Crusader Kings 3 is currently part of a strategy game sale on Steam. MeinMMO author Schuhmann has spent nearly 1,200 hours with the medieval simulator and says. The reviews on Steam are delicious and so evil.
This is Crusader Kings 3 on Steam:
- Crusader Kings 3 was released on September 1, 2020, on Steam and has 92% positive reviews. The game has received 2 major expansions, 2 country expansions, and 2 text DLCs.
- The base game is currently discounted by 30% and costs €35, while the “big box” is available for €60. The sale runs until September 4, 2023.
- Crusader Kings 3 is a mix of strategy game and a role-playing-like simulation: You take on the role of a medieval head of family and lead the fortunes of a dynasty, deciding who marries whom and who manages which lands. In doing so, you murder, guile, love, and intrigue. When your character dies, you take on the role of the hopefully perfectly raised and bred heir.
Crusader Kings 3 is a story creation tool
What is so remarkable about the game? Crusader Kings 3 does not follow a pre-defined plot but is a sandbox where players experience their own adventures: You can take on any ruler role in the game and continue their fate, whether as an old man in Ireland or as a young knight in Spain. If you want, you can also play a matriarch in Africa fighting for the preservation of her culture. This too historically happened in our world while Vikings invaded England.
There are historical and semi-historical figures in the game: Popular are the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, known from the TV series Vikings. There’s also the possibility to replay the TV series “Game of Thrones” through a mod.
Crusader Kings 3 gives players the chance to achieve their self-chosen goals in various ways: The player can act as an economic manager, expand their lands, and increase the flow of gold or they can build a strong army and subjugate others. They can rise to power through assassination, lies, and intrigue or smartly marry off their children to secure the power they desperately desire.
The game even allows the player to shape their own “game rules”, such as founding a new religion that permits marrying one’s sister or mother. Crusader Kings 3 is often associated with the theme of “incest”, though this is only a part of the game.
Fans share in the Steam reviews how they experience Crusader Kings 3
This is what the Steam reviews say: How differently the enthusiastic fans of the epic experience their time in Crusader Kings 3 is shown by the exciting and often malicious reviews on Steam:
„I had a complete royal house murdered after the head of the house defeated me in a chess game“ – People tend to be vengeful. The game features a “Nemesis” and “Feud mechanic” to symbolize such blood matters.
„If you want to kill your children while marrying prisoners who had your parents murdered, this is the right game for you“ – Especially the inheritance in Crusader Kings 3 is tricky because uncontrolled inheritance can splinter kingdoms and the player can lose lands. However, normally children can also simply be disinherited. Nevertheless, child mortality in Crusader Kings 3 is terrifyingly high, as some second-borns seek the life and inheritance of their older brother.
„After 40 hours, you become an authoritarian eugenicist – Would recommend it 100%“ – The game encourages breeding offspring with positive traits with others to create the “Kwisatz Haderach”. With modern moral concepts, this is hard to reconcile.
„I was once poisoned by my own son. So I fathered a bastard and destroyed my own bloodline. The last descendant was still a child, I kidnapped him and beheaded him. 10/10 would do it again“ – Some just want to see the world burn.
„It’s like Saarland here“ – That’s just mean.
A German player with over 2,500 hours in Crusader Kings 3 processes a traumatic experience:
Curse her! I just brought my duchy under control, the revenues are flowing, the clergy is pleased with us, and my vassals are cowering intimidated. Now all I need is a suitable male heir and my kingdom can embark on a future with flourishing landscapes.
One morning I wake up and find a dagger in my chest. And more – I am dead! Murdered by my malevolent, useless sister. I had married her off to some random count for the needed military alliance. How could I possibly have guessed that this nasty piece of work would betray me so?Now said sister is my heir, married off to a stranger, childless and in her 40s, my house is doomed. Game over and pure frustration! And now? Directly a new game, because I won’t let myself be dispatched so.
Steam review by Doctorzuckerbrot
I have now spent nearly 1,200 hours in Crusader Kings 3 and can recommend it to anyone who has a fondness for stories and the Middle Ages. However, one should watch one or two videos beforehand, as it does take some time to get warmed up to the game.
Even if you have spent thousands of hours in Civilization 6, Crusader Kings 3 is a different experience and significantly more “personal”. Although it seems so: You do not lead a modern nation like France or England, but you control your character and have a squabbling, scheming family backing you up, who would love to stab you in the back as soon as you show even a hint of weakness: Many want to ascend the throne over the player’s cold dead body.
As you can see from the reviews, much of the game takes place in the minds of the players and how they interpret what happens to their dynasty.
Here I have described my experiences in Crusader Kings 3:
