amazing. Simply amazing. Although it may look awfully difficult at the beginning, once you understand the basics, it will catch you for so much time. It is a complex, indepth strategy game involving politics, religion, trade, army... It is extremely immersive, you´ll become immediately interested in the actual history of the world, and will keep you playing for days even without noticing.Amazing. Simply amazing. Although it may look awfully difficult at the beginning, once you understand the basics, it will catch you for so much time. It is a complex, indepth strategy game involving politics, religion, trade, army... It is extremely immersive, you´ll become immediately interested in the actual history of the world, and will keep you playing for days even without noticing. Ive played so many hours and didnt even finish my first game with Castille. A work of Art. Additionally, I would grab the game with its Art of war expansion. No bad thing about the game except from its early game difficulty. Maybe the soundtrack, although magnificent, may end up being repetitive. But thats why mods exist!

    Maravilloso. Aunque pueda arecer asquerosamente complicado al principio, una vez que captas laa esencia, te atrapara horas y horas. Es un juego de estrategia complejo, incluyendo politica, religion, comercio, ejercito... Es extremadamente inmersivo, y te interesaras por la historia del mundo inmediatamente, y te tendra jugando durante muchisimo tiempo sin siquiera darte cuenta. Ni siquiera he terminado mi primera partida con Castilla y llevo todas estas horas. Una obra maestra. Ademas, recomiendo comprarlo con su DLC El arte de la guerra. Este juego es perfecto excepto por su dificultad al principio. Tal ve la banda sonora, aunque excepcional, se haga algo repetitiva, pero para eso estan los mods!

    +Immersive/Inmersivo
    +Complex/Complejo
    +Extremely long/Extremadamente largo
    +Fun to play!/Divertido!

    -Difficult/Dificil

    "Just....One...More..Turn....."

    SOLID 10/10    … Expand
  30. Zefyres
    Apr 1, 2015
    10
    Amazing strategy game with a huge amount of depth but also with a huge learning curve if you've never played any of the games in this series. This is my first EU game and for the first 50-100 hours I was minimizing every so often to check the wiki and forum explanations to figure out some of the gameplay elements. If this seems intimidating, it should be, because EU4 is just that muchAmazing strategy game with a huge amount of depth but also with a huge learning curve if you've never played any of the games in this series. This is my first EU game and for the first 50-100 hours I was minimizing every so often to check the wiki and forum explanations to figure out some of the gameplay elements. If this seems intimidating, it should be, because EU4 is just that much deeper than most strategy games.

    Technically EU4 is an RTS game but the pace you'll likely be playing it (at least in wars) is more like a turn-based game. AI is very well done and there is a good balance between historical events/progression and open-ended gameplay. I could go into much more detail but probably wouldn't say anything that hasn't been covered in other reviews.

    Much deserved 10/10 but NOT recommended for 'casual' gamers. "Civ 5 for grown ups" is an accurate characterization. In short, if you're looking for a deep strategy game that will make a 5+ hour gaming session disappear in an instant... this is it.    … Expand
  31. DarkMoonGaming
    Feb 20, 2015
    10
    Finaly something good. I played this for about 400 hours and it is awesome. Really. If you like grand strategy games ( like civilization 5) or have played other paradox games just buy it. It is awesome.
  32. swammerdam
    Feb 19, 2015
    5
    Good strategic game with lots to take care of. But way to much negative point, the tutorial mission are useless which make it really hard to understand that complex game. There is a lots of grammar mistake in the French version, and the text is way to small in 1920 p .
  33. PBR-Streetgang
    Nov 18, 2014
    10
    The pinnacle of paradox games and the best strategy game that is out at the moment. If you are a fan of strategy games then you simply must purchase this game.
  34. ConjoCesj
    Nov 14, 2014
    10
    Playing Civ V for a while this is my second Paradox game and I gotta say I love it. It takes a few games (on easy mode) to learn all features but than you are hooked. I really like the fact that diplomacy in EU4 is much more advanced than in most strategic games. You can set your own goals and make it as challenging as you like. Thanks Paradox for this gem!

    I hope you all enjoy it!
  35. PurpleSpartan
    Oct 26, 2014
    9
    If you're looking for a game that is deep but not impossible, that will entertain you while also keeping your brain cells alive. This may just be that game. This game has hours and hours of gameplay with superb player choices.

    Some games claim to have choices that "alter the game world" or "change the way you play" This game kind of brings that notion in, and multiplies it by 10,000.    If you're looking for a game that is deep but not impossible, that will entertain you while also keeping your brain cells alive. This may just be that game. This game has hours and hours of gameplay with superb player choices.

    Some games claim to have choices that "alter the game world" or "change the way you play" This game kind of brings that notion in, and multiplies it by 10,000. One simple declaration of war without a casus beli can destroy your entire campaign. However one simple promotion of a general can win a war that was probable to end in certain loss. It's a game of logic, and a game of skill, and it's endlessly fun.    … Expand
  36. Paradigms
    Oct 25, 2014
    10
    One of the best games I've ever played. Ever felt that Civ was a little too simple? Then welcome to Europa. It's a super complex game with a steep learning curve, but it's well worth it.

    The only downside was the ending year. It felt like there should have been more or that I should have had the option to continue. However, that's forgiveable considering the quality of the game play.
  37. Talex
    Oct 17, 2014
    10
    This game is fantabulous. It outclasses all other strategy games including Total War and Civilization. My first EU, DLC awaits, and I cannot find anything wrong other than the fact that my mouse will break eventually.
  38. Greywolf2001ca
    Oct 11, 2014
    8
    A much better game than its predecessors. It is better made, the interface is similar but some tweaks have improved it greatly. The game itself is more pleasant to play and does not seem like a job like EU3 or the others, albeit being decent games too. EU4 is far from being as good as Crusader Kings 2 though. There are no family trees and you have no control over the succession of yourA much better game than its predecessors. It is better made, the interface is similar but some tweaks have improved it greatly. The game itself is more pleasant to play and does not seem like a job like EU3 or the others, albeit being decent games too. EU4 is far from being as good as Crusader Kings 2 though. There are no family trees and you have no control over the succession of your monarchs.
    You say, this is going to remove a way to take over a realm... but no, it is much easier to conquer land in EU4 than in Crusader Kings 2, especially if you have a good military or great prestige and reputation.
    I bought it at a huge discount on steam, but I think it worth at least 20$, so if you see it at the price or lower, buy it if you like strategy games. :)    … Expand
  39. Zarc
    Oct 7, 2014
    10
    I made the pope Animist 1000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000090000000000/10
  40. Cromwell
    Sep 25, 2014
    10
    Europa Universalis IV was my first Paradox game ever. I didn't even know the studio before. I had a chance to buy it for a couple of bucks during a Steam Sales.

    Well, after playing more than 230 hours with multiple countries, all I can say is that this is probably one of the best games I have ever played. Really. First, as a person whose hobby is History and Geography, EUIV is    Europa Universalis IV was my first Paradox game ever. I didn't even know the studio before. I had a chance to buy it for a couple of bucks during a Steam Sales.

    Well, after playing more than 230 hours with multiple countries, all I can say is that this is probably one of the best games I have ever played. Really.

    First, as a person whose hobby is History and Geography, EUIV is amazing.

    Even though you are not interested in increasing your knowledge, the gameplay mechanics themselves are worth your time. They are extremely complexe. Mastering them requires at least 30 hours (which is generally, by the way, the maximum gaming time you will get for a 40-70 dollars game ;-) ) and then the game is extremely rewarding, since it requires you to think and to be clever.

    Each game you play is unique : play France twice and you will get very different opportunnities. Imagine the number of possibilities knowing that you can play EVERY country on the map (France, Japan, Hedjaz, Morroco, Incas...) from any date (day, even) from 1444 to 1821. Playing a country during the entire timeline requires aprox. 80-100 hours.

    Even better, Paradox Studios listen their fans and do all they can to enhance the game experience. Even if expansions are released, you do not need them to play and have fun (I have none of them). Especially since some of their features are available freely after release.

    This game is just brilliant. After 230 hours playing, I am far from quitting. I still want to try at least dozens of countries.
    Now I am planning to buy other Paradox games !    … Expand
  41. Zarsus
    Sep 12, 2014
    1
    I was utterly addicted to the game.. until the 1.6 & 1.7 that just made me quit it probably forever. It's one thing to fix bugs and adding missing features, it's another thing to modify the game mechanics again and again and again and actually making the game worse.
    Now it's pretty much pointless to play any non-European nation since they'll be utterly defenseless in late games, and    I was utterly addicted to the game.. until the 1.6 & 1.7 that just made me quit it probably forever. It's one thing to fix bugs and adding missing features, it's another thing to modify the game mechanics again and again and again and actually making the game worse.
    Now it's pretty much pointless to play any non-European nation since they'll be utterly defenseless in late games, and westernization is much more excruciating with less benefits than before. If you don't westernize you are screwed; if you do you are still screwed, just a little bit less so. They might as well just stop wasting time on adding events/game mechanics for all non-European nations since there's no point in that. If I wanted to experience something completely historically accurate, I'd read Wikipedia on world history, thank you very much.
    Oh, and it's very irritating that, Monarchy Points, the one most vital resource to the game is nearly completely random, the super expensive +3 administrator means nothing when your ruler has 0 talent, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. Nothing. At all. So instead of screwing around with working game mechanics, how about adding some sort of successor mechanics such that the player can select from a number of different successors, each with his own pro and cons.    … Expand
  42. alex-smollet
    Sep 5, 2014
    2
    This is randomizer - not a strategy game. Random unpredictable game events, random battle results. Very bugged patch 1.7. Waste of time. Shogun 2 or CIV5 more playable than this "product".
  43. Daisai
    Aug 23, 2014
    3
    Although this game is not as bad designed as HoI it still is very bugged and very poorly designed.
    There are so many key bugs in this game that are causing you to lose a battle and for a game that was released in 2013 you would expect a more finished product by now.
    Ones you play and therefor also test this product a little further ( which the developers did not do ) you come across    Although this game is not as bad designed as HoI it still is very bugged and very poorly designed.
    There are so many key bugs in this game that are causing you to lose a battle and for a game that was released in 2013 you would expect a more finished product by now.

    Ones you play and therefor also test this product a little further ( which the developers did not do ) you come across some game breaking bugs.
    Moral values not working and manpower simply disappearing when a army is to big ( with the thousands a tick and without the message ).

    Those kind of bugs should have been fixed long before the game is even released, however this developer is more busy releasing dlc for this game and not fixing these bugs.

    Thats why this game gets a 3, the gameplay is poor and the fact that they give poor support on their product makes it so that they earn this score.    … Expand
  44. Braggi
    Aug 22, 2014
    9
    Beware the time sink!
    This is more a simulation than a game, but paradox has done a lot with the UI to make it accessible. The core theme is european expansion and colonisation from 15th to 19th century.
    Different tech groups pace the speed of research, with the western group fastest and nomads at the bottom. Countries will eventually specialize in subgroups for military, exploration    Beware the time sink!
    This is more a simulation than a game, but paradox has done a lot with the UI to make it accessible. The core theme is european expansion and colonisation from 15th to 19th century.

    Different tech groups pace the speed of research, with the western group fastest and nomads at the bottom. Countries will eventually specialize in subgroups for military, exploration and so on according to their needs. You can play any country, and the monarch point system, diplomacy and alliances make small countries playable, coalitions hold aggressive monarchs in check.
    Overall it does a great job here. Spain at the fringes of Europe feels different from a continental power or the Ottomans, a western nation poses different tasks than an asian realm.

    The game starts slow, with almost no options except diplomacy and military at first. It takes some time until other options unfold. Even losing a war once in a while is usually not the end.
    Slowly your reach and power expand, and new challenges and opportulities unfold. Scripted events according to actual history change the map.

    Religion plays a big role. With religious ideas and laws, evangelising your whole realm is possible in a short time. (cultural conversion costs monarch points, so you usually leave this be). This feels somewhat unrealistic in an otherwise exceptionally balanced system; on the other hand you need a social tech group that could also improve military, expansion or trade.

    The Wealth of Nations expansion added some trade improvements and closed an expansion loophole (integrating vassals was too cheap). The new rival and power projection system is also neat.
    I tried and dropped the first eu versions very fast - too complex and lost in detail. eu IV still hast tons of detail and depth, but is actually easily operated.    … Expand
  45. mac15
    Aug 20, 2014
    9
    There is no feeling of satisfaction such as that of winning a war or successfully creating an empire. Europa Universalis 4 beautifully delivers that satisfaction. Though the first ten or so hours of play time may be frustrating, the game mechanics flow nearly seamlessly once learned. To all those saying it is too complicated or overly complex: EU4 does not pretend to be similar to anyThere is no feeling of satisfaction such as that of winning a war or successfully creating an empire. Europa Universalis 4 beautifully delivers that satisfaction. Though the first ten or so hours of play time may be frustrating, the game mechanics flow nearly seamlessly once learned. To all those saying it is too complicated or overly complex: EU4 does not pretend to be similar to any strategy such as the Civilization Series; it tries to simulate Europe as historically accurate as possible, which, as any history buff will know, is quite complicated.… Expand
  46. NJArab
    Aug 16, 2014
    10
    For someone who was expecting a lot of this game I was not disappointed. Paradox massively improved from Eu3 and made Eu4 a game that is different every time you play it. While there are some bugs that still need to be fixed no game is perfect and Paradox released some great DLC for this game. A definite buy for those looking to get into the Grand Strategy genre or already like it.
  47. Genosization
    Aug 16, 2014
    10
    This is one of the best strategic game I ever played, in the beginning it is a little hard. I still don't get some of the features, but if you understand the basics of the game, it is a lot of fun. You can never finish the game, there are a lot of playable nations (all the nations) it covers the whole world except for a region of northern Siberia and a part of Alaska. I recommend this gameThis is one of the best strategic game I ever played, in the beginning it is a little hard. I still don't get some of the features, but if you understand the basics of the game, it is a lot of fun. You can never finish the game, there are a lot of playable nations (all the nations) it covers the whole world except for a region of northern Siberia and a part of Alaska. I recommend this game if you love strategic games!… Expand
  48. anmont
    Jul 25, 2014
    2
    Out of Sync.

    There is nothing worse than wanting to play an advanced grand strategy game than connecting to the game with a friend and being unable to play. EU4 has not resolved this issue, and it has plagued faithful buyers for years. While this is one of my favorite series, with in-depth complicated gameplay, it is in effect a single player game. Anyone who suggests otherwise, has    Out of Sync.

    There is nothing worse than wanting to play an advanced grand strategy game than connecting to the game with a friend and being unable to play.

    EU4 has not resolved this issue, and it has plagued faithful buyers for years. While this is one of my favorite series, with in-depth complicated gameplay, it is in effect a single player game. Anyone who suggests otherwise, has not played very far into a scenario. It works great for the first couple of decades and then disintegrates into a explosion of saving the game manually across the network and reloading from the last good save.

    If you want to play this game solo, its a 9/10. BUY IT...
    If you want to play with friends, please don't buy this game and quit reading the insane comments from people who have spent less than 10 hours playing the game. Do a simple google search for eu4 and OOS and find the hundreds of threads relating to this topic, that have persisted for several years in all of Paradox strategy games (Eu3, Crusader Kings, Victoria).    … Expand
  49. Gromloks
    Jul 21, 2014
    10
    Eines der hochwertigsten Strategiespiele überhaupt. Benötigt eine längere Einarbeitung, entfaltet sich aber danach zu einem Meisterwerk. Das Spiel bietet hunderte Stunden an Spielspaß und lässt einem viele spielerische Freiheiten. Endlich hat man mal die Chance die Geschichte von einem anderen Blickwinkel aus zu erleben bzw. zu verändern. Unabhängig davon, ob man einen Handelsstaat oderEines der hochwertigsten Strategiespiele überhaupt. Benötigt eine längere Einarbeitung, entfaltet sich aber danach zu einem Meisterwerk. Das Spiel bietet hunderte Stunden an Spielspaß und lässt einem viele spielerische Freiheiten. Endlich hat man mal die Chance die Geschichte von einem anderen Blickwinkel aus zu erleben bzw. zu verändern. Unabhängig davon, ob man einen Handelsstaat oder eine imperialistische Großmacht spielen möchte, jede dieser Spielweisen macht unglaublich viel Spaß. Unbedingte Kaufempfehlung! Einziger Kritikpunkt sind die mangelhaften Ãœbersetzungen vom Englischen ins Deutsche.… Expand
  50. ShiningDec
    Jul 16, 2014
    0
    The game was good at the begining, but after each patch, its quality drop constantly. Developer make the game become more boring and prevent player from expanding by any tool they can imagine. Please don't buy this game.
  51. revieweuropa
    Jun 14, 2014
    0
    It's the perfect and maybe most realistic strategy game ever.
    I knew that when I bought it, but didn't think about what it literally means. It means, you have to spend maybe years to conquere the World, maybe at least 3 weeks of intensive gaming, to double the size of your country. It definitely takes too much time, and in my opinion it definitely lacks an easy mode.
    I recommend you to    It's the perfect and maybe most realistic strategy game ever.
    I knew that when I bought it, but didn't think about what it literally means. It means, you have to spend maybe years to conquere the World, maybe at least 3 weeks of intensive gaming, to double the size of your country. It definitely takes too much time, and in my opinion it definitely lacks an easy mode.
    I recommend you to play it, if you have at least two, or more lifes. If you only have one, do not waste 2 or more years on playing this game.    … Expand
  52. Cyliann
    Jun 5, 2014
    1
    Loved EU3, even with the rather abruptly ending time-line. This? Ho boy.

    Paradox Interactive has decided after a repeated amount of failures to simply stream-line their product to a now shallow experience from what used to be an intensive and deep conquering experience. As EU3, EU4 features "Random events" that causes your countries stability to go down. The difference from this game    Loved EU3, even with the rather abruptly ending time-line. This? Ho boy.

    Paradox Interactive has decided after a repeated amount of failures to simply stream-line their product to a now shallow experience from what used to be an intensive and deep conquering experience. As EU3, EU4 features "Random events" that causes your countries stability to go down. The difference from this game and the prequel is that you could spend your country's budget on increasing the country's stability, be it re-building things, bribing rebellious people or just getting things in order.

    What does this mean? Well, you sometimes had to pour every single ounce of your earnings into this as Stability meant more income and a happier populance and sometimes, the game could decide to be especially cruel and constantly ravage your country's stability. That was fine since you could be a careful ruler and prepared counter-measures such as a fat treasury or having the proper advisors. In EU4? Get unlucky with a lot of instability and you're boned by being utterly crippled by either not being able to research better governmenting or simply not gaining enough administrative power due to a rubbish leader. Rebels will also, comedically enough, everywhere at war-times, being many times the size of your country's total manpower as your entire economy also crumbles down to a shadow of It's former glory. The methods of reducing this? Wait around for administrative power. Yup. No budget relocation, no personal efforts from you and 100% impossible situations... Unless you Save & Load abuse, averting these random events.

    It removes depth, It removes customizability, It removes consequences from user input and It's simply a pile of streamlined garbage because Instead of crafting a proper tutorial to get new people into this game, Paradox decided to just slam everything down so flat, any handicapped idiot can walk over it and seeing all these 10/10's being thrown like poop from monkeys makes me believe that everyone either hasn't even tried EU3 or failed to understand even a fraction of it.

    Don't get me wrong, I understand what they were trying to do by making advisors be "point" generators instead of allocating budget.. But the thing is, advisors are vomit-inducingly expensive. At the start of my game, the year 51 after christ, I could have the option of hiring an administrative helper. He demands a down-payment of 150 gold. Understandable since he is good but the sinner here is the additional 9.3 gold EVERY MONTH. How much is that? Well, let's just say It's far above the maximum amounts you can pay to enough to fully maintain an army of about 100,000+ men when you can only maintain about 20,000 men.

    If you own 4-5 regions, you can expect a monthly income of about 2-3 gold discluding expenses. This means he either uses diamonds as toilet paper or has an incureable habit of breathing gold.. Just.... No. Try harder next time, Paradox Interactive.    … Expand
  53. Relian
    Jun 1, 2014
    5
    Tried playing this game and just couldn't get into it. I kept getting wars with 8+ factions against me, and it just took forever to get anything done. Boring.
  54. Echo92
    May 31, 2014
    10
    Absolutely fantastic game. I consider EU4 the best strategy game i've ever played. It is extremely detailed and quite complicated, which makes the game very immersive. This does however mean that the game will be difficult to enjoy if you're not willing to invest some time in learning the game, but the reward for investing a bit of time in this game is huge. There's nothing quite likeAbsolutely fantastic game. I consider EU4 the best strategy game i've ever played. It is extremely detailed and quite complicated, which makes the game very immersive. This does however mean that the game will be difficult to enjoy if you're not willing to invest some time in learning the game, but the reward for investing a bit of time in this game is huge. There's nothing quite like exploring the "what if's" of history. The multiplayer dimension of this game is very enjoyable if you enjoy a bit of scheming and friendly competition.
    I've noticed that a lot of the negative reviews complain about stuff like rebels and random bad things that will ruin your game. This isn't true, this is mainly a result of them not managing their nations properly.    … Expand
  55. Cliffordian
    May 21, 2014
    9
    A great grand strategy game with great width and depth. A successful combination of war, diplomacy, economy, colonization and more. A numbers game to a large extent with great level of detail for the one interested.
  56. Jimbro84
    Apr 10, 2014
    0
    Sadly, a lot of work was put into this game and I wanted hard to like it but no, it sucks. If civ5 is a little predictable, EU4 is soo random. EU4 is superior to civ5 as to diplomacy BUT: Constant clock watching and reading of mundane pop-ups of bad news. Very few units and buildings and 90% of that implies no visuals. Not to mention that the battles are devoid of any strategy besidesSadly, a lot of work was put into this game and I wanted hard to like it but no, it sucks. If civ5 is a little predictable, EU4 is soo random. EU4 is superior to civ5 as to diplomacy BUT: Constant clock watching and reading of mundane pop-ups of bad news. Very few units and buildings and 90% of that implies no visuals. Not to mention that the battles are devoid of any strategy besides terrain modifiers and adding generals and admirals (which is more of a choice than a strategy anyways). Overly hard, boring and complicated. Virtually no tutorials. Nice graphics though.… Expand
  57. salo78
    Mar 29, 2014
    9
    Having never played an EU title previously, I can can hands down say that I am now hooked on this franchise (along with Crusader Kings). I have played the Total War series of games for years and enjoyed them for the most part, but this game has opened my eyes to how detailed and in-depth a strategy game can really be. OK, you don't get the fancy battle scenes like the TW series but, youHaving never played an EU title previously, I can can hands down say that I am now hooked on this franchise (along with Crusader Kings). I have played the Total War series of games for years and enjoyed them for the most part, but this game has opened my eyes to how detailed and in-depth a strategy game can really be. OK, you don't get the fancy battle scenes like the TW series but, you know something, I don't miss them. In fact, when I go back to TW, I miss the better strategy map and depth from EUIV than I miss the battles when playing EUIV. Now that basically says it all. Maybe it's an age thing, but you can stick all your fancy 3D graphics as far as I'm concerned - as I'd rather have this level depth and enjoyment any day of the week.

    One word of warning, this can be a brutal experience for the uninitiated. Best thing to do is to start small and work your way up to a super power so you can learn the ropes, otherwise you'll just get frustrated in the early days of play. The amount of alliances and enemies you have to deal with when your one of the big guns can be overwhelming at first.

    Buy this. You owe it to yourself to witness one of the finest PC games in years.    … Expand
  58. Raskol
    Mar 26, 2014
    10
    If you have a family, friends or a job this game is not for you. Most epic strategy experience you can get. Its hard to learn, but once you get it youll love it. GG Paradox, will await more.
  59. nebz
    Mar 17, 2014
    10
    Wow, just wow! Paradox have really stepped up their game. It took 10 years, but they finally did it! I am a hardcore fan of all the older EU games, but this simply takes it to the next level. The sheer amount of detail and work that went into this game is on a grand scale. Ignore the nostalgia fools comparing it to the earlier games.
  60. rpundurs
    Mar 6, 2014
    3
    I've never experienced a game like it in its attention to historical detail. I've likewise never experienced a game like it in how little fun it is to play.

    Paradox has produced a game that will entice the student of history in you, but will likely bore the rest of you. To begin with, EU4's presentation is nothing if not opaque. This time they've made more of an effort to document the    I've never experienced a game like it in its attention to historical detail. I've likewise never experienced a game like it in how little fun it is to play.

    Paradox has produced a game that will entice the student of history in you, but will likely bore the rest of you. To begin with, EU4's presentation is nothing if not opaque. This time they've made more of an effort to document the mechanisms of play in tutorials (and a fifty-page manual), but these efforts are still grossly insufficient to meet the punishing learning curve. Without constant reference to the wiki or official forums, a new player will be hopelessly lost. Despite what Paradox grognards seem to believe, this is not a positive feature.

    Ultimately, should you invest the 10+ hours needed to arm yourself with the basic understanding needed to play at all, you will be left with an intensely hollow experience. In the long run, it can be a joy to see your plans come to fruition, but in the interim, you will be left with a lot of clock-watching and empty busywork as the game continues to bombard you with trivial pop-ups for mundane tasks that, irritatingly, cannot be left on autopilot (the Curia control system is most egregious in this regard). The sheer volume of flags, however, belie their emptiness - there's very little fun to be had in maintaining your empire while waiting for your next opportunity to strike.

    For all the Europa Universalis series has been billed as part of the military strategy genre, the warfare is incredibly shallow. There are virtually no tactics involved in prosecuting a war; in some cases terrain may aid a defender, but neither logistics nor heroics are any match for economics in EU's world. Ultimately, this is a game of diplomacy - of decades-long plans to inveigle certain nations into attacking you only to be crushed, of forming royal marriages for the sake of later usurping that nation's throne, of excising provinces from a rival empire over and over again until it is small enough to be vassalized. That description gives the game an air of intrigue and mystery, but make no mistake: the game has all the mystique (and presentation) of an Excel spreadsheet.

    The actual mechanics of play are deceptively simplistic - success in this game relies on diplomatic strategy, but shaping a good strategy relies on an intense, almost professional understanding of the game's unexplained and often invisible logic. That's not even bringing the unfair and unpredictable nature of random events (such as the infamous comet) into the discussion. Ultimately, the best strategies are those that play to the AI's weaknesses and the idiosyncracies of the game mechanics. Though carrying out your strategy requires nothing more strenuous than navigation through a few menus, it is a long process of trial and error to determine which buttons to push and when, and the best methods are often counter-intuitive (if not totally illogical). For instance, the Overextension mechanics restrict the number of provinces you can hope to gain in war to such an extent that the only way to expand with any speed is by integrating vassals and junior partners - and God help you if you attempt to make use of those game mechanics without several hours of wiki-crawling and a few Paradox forum threads.

    The Metacritic score for this game is extremely misleading: despite Paradox's obvious attempt to reach out to new players with polished graphics and tutorials, Europa Universalis IV is not a game that anyone outside its niche will enjoy. Paradox's grand plan for its strategy game lines is essentially to sell slight variations on the same game over and over again to a hard core of devoted fans. Those who enjoy this game are those who do not flinch at the unforgiving, opaque, tedious, and frustrating nature of the experience. For players who are not willing to spend 100+ hours clicking flags, who don't mind watching dozens of hours of work go up in smoke after a couple of random events pop, or who have no objections to constantly alt-tabbing to outside information resources, this game must be Heaven. For the rest of us, it's reminiscent of someplace altogether different.    … Expand
  61. SchnitzelPoof
    Feb 20, 2014
    8
    After sinking (way too much) time into this game, I can say that I absolutely LOVE it.
    However, be warned that this style fits a particular kind of strategy gamer, not all of them. For example, if you enjoy Total War games (which I also love), EU IV might not necessarily give you the right thrill.
    For one thing, it has a steep learning curve for newcomers (such as myself), who didn't    After sinking (way too much) time into this game, I can say that I absolutely LOVE it.
    However, be warned that this style fits a particular kind of strategy gamer, not all of them. For example, if you enjoy Total War games (which I also love), EU IV might not necessarily give you the right thrill.

    For one thing, it has a steep learning curve for newcomers (such as myself), who didn't play EU III or similar installments from Paradox, but if you have the patience to learn the details (and there are many of them), you get to play a game that covers a fascinating historic period, on an unsurpassed scale - the entire span of the globe, no less, from East to West.
    It has a deep diplomatic model, which can be very satisfying to use. Wars, in particular, are not a matter of extermination, but can rather serve as a means to weaken an enemy, gain some territory, or (my favorite) force enemies to grant independence to countries they had annexed earlier.

    On the other hand, the satisfaction EU IV provides is mostly cerebral. There is a lot of satisfaction in seeing your carefully laid plans bear fruit, but your time is spent gazing at the map which, as pretty as it may be, is still a map; and at numerous icons, texts, and information sheets. EU IV might be a very complex board game, but that's what it is, basically. In regards to audio-visual entertainment, the cover image is the most exciting part of the game, so if that's what you're after, I suggest looking elsewhere.

    Still, if you enjoy strategizing, outwitting foes, and growing a country that you picked to scary proportions, I believe you will love Europa Universalis IV almost as much as I do.    … Expand
  62. masterjohnson1
    Feb 15, 2014
    10
    Paradox Development Studio has done it again with another great grand strategy game, EU4 puts you as a country and you have to take over the world or become number one in the world you play,
    that sounds easy but it is not as easy as you my first think depending on what country you start with.
    if you enjoyed CK2 you will enjoy this
  63. LaserJesus
    Feb 15, 2014
    10
    EU IV improves on EU III on nearly every level. The mechanics are less opaque, the gameplay is more accessible without losing complexity, and the introduction of Ironman mode provides an actual incentive to become actually GOOD at the game instead of just reloading saves every time things don't go your way.
  64. Lubo1svk
    Feb 14, 2014
    9
    Well, I spent around 400 hours with this game so far. 400 real time, pure hours with computer game and I have to say I am happy for it. I learnt great deal of history out of that. This is one of few games that deserve adjective "historical". It isn't as pretty as other grand strategies around (not naming), but that's not where the strength of EU lies. It doesn't have eye candylikeWell, I spent around 400 hours with this game so far. 400 real time, pure hours with computer game and I have to say I am happy for it. I learnt great deal of history out of that. This is one of few games that deserve adjective "historical". It isn't as pretty as other grand strategies around (not naming), but that's not where the strength of EU lies. It doesn't have eye candylike animations, nor effects, it has tens of statistics. Now all these statistics are realistic - you have administrative points, which accumulate if not being used depending mainly of how clever the ruler is. You use these points to increase overall stability of the realm. === it simlulates huge effort which countries had to do to stabilize their realm and they couldn't do it if they focused at the same time on other things like "coring" (or assimilating) new lands into the country.
    -----
    With deal of imagination and creative thinking, you can find the most accurate history simulation out there.
    ----- Ratings: -----
    * AI 9/10 (AI is vastly better programmed than similar games and will offer challange for hundreads of hours)
    * Graphics 6/10 (You see the map strategically, you cannot enter battles, you cannot fully see your cities, at the same time you see loads of details of the world. You may fall in love with seazon changes around the world, freezing lakes and rivers or blooming trees)
    * Histocial accuracy 9/10
    * Realism 9/10
    * Gameplay 9/10    … Expand
  65. Vespa
    Feb 11, 2014
    8
    EU4 is a grand strategy game that keeps its predecessors model (EU3), with updated graphics and a more enriched feel to a grand strategy game its a joy to play. Each nation can rise to power and fall only to rise again within the same game, something all strategy games should copy. I like the new ideas, and tech system which allows u to upgrade tech then ideas to enhance a nationEU4 is a grand strategy game that keeps its predecessors model (EU3), with updated graphics and a more enriched feel to a grand strategy game its a joy to play. Each nation can rise to power and fall only to rise again within the same game, something all strategy games should copy. I like the new ideas, and tech system which allows u to upgrade tech then ideas to enhance a nation abilities, with a variety of choice, will u be an explorer or a conquer a merchant or an innovator, all is possible. The new diplomatic, military and administrator point system works great forcing u to think about when its time for peace so u can save military points for new military tech or go to war also they affect the construction buildings, they also have to b shared between ur ideas and tech. I found it a delight when they brought out an expansion pack that gave new native American nation and tech ect about time really....
    1 down side is that the AI doesnt really compete over the new world like I would have like, with only 2 - 3 nation really making an effort to colonise it becomes easy to take over the new world. Also I would have liked a more dynamic events system which allows for a nation to activily go though a civil war with regions divided up according to faction within the civil war similar to crusader kings 2 (mayb that will b in the expansion packs). Also colonies dont tend to want independents at all unless ur a complete dick to them. I would have liked random events that allow France to have a revolution at any time during the game or a more aggressive cultural change for the American culture from the English culture ect, in addition it would b nice if it was easier to cause spys to create political problems in other nations (that includes the AI sending spys to cause riots in my regions) as it seems pointless even using spys. That being send its a great game and I look forwards for further updates and expansions.    … Expand
  66. BillNyeTheScien
    Feb 8, 2014
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The game is not horrible. But not what I expected there are a few things that get on my nerves when playing the game. One is that the game is very dark. not bright at all. Another thing is that the mac version is extremely laggy and delays when you try to move the screen. the time speed increase should be a little faster. And I don't like the new technology and nerfed buildings. I just pointed out some of the bad parts of the game. I do like the new relations and diplomacy system instead of there being a random chance of a nation accepting an alliance like in the third title.… Expand
  67. Raybit
    Jan 29, 2014
    8
    This is my second review on this game and I just wanna update a few points I didn't mention before.

    First of all, to open the real door of this game, you need to active "Iron Man" mode in the option, which allow you to obtain achievements and also limit your saving file to only one. And during the game, it will auto save each month or when certain events happens. These setting will    This is my second review on this game and I just wanna update a few points I didn't mention before.

    First of all, to open the real door of this game, you need to active "Iron Man" mode in the option, which allow you to obtain achievements and also limit your saving file to only one. And during the game, it will auto save each month or when certain events happens. These setting will greatly alleviate pain of random dice issue in the war since in the most of case you will not put your army into a dangerous situation(or even in the balanced one) due to the fact you may win a battle but lose the war and there is only one record you can reload.

    Secondly, I guess most of players who just played within 40h may the part of exploring and colonizing. As you see, the whole game map only get charted a small part, and a big world is waiting for you to discovery. Unfortunately, there is no words mentioned this fact in EU4 tutorial... Go youtube, and find a way to allow allow you to do so.

    Last, I said technology upgrade is not that effective in my previous post, and that is totally wrong. Actually, their effects could became very obvious, especially when your tech tie is over other by 2 or more( at least, it is very true for military tech line). And normally, you can't over tech other countries too much as there is a limitation/roof for each tech line could reach in the certain age unless you are willing to expend substantially extra points and time for that.

    By understanding all these design rules, I think it is worth a score of 8. However, this deep depth will restraint a lot of people to find the fun from the game. After all, most of the reviewer of this game who give 9/10 score are very likely to fail to understand these rules& complicity but do the comparison superficially.

    Anyway, the Paradox game seems to be designed for player to learn not play in their first 50h :)    … Expand
  68. anakingodx
    Jan 25, 2014
    9
    The game is definitely a great game and a must buy. While the strategy is different from game series's like Total War or Civilization. The game may seem daunting to people new to paradox grand strategy games however, the tutorials are very good and will definitely help you when you start playing. The game is very challenging and complex but at the same time , the game is also designed soThe game is definitely a great game and a must buy. While the strategy is different from game series's like Total War or Civilization. The game may seem daunting to people new to paradox grand strategy games however, the tutorials are very good and will definitely help you when you start playing. The game is very challenging and complex but at the same time , the game is also designed so that new players can get right in and have a great time. I have never played any previous games of this genre (grand strategy I previously stuck with Total War and Civilization) and I was afraid that I would get bored quickly. This game provides a great entry for people new to the genre for those who have found it too daunting or complex beforehand.… Expand
  69. Connolius
    Jan 14, 2014
    9
    EUIV will go down as one of the best of its genre. Ive played the EU series, CK II, V II & all the CIVs. This one is in depth, the alliances and diplomacy is extremely vital particular if you are smaller nation whereby the strength of your alliances are as vital as your armies.

    Example, as the Papal States, I was able to ride France and a combination of moving alliances w/ Switzerland,    EUIV will go down as one of the best of its genre. Ive played the EU series, CK II, V II & all the CIVs. This one is in depth, the alliances and diplomacy is extremely vital particular if you are smaller nation whereby the strength of your alliances are as vital as your armies.

    Example, as the Papal States, I was able to ride France and a combination of moving alliances w/ Switzerland, Poland, Hungary and smaller alliances, ie. Savoy to unite provinces before turning on Savoy and taking Piedmont with the help of Lorraine to whom for 100 years we were enemies.

    Moreover, you can use the diplomacy system to drive wedges in Alliances. Example, I needed to take Venice but Aragaon was allied with both Venice and other Allies and would have backed Venice if I attacked. So I spent a few years goading Aragaon into attacking me, France and my Allies backed up, Venice stayed in a coalition to attack. Viola, I kept my allies, won the war and now have Venice ready to fall once the true ends.

    Another key point is that its better to take a minor loss than doggedly hang in, losing cash or manpower. If you are losing the battle, drop out. Take a loss of territory, rebuild a better alliance and retake the land. If a foreign army defeated you and you dont have an army ready to retake the land, conceede the territory otherwise the army will roll up your other properties and will take even more.

    Combat has improved in so far as you need to take into account terrain more than in other Paradox titles. Have a stack of 20, think it will crush that stack of 10? Oh **** its dug in on a mountain? Bye bye. Morale low? Bye bye.

    Use smaller units to draw opposing enemies trying to crush a smaller army on terrain favourable to you so they take the penalty, then march your larger stack in. A small stack on favourable terrain will hold out, your larger stack arrives and now you have trapped their army.

    What i dont like is the armies and battles while important seem very generic. There is no feel. I cant get it a perfect score despite having hrs of fun because combat on a whole can still come down to mass.

    Good: Diplomacy, usage of points as opposed to cash to research tech, use of inflation to stop hoarding cash thus forcing investments. Multiple directions to achieve a variety of self chosen goals.

    Bad: Combat needs to have an improved feel. Its still bland.

    If you like the genre, you'll love the game. If you're new to the genre, save regularly and take the first 100 years as a learning experience. Id give it 10/10 but for the combat needing work.    … Expand
  70. some_gamer
    Jan 12, 2014
    7
    This is the first EU game I've played. At first I liked it (once I got past the steep learning curve), but then the flaws started showing- there's way too much randomness in this game which is not bad in itself, the problem is that this randomness has huge, tremendous impact on your game- it can turn it into a boring snooze fest or completely break it depending on what random events youThis is the first EU game I've played. At first I liked it (once I got past the steep learning curve), but then the flaws started showing- there's way too much randomness in this game which is not bad in itself, the problem is that this randomness has huge, tremendous impact on your game- it can turn it into a boring snooze fest or completely break it depending on what random events you get and by random events I mean also the stats of your ruler, whether he dies prematurely and you end up unable to declare wars for a very long time or worse- your heir dies and then your ruler and it can literally mean game over. There are many more examples of why this is all bad design and not fun at all.

    Then you get to the late game, once your nation has reached a certain size it becomes a pain to expand. There are all sorts of terrible mechanics in place to make late game expansion as painful (not difficult, just boring, tedious, repetitive and painful) as possible.

    On the bright side, it's a one of a kind game with huge potential and a must try for every fan of strategy games. It's also very cheap so it's still worth getting IMO despite the flaws I've pointed out earlier. I'll give it a 7 because of good, frequent patches which have straightened some issues and might fix some more in the future.    … Expand
  71. Hirron
    Jan 11, 2014
    9
    My only complaint about the game is the large amount of DLC, Which 1 year in stands at 10 different pieces. Hence the nine.

    Overall the integration of history has been done extremely well. Events can be significant but at the same time do not make or break most games (Only real big one I can think of is Burgundian Inheritance). Outside of Europe there is less polish (with exceptions to    My only complaint about the game is the large amount of DLC, Which 1 year in stands at 10 different pieces. Hence the nine.

    Overall the integration of history has been done extremely well. Events can be significant but at the same time do not make or break most games (Only real big one I can think of is Burgundian Inheritance). Outside of Europe there is less polish (with exceptions to Japan and Ottomans), yet outside of NA you can always find at least one unique player. Combined with mods ( Now easily available through steam workshop) you can get a great experience.

    Then there is the experiments you craft yourself, to see the Cherokee dominate North America, the Aztec conquer both Americas. To unite imperial japan and combat through Asia while colonizing the new world. To break away as Naples and unite the great boot of Italy. To turn Novgorod, a trading nation annexed by Muscovy with armies about 2 times larger, into a nation that not only remains but is able to overcome Muscovy to form a new democratic Russia. These are a few of my experience. A very fun way of playing against history.

    EU4 has a great level of mechanics. It emphasizes macro decisions, long term planning and paying attention to alliances as the world shifts around you. What makes the system great however I would say comes down to the fact that it is harshly enforced while relatively simply to understand (A few games to figure out) Playing as Austria one quickly learns the folly of ransacking smaller neighbors.

    Overall a great game that I've played for 200 hours, and continue to play. All for 40$    … Expand
  72. TeddyTiger
    Jan 9, 2014
    10
    As a vivid total war fan, I was amazed by the amount of gameplay you can get from this game and I now have more hours playing this game than all the total wars (that are on steam) combined...Having said that the game is a "heavy" strategy game and it takes a good 20 hours before you have properly learnt the mechanics and another 100 untill you've really learnt everything (not that it isAs a vivid total war fan, I was amazed by the amount of gameplay you can get from this game and I now have more hours playing this game than all the total wars (that are on steam) combined...Having said that the game is a "heavy" strategy game and it takes a good 20 hours before you have properly learnt the mechanics and another 100 untill you've really learnt everything (not that it is necessary to have learnt every mechanic in the game to have fun)… Expand
  73. TheBjornDude
    Jan 8, 2014
    10
    This game is just awful. It is boring and is not very user friendly. If you want to get achievements you need to use ironman mode which uses the steam cloud to save. Let me tell you that the steam cloud is for saving. The game drags out and you need serious will power to make it to the end. I give this game 5 stars.
  74. goldensleeve
    Jan 4, 2014
    10
    If you like strategy games, this is:
    The.Best.Game.Ever.
    Period. Look no further. I envy you if this is your first taste of Europa Universalis. Sit back, relax, take your time, and Enjoy! You're in for a long haul. May it bring you countless hours of enjoyment. If you're a fan of EU III and on the fence about diving into IV, DO IT!!! There is so much more to do here, and so much    If you like strategy games, this is:
    The.Best.Game.Ever.
    Period.
    Look no further.
    I envy you if this is your first taste of Europa Universalis. Sit back, relax, take your time, and Enjoy! You're in for a long haul. May it bring you countless hours of enjoyment.
    If you're a fan of EU III and on the fence about diving into IV, DO IT!!! There is so much more to do here, and so much improvement in diplomacy, trade, economy, military, etc ....
    EU IV is simply awesome.    … Expand
  75. atomic_critic
    Dec 28, 2013
    10
    what a fascinating improvement! The graphics are better than Europa universalis and the historical content still stays the same.This game is like crusader kings but a whole lot bigger.Well done PARADOX!
  76. calo
    Dec 27, 2013
    4
    I love Paradox, and Europa, Crusader Kings etc. However, this felt like a total disgrace to the series.
    It is awkward to begin with and yet it also manages to dump itself down considerably. But do not fear...
    We get coalitions! Which just doesn't work. I would be happy if neighbour states in fear of you formed these, but Ohhh no! It doesn't work by fear it doesn't work by how much    I love Paradox, and Europa, Crusader Kings etc. However, this felt like a total disgrace to the series.
    It is awkward to begin with and yet it also manages to dump itself down considerably. But do not fear...

    We get coalitions!
    Which just doesn't work. I would be happy if neighbour states in fear of you formed these, but Ohhh no! It doesn't work by fear it doesn't work by how much you want to war with them either.
    It works by "over extension" ie. if you have too many uncored provinces.
    What?
    Yes! Totally understandable why say France, with no colonies is mad at me Britain, in having too many uncored colonies.. Ofcourse! This totally effects them.

    Don't worry though we still have a Austria-dominant HRE which is always formed.
    And don't worry! France always acquires parts of Spain, and Spain, Portugal.
    And don't worry! We get an over-powered Denmark who can quite easily form Scandinavia.

    Culture change is super easy now too, and no matter what, your nation will always end up technologically in-advanced.

    No new provinces are introduced as far as I can tell and even better we are limited to having so many relations!

    The only good part is the CK2 EU4 converter, everything else is the exact same.
    A waste of money. If you want this game: Buy Europa Universalis III    … Expand
  77. m1rev
    Dec 26, 2013
    0
    Unique historical strategy. Difficult to enter. but if you understand it, you love it. Nice graphics, user-friendly interface and addictive gameplay.
    The game has many of little things that generally create a unique gaming experience.
  78. Ananisapta
    Dec 23, 2013
    2
    This is a potentially good title but not ready for prime time. Assets include the ability to take over the realm of your choice in the year of your choice and manage a lot of interesting contingencies within a realistic historical context. There's a lot not to like, however. Documentation is scanty and imperfectly grammatical. The interface is a kludge and not very intuitive for new users,This is a potentially good title but not ready for prime time. Assets include the ability to take over the realm of your choice in the year of your choice and manage a lot of interesting contingencies within a realistic historical context. There's a lot not to like, however. Documentation is scanty and imperfectly grammatical. The interface is a kludge and not very intuitive for new users, plus there are still annoying glitches after more than four months. The user forums don't notify you when a topic you're following is updated, and there is outright flaming of beginners from veteran users. Here's a representative comment: "Why don't you quit whining and learn to use a simple interface?" Perhaps the biggest problem is that the game mechanics are almost impenetrable in their complexity and the playing experience is like being nibbled to death by snails.… Expand
  79. 68Camaro
    Dec 16, 2013
    8
    Great game. Very addicting. A few minor quarks but every game has them. Paradox is getting better and better over time though. In a few years, I bet I have all their major titles, instead of just Hearts and Europa.
  80. BeatHour
    Dec 16, 2013
    10
    I've been playing since EU3 IN, and while this game lacks the labyrinth of content featured in EU3, its much more focused, much more accessible, much less boring. Its decidedly easier to play from the start date to the end, and gameplay stays pretty playable and constant throughout, where I would usually quit EU3 by the 1600s.

    All in all, its a fun game, and a nice change of pace from    I've been playing since EU3 IN, and while this game lacks the labyrinth of content featured in EU3, its much more focused, much more accessible, much less boring. Its decidedly easier to play from the start date to the end, and gameplay stays pretty playable and constant throughout, where I would usually quit EU3 by the 1600s.

    All in all, its a fun game, and a nice change of pace from other PI titles. Before EU3 was like a dumbed down version of Victoria 2, but now the EU franchise stands on its own among the PI titles.    … Expand
  81. ladeia
    Dec 15, 2013
    10
    Paradox made a game that is both greatly enjoyable and educative! It would be a great idea if schools and Unis around the world start using EU4 as a complement to history teaching!
  82. kaibert
    Dec 14, 2013
    9
    This game is a good strategy game and not too dumbed down. We owe it to Paradox Interactive for not succumbing to the pressure of casual gamers and their inattentive wallets.
  83. giltinas
    Dec 13, 2013
    9
    With Clausewitz engine, the game seems quite better. The map whets the appetites of players, as in Crusader Kings II. Same motor, different lanes. EU series are RTS games, which pressurize total-war lovers; but in this sequence you can clearly see the points of game. Panels are self-explanatory and simplified. This fact can irritate harcore Paradox fans, but the game needs more newbies toWith Clausewitz engine, the game seems quite better. The map whets the appetites of players, as in Crusader Kings II. Same motor, different lanes. EU series are RTS games, which pressurize total-war lovers; but in this sequence you can clearly see the points of game. Panels are self-explanatory and simplified. This fact can irritate harcore Paradox fans, but the game needs more newbies to expand itself. Without losing its own core mechanics, applying this novelties is a pointed strike for Paradox Interactive. We expect CK3 or Victoria 3 for near future!!!… Expand
  84. mekane84
    Dec 11, 2013
    5
    This game was really cool at first, but by the end of my game (after 60 hours of game play or so) the game has lost all of the fun and interesting elements to it. The strategy in the game seems very limited. By comparison, I feel that Civ 5 has WAY more strategical depth and important decisions to make throughout an entire game.

    -Technology is a joke: its impractical to take    This game was really cool at first, but by the end of my game (after 60 hours of game play or so) the game has lost all of the fun and interesting elements to it. The strategy in the game seems very limited. By comparison, I feel that Civ 5 has WAY more strategical depth and important decisions to make throughout an entire game.

    -Technology is a joke: its impractical to take technologies ahead of time, so you end up at the same technological ability as all of the other top rivals. The only real difference would be through the Idea groups. That's basically you're biggest economic strategical decision to make in the game which Idea groups to invest in. However, these aren't exactly overly influential to the game play.

    Decisions on money spending: You basically have to choose which buildings to build, or how many troops to raise. I don't feel like this decision is generally very difficult, or even that important. Usually you get as big of an army/navy as you need, and spend the rest on buildings. The buildings don't do much though, and its usually not tough to figure out where or what buildings to build.

    Combat: Combat is really annoying more than strategical. The AI is very pesky and it forces you to constantly pay attention and combat their movements with your own. Its very tedious because they can be very hit and run style, and unless you pay very close attention and turn down the game speed, they will take advantage of you. And even when you do pay close attention, its not difficult to figure out where you want your troops, its just tedious work.

    Diplomacy: Annoying. I am allied with England, but if I go to War with France and their allies Burgundy and Scottland, England won't really help me, they will only attack Scottland and leave me to die via huge armies from Burgandy/France. Also, when they call me to war, and I help them by taking over all of France, they will then sign for peace, and I get no new territories, wtf...

    Random Events: powerful but uncontrollable? no thanks.

    Positives:
    -I do like the UI, its fairly easy to do things in this game mass build, queue units, get to different screens, transport units.
    -Music is really good, though if you don't like it, it could get repetitive.
    -First 100 years were pretty exciting, more things to do at that point.

    I am definitely disappointed in this game. It is not fun. This game is complicated because it has a lot of different components to it, and hard to figure out how they all work, but it is not complicated from a strategy perspective, i think you'll see how simple it really is after you figure out how all the components of this game work. Like another reviewer said, its basically Risk with a thin layer of economy and diplomacy attached.    … Expand
  85. OllyNorton
    Dec 9, 2013
    6
    Picked this up in a recent steam sale. I hadn't played any of the previous EU games and gave the reviews a read before jumping in and was overwhelmed by how positive they are.

    The best word I can use to describe this game is obtuse. It is extremely unforgiving of any early players. So what anyone, who hasn't played the early versions, needs to know is that this game requires a lot of    Picked this up in a recent steam sale. I hadn't played any of the previous EU games and gave the reviews a read before jumping in and was overwhelmed by how positive they are.

    The best word I can use to describe this game is obtuse. It is extremely unforgiving of any early players. So what anyone, who hasn't played the early versions, needs to know is that this game requires a lot of time to get to grips with. I personally picked this up for a laptop game to play whilst travelling and just can't be bothered to master it's overly complicated UI and subtle nuances. For those willing to invest the time I'm sure all these 10s are deserving but if you are looking for something Enjoyable right off the bat keep looking. This game will mock you with it's overly complex UI and seemingly inane strategy system.

    Im still at the point after about 5 hours where everything feels random earlier today an army of 20k English troops got decimated by a Lancashire revolt of 6k. I met them on a plane and they just fought through me like I wasn't there. It's unexplained stuff like this that gets me. The game requires you to go hunting for the stat that caused this battle to go so very wrong, it won't show you or tell you why you lost that would be far to straight forward. As I say this is obtuse.

    I imagine the 10s are from those who have managed to master it's subtleties but for anyone looking to jump in and play know you are in for a very hard time at first and if you aren't wiling to invest that time it will be an ultimately poor experience. That is how I have graded this game, no doubt I will have a fair few people moan 'how can i judge a game when i haven't committed to learn it blah blah blah blah). However there are probably others like me out there considering this game and I will say only buy if you have the time.    … Expand
  86. Lindorn
    Dec 9, 2013
    10
    Over 350 hours in at this point if You are a history nerd, grand strategist, or love to see a game play out in infinite variation this is your game. Drop Civilization and play this now. For those unfamiliar with the franchise the timer system (you pause, adjust speed, and start again), constantly active gameplay, and the ability to determine your own criteria for "winning" the gameOver 350 hours in at this point if You are a history nerd, grand strategist, or love to see a game play out in infinite variation this is your game. Drop Civilization and play this now. For those unfamiliar with the franchise the timer system (you pause, adjust speed, and start again), constantly active gameplay, and the ability to determine your own criteria for "winning" the game provides the ultimate open-ended strategy experience.… Expand
  87. stern
    Dec 8, 2013
    9
    How troubling is to review a PDS game... They are works in progress.
    But I feel something must be said about EU4 so long after its initial release.
    I was among the ones who pre-ordered it and I admit it was the first game I bought instead of pirating in, what? 10 years? The other game I bought before EU4 was Starcraft: Broodwar for you to have an idea. CK2 left a very good impresion in    How troubling is to review a PDS game... They are works in progress.
    But I feel something must be said about EU4 so long after its initial release.
    I was among the ones who pre-ordered it and I admit it was the first game I bought instead of pirating in, what? 10 years? The other game I bought before EU4 was Starcraft: Broodwar for you to have an idea.
    CK2 left a very good impresion in me, I thought PDS was finally getting a hang of things and I decided to support them. And when EU4 came, I played a bit with Burgundy, I was a litlle frustrated and regreted my decision, shelving the game.
    But then came all the patchs, game fixes and balances (like trade nerfing). Now EU4 is amazing and I already spent hours and hours and hours in this game, bulding Switzerland into a constitutional republic, an economical world power against France, making my north American kingdom with a norwegian court-in-exile, and many others plays.
    I didn't understood the sinergy and connection between Monarchic Points, technology, buildings and everything else at first, but now I see how well planed and structured everything is in this game and I'm enjoying very much. The only bad thing I would say, is that same thing that EU3 also had: is a deterministic game. You can't take Spain and go for a military non-colonial game, you can't take Brandenburg and not focus on forming Germany/Prussia, otherwise the game punishs you and thing lose sense. Also the lack of natives in South America, and how the lack of a La Plata trade node.
    Anyway, it's an awesome iteration and I hope that East versus West follows its footsteps.    … Expand
  88. Max_Killington
    Dec 5, 2013
    9
    After about an hour of looking at the world map of 1444 all its factions, religions, diplomatic entanglements (alliances, etc) and more I was finally confident enough to choose my first starting nation.

    There is a lot going on in this game, don't let the simple graphics fool you. (Note: the demo is limited to Europe for some reason and makes the game appear smaller or simpler that it    After about an hour of looking at the world map of 1444 all its factions, religions, diplomatic entanglements (alliances, etc) and more I was finally confident enough to choose my first starting nation.

    There is a lot going on in this game, don't let the simple graphics fool you. (Note: the demo is limited to Europe for some reason and makes the game appear smaller or simpler that it actually is.) Prepare to be educated if you've never played an EU game before, but I stuck it through and found that no two play-thrus are alike. Each play-thru is memorable and makes me want to go back and try a new strategy.

    The tutorial could have been more in depth it did not prepare me whatsoever for the intricacies of the game.    … Expand
  89. jblac02
    Nov 28, 2013
    6
    Before I get into my thoughts about the game I'd like to state that this is my 2nd Paradox game after Victoria 2(V2) and my opinions will be biased based on the hundreds of hours I've spent on playing V2. I read alot of glowing reviews before buying EU4 and even more before writing this which makes me feel like they either have very little experience with gs games or they didn't playBefore I get into my thoughts about the game I'd like to state that this is my 2nd Paradox game after Victoria 2(V2) and my opinions will be biased based on the hundreds of hours I've spent on playing V2. I read alot of glowing reviews before buying EU4 and even more before writing this which makes me feel like they either have very little experience with gs games or they didn't play very much before writing the reviews.

    The first thing I read was that a new player could pick any little nation and jump right in with the potential to become a world power; this couldn't be further from the truth. Even after extensive reading and testing(and I'd consider myself a veteran of strategy games), I found it basically impossible to play anything other than a european great power if I wanted to accomplish anything other than sitting there passively building up points for decades at a time. The "monarch points" system is a major design flaw in my eyes and seriously hurts the flow of the game; all of the points are linked to at multiple different uses and really affects your ability to experience control of your nation without giving up other aspects. What this basically means is that if you declare war alot, your navy will fall behind because its linked to diplomatic points while the same idea holds true for administrative points because you have to use it for administrative technology and "ideas" which are basically traits you can pick for your nation plus all the points are linked to different buildings forcing you to pick over another choice. When you compare this to the system in V2, all of these things are on their own point system and aren't shared with other actions meaning research points are strictly for new research and you aren't forced to use them to acquire territory or perform anything else.

    One thing I noticed was that no matter who I played, unless I was playing a great power I could never seem to field more than a tiny army in comparison to some of the enormous million man armies I've fielded in V2. Even playing as spain while being the 1st great power with an enormous empire spanning most of south and north america nearly 70% through the game I had a laughably small army of maybe 120-150k men while barely breaking even and almost all of it was required simply to keep France and its allies at bay leaving little opportunity to attack anyone elsewhere or even to really defend most of my empire. In comparison to V2, I just feel like I'm almost better off not fighting anyone simply because I'm losing points for capturing territory and having different resources from territories means basically nothing since none of the units require anything specific to build. In V2 there are certain provinces that contain extremely valuable resources like rubber and coal which are required for many military units/buildings and it just doesn't feel like there's any real urgency to capture anything in EU4 in comparison.

    Another major issue I have with the game is the huge amount of random events;they are pretty much just there to make your life more difficult; Some of them were just minor nuisances like a bit of lost prestige and some of them were major crippling events like losing tech points or like stability loss during early wars putting my fragile economy negative in an already gold starved game. Buildings are also mostly pointless because of the incredible cost sink and the relatively tiny gains(+0.01 gold per month in most cases) meaning it would take decades or more just for them to pay for the initial investment while random events can cost you even more gold.

    While I really enjoyed the idea of having to explore the "new world" and not knowing what each colony even had to offer this too was flawed because of the goofy colonial design. Because of the way the naval distance works and the fact that you have to use technology points for the idea traits required to colonize, only portugal, spain and possibly france via north west africa(though i haven't tested it) can even attempt to colonize anything until much later in the game. The only way to really colonize is a linear path to brazil(or south into africa) via cape verde or one of 3 unclaimed west african provinces, and because of the distances and locations this either locks most european nations out of the colonial race entirely or until they have enough tech to completely cross the ocean without a bridging colony. While this may hold some historical truth it doesn't make alot of sense in a game that basically encourages you to change what happened historically.

    While I've said alot negative about the game it wasn't my intention to bash the game, just to describe my griefs and it's mostly nitpicking from a strategy game autists PoV. The game is still decent and I especially enjoyed the music, it just could have been so much more given a few mechanical direction changes.    … Expand
  90. brajmond
    Nov 28, 2013
    4
    A lot of gamers here complain that the game is hard and difficult to play, but the truth is quite the opposite !
    To me, it feels just like a complex version of Risk! Here lies the problem for me... This game could have been so much better it feels just like a remake of an european cult classic by the holywood producers...
    Where is the internal dynamics of the state there is none..    A lot of gamers here complain that the game is hard and difficult to play, but the truth is quite the opposite !
    To me, it feels just like a complex version of Risk! Here lies the problem for me... This game could have been so much better it feels just like a remake of an european cult classic by the holywood producers...
    Where is the internal dynamics of the state there is none.. Where is the charm of the eras played through the game? (Renaissance, baroque) Where are the strategical and tactical elements of the battles played?... and so, on so on.. Nice graphics though..    … Expand
  91. Back2c
    Nov 25, 2013
    8
    First of all, I'm a new player to EU. Then, to briefly sum up, that game is great but unfinished.

    Let's start by the wrong side the game crashes quite often (like 1 time on 5 or 6 when I accept a peace treaty), the translation isn't over (I'm playing the french version, and lots of stuff are nearly un-understandable due to translation that doesn't always make sense, sometimes not even    First of all, I'm a new player to EU. Then, to briefly sum up, that game is great but unfinished.

    Let's start by the wrong side the game crashes quite often (like 1 time on 5 or 6 when I accept a peace treaty), the translation isn't over (I'm playing the french version, and lots of stuff are nearly un-understandable due to translation that doesn't always make sense, sometimes not even translated), there's code in some pop-ups (FRONT_Stuff), and so on...

    Now the good side I find it a great strategy game, for it is complex (sometimes a bit too much, considering there are some information lacking, mostly about trade, and the ingame help is not really helping for it is far too short) but still manageable. The system of diplomatic alliances is complex yet you can't but use it if you plan on becoming important (and not being override by your foes), your economy is quite hard to manage (wars nearly always ruined me in the first times), and even after hours of playing, you still discover stuff you never noticed.

    Then again, it might not be different from previous EU, I can't compare. But this game is definitely great, though I advise you to wait for its development to be really ended.    … Expand
  92. footslogger
    Nov 22, 2013
    10
    I'm new to the eu series and have just started playing eu4. I was apprehensive at first and worried about the 'spreadsheet effect' but now find it totally absorbing and fun. I would certainly advise any other newcomers to give it a good few hours play before making up their minds. It's a beautifully crafted and deep game which simulates well the historical process. I find I have toI'm new to the eu series and have just started playing eu4. I was apprehensive at first and worried about the 'spreadsheet effect' but now find it totally absorbing and fun. I would certainly advise any other newcomers to give it a good few hours play before making up their minds. It's a beautifully crafted and deep game which simulates well the historical process. I find I have to think very carefully about decisions because the ai will pounce if I do something stupid. I'm a long time player of the Civ series but this feels much more satisfying. Diplomacy, always a background irritation that I largely ignored in the Civ games, works very well in eu4 and has to be taken seriously into account. I like the way trade works too. All in all, I've still only scratched the surface of the game but can tell that it will provide me with many hours of entertainment, with lots of variety. Well done to all concerned in its production!… Expand
  93. AtlasOrion
    Nov 22, 2013
    4
    I have to agree with the posters that say the text is far too small, and really the whole UI is way to small. It's like paradox is trying to show off as much of their map as possible, but it's really unspectacular anyway. Horrible, tiny, little icons spread all the way around the map, things should be centralized to one side, or two at most.

    This is a really slow game, very hard to    I have to agree with the posters that say the text is far too small, and really the whole UI is way to small. It's like paradox is trying to show off as much of their map as possible, but it's really unspectacular anyway. Horrible, tiny, little icons spread all the way around the map, things should be centralized to one side, or two at most.

    This is a really slow game, very hard to get into unlike other games where you can hop right in, pick it up more or less right away, and only have to learn about or research a few alien principals or gameplay mechanics. I'm sure it's satisfying for those that enjoy it, but it's DEFINITELY not created in a way that will appeal to a wider spectrum of gamers and gaming styles.

    Bottom line: both the game and the gameplay need to be a lot more inviting and user friendly.    … Expand
  94. Eppert
    Nov 19, 2013
    9
    A great working game with a depth, which should take place as model in genre of strategy.
    There are uncountable ways to reign your nation and to expand. You can play it nearly complete peaceful or conquer all the world.
    The DLC policy by Paradox is fair. There are a few bugs, but Paradox is publishing a lot of free updates to improve the game until it is working well. Currently it    A great working game with a depth, which should take place as model in genre of strategy.
    There are uncountable ways to reign your nation and to expand. You can play it nearly complete peaceful or conquer all the world.

    The DLC policy by Paradox is fair.

    There are a few bugs, but Paradox is publishing a lot of free updates to improve the game until it is working well.
    Currently it keeps the status of being one of the best strategy games, maybe it will reach it.

    Best regards,
    Eppert    … Expand
  95. lancedance2
    Nov 17, 2013
    3
    I'm done with this game. It's good at first but it is almost a copy and paste of the last game with a couple added features and a little better graphics. That's not my main issue though, the problem is the "random" negative events. The game constantly has one to take down my stability every time I get it up one. If I didn't re-load every time that happened, until I got an event thatI'm done with this game. It's good at first but it is almost a copy and paste of the last game with a couple added features and a little better graphics. That's not my main issue though, the problem is the "random" negative events. The game constantly has one to take down my stability every time I get it up one. If I didn't re-load every time that happened, until I got an event that didn't effect my stability, I would have quit much sooner. These events got more frequent the longer I play into the game to the point were the game is unplayable. This is either a bug or an idiotic development decisions, either way I've quit playing until this is fixed. Buy EU 3 instead or download it for free off pirate bay if you really want to try it out.… Expand
  96. NamelessJT
    Nov 7, 2013
    9
    The learning curve for this game is huge but the pay off when you understand the complexities will be in hundreds of hours of quality game play. While no game is perfect Europa Universalis IV (EU4) delivers on what it is selling and rewards those with the patience and desire to put their mark on an alternate telling of the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. Be wary of the DLCs,The learning curve for this game is huge but the pay off when you understand the complexities will be in hundreds of hours of quality game play. While no game is perfect Europa Universalis IV (EU4) delivers on what it is selling and rewards those with the patience and desire to put their mark on an alternate telling of the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. Be wary of the DLCs, though. Most do not impact game play and are a little steep ($5+) for what they deliver. Wait for a sale or a heartfelt decision on your part on if you require to see your little army man look different than every other persons army man on the chance you accidentally zoom in close enough to see them.… Expand
  97. orctown-troll
    Nov 7, 2013
    10
    Writing this review immediately after one for Rome 2 it is perfectly clear where the best team of strategy game designers can presently be found. It's HERE! The problems, or weaknesses in this game exist, of course. Few games are truly perfect. The font size is irritating. The concessions to simplicity can sometimes exceed the necessities of elegance and render gameplay somewhat anemic inWriting this review immediately after one for Rome 2 it is perfectly clear where the best team of strategy game designers can presently be found. It's HERE! The problems, or weaknesses in this game exist, of course. Few games are truly perfect. The font size is irritating. The concessions to simplicity can sometimes exceed the necessities of elegance and render gameplay somewhat anemic in comparison to previous iterations. Indeed. Indeed. Granted. Paradox can still do better. The point is that they are TRYING and improving steadily. Not only this game. All their titles. Thanks for a great game! Many of the issues players have will be solved when Paradox finally integrates a solid server based multiplayer experience, and allows a more comprehensive game-set-up interface where players can enable or disable individual 'advanced' features. Let the one game have the capacity to play well for both strategy novices and hard core players and you will achieve perfection. May it be SOON.

    Orctowngrot.

    Orctowngrot.    … Expand
  98. Tytos
    Nov 5, 2013
    8
    This is nothing for the mentally handicapped. A lot has improved since EU3, especially the multiplayer-features. My only critique here is that there is too much focus on rulers, it's pure luck due to this system how easy or hard your nation is going to be played and that's pretty frustrating, especially in multiplayer.
  99. rollingC
    Oct 29, 2013
    9
    Paradox at its best. Civilization V is nothing in front of Europa Universalis IV.The deepest game I've ever played. Haven't checked the multiplayer yet...100 hours and I'm still hooked up.
  100. Cheesecakeczar
    Oct 25, 2013
    10
    Europa Univeralis IV is a masterpiece. This series has risen by leaps and bounds. I have always searched for a genuine historical strategy game. Europa Univeralis IV is that. You can play as one of hundreds of historical countries. While some systems could be more advanced (like the economics and demographics of provinces) the game accurately portrays the age of exploration, colonization,Europa Univeralis IV is a masterpiece. This series has risen by leaps and bounds. I have always searched for a genuine historical strategy game. Europa Univeralis IV is that. You can play as one of hundreds of historical countries. While some systems could be more advanced (like the economics and demographics of provinces) the game accurately portrays the age of exploration, colonization, and enlightenment.… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

11
#11 Best PC Game of 2013
34
#34 Most Discussed PC Game of 2013
1
#1 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. DarkStation
    Dec 12, 2013
    80
    Once players overcome the initial learning curve, Europa Universalis IV will prove a memorable strategy experience that provides as much fun stories as it does sheer tactical complexity.
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  2. PC PowerPlay
    Oct 28, 2013
    90
    Somehow retains the series' trademark braininess and complexity while being clearer, simpler and far more fun. [Nov 2013, p.92]
  3. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Oct 24, 2013
    100
    The ultimate strategic simulator of an early modern history state with wide options for both success and failure. Do you want to unite Britain under Scotland, thwart the Spanish Reconquista or maintain the Inca empire? Suit yourself. [Issue#234]
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