Crusader Kings 3 is one of the best-rated strategy games on Steam with 92%. And it seems to be getting better and better. The developers, Paradox Entertainment, aim to fundamentally expand the gaming experience in 2023, much like is common with MMOs.
That’s the special twist with Paradox’s strategy games: The major strategy games from the Swedish developer Paradox are developed over years with expansions and DLCs, even for decades.
It works similarly to an MMORPG like World of Warcraft, which regularly receives patches and expansions.
About every 10 years, Paradox makes a cut and releases a new game in the series. This primarily offers better graphics and clarity because the old games, after 10 years and countless expansions, suffer from a surplus of features.
Swedish strategy nerds expand their game over 10 years
Perhaps the most extreme example of such DLC madness is “Europa Universalis IV”:
The game was released in 2013: By now, 18 expansions and countless smaller DLCs have been released for the strategy game. An additional expansion has been announced for 2023: It aims to expand and revise the most popular starting nations.
Paradox turns the bad mood around with new DLC for Crusader Kings 3
What’s the situation with Crusader Kings 3? Currently, Paradox is still holding back with their dynasty & incest simulation in the Middle Ages. The base game was released in 2020, and so far, only one major expansion, “Royal Court,” has been released, which fundamentally expanded and changed the game. Additionally, two DLCs, “Northern Lords” and “Fate of Iberia,” focusing on individual regions, were released.
The last DLC, “Friends & Foes,” for €5, was critically discussed in the community because it only added new text events. Engaged fans stated that it wasn’t worth the money; such things should actually be included in a normal patch. While they are ready to pay more money, they want “real new content” in return.
Paradox was accused of being money-grabbing. Fans were generally disappointed with the development pace of Crusader Kings 3: While the game was impressively polished at release and perhaps had the best start of the series, development has somewhat lagged.
Crusader Kings 3 impresses fans with grand plans
What’s changing now? Paradox has presented a new expansion for 2023, “Tours & Tournaments,” which seems to really hit the mark as it addresses weaknesses in the game that players have complained about for years, including in previous titles.
The expansion aims to bring even more role-playing elements and expand the daily gameplay loop, the routine that players partake in year after year.
Because the process in Crusader Kings 3 quickly follows a certain pattern:
- You wage wars, kill rivals, loot, raid, marry your own sister, or create a cult
- All of this creates stress that slowly drives the character insane
- Therefore, one must engage in leisure activities to relieve stress. This could be a grand feast or a hunt. Sadistic rulers, on the other hand, prefer to relieve their stress by torturing or impaling others
In detailed developer diaries with countless screenshots, the developers show how they plan to further develop these leisure activities.
While hunting used to be a relatively monotonous affair, except when the heir accidentally shot a court lady, there should now be more variety in the events, and players will have more control over what happens:
In doing so, “Tours & Tournaments” doesn’t necessarily introduce new features but rather expands existing rudimentary features that consist only of text menus.
This way, common player activities like pilgrimages, feasts, or hunts become more interactive and transparent with numerous systems.
A new “nickname” system is supposed to make the individual characters in the game even more distinctive.
The first reactions from fans show that the mood has completely changed now. After the last text DLC caused so much discontent, fans seem to be excited about Crusader Kings 3 again.
This also mirrors the mood in many MMOs.
More about Paradox’s strategy games:
In my favorite game on Steam, I devour the universe – Resistance is futile
