The fantastic PC grand strategy game Crusader Kings III has come to consoles, and it is far better than you think.
When people consider grand strategy games from Paradox Interactive, it is normally quite complicated for them to imagine games like Stellaris, Europa Universalis IV, and Crusader Kings III on any device other than a PC. But over the years, Paradox has worked with various third-party companies to port many of their popular series to consoles.
Of course, this comes with various issues. The lack of a mouse means managing large swathes of land across a world map can be quite complicated, and it is quite the task for all of these companies to carefully ensure that the UI is succinct, pretty to look at, and, above all, useful. Lab 42 has done their best to port this titular title, and it has paid off.
For the uninitiated in the world of Crusader Kings, it is a large grand strategy game that spans all across Europe and Asia during the medieval ages, and players can choose any of the somewhat historical figures on the map and play as them—taking their dynasty to great heights. It is also somewhat like an RPG, as players must make decisions based on the traits of the character they have chosen. Check out our PC review for the famous title here.
I have logged well over 100 hours into Crusader Kings III on PC and the question that weighed on everyone’s minds regarding to the console release of the title was “Does it hold up to the PC version?” and the answer is surprising.
Crusader Kings III may never feel as natural as it does on the PC, the gamepad is not as good at traversal across a 4x Strategy than a mouse, but despite its somewhat awkward nature, the game still pulls it off. The port features a large central cursor that acts as your ‘mouse’. While it can, on occasion, move rather slowly, it is still a very good compromise and one that players who have not touched the PC version of Crusader Kings III will be happy with.
The menus that players are familiar with navigating on the rightmost part of the screen are still present but have now been made radial, players navigating through the menus with left and right most triggers, and whilst this is an elegant solution and barely noticeable in regular play. It quickly becomes noticeable when players have to deal with several scenarios at once. Navigating from the councilor’s screen to where your schemes are, back to the councilors, the arranged marriages, etc, can quickly become tiresome and make players beg for a mouse.
Furthermore, this all ties in with window management and how cumbersome it can be in Crusader Kings III on consoles. The fact that in order to close down one particular menu, you have to close down every single one is very annoying. It becomes even worse when you have paused the game and have done many things at once before unpausing the game and unleashing a torrent of angry menus, for example, marriages or wars, leading to an endless cycle of pop-ups combined with open menus that, while easy to manage on PC become overtly more complicated on consoles.
Many key areas of the game stand out and make it easier for players to navigate. The hints section that Crusader Kings III veterans will know of is back in this iteration, and it is even better for console users. It allows players to prioritize what they can do and what is most important.
The construction menu on holds is also phenomenal. The font is massive, everything is very clear and concise, and it is one of the better menus throughout the entire playing experience.
In addition to all of this, the auto-military control simplifies what could have been a very troublesome task. Although relying on AI may cause trouble, auto-managing your military means that your focus can drift elsewhere while the AI fights your war.
I would be careful about becoming overly reliant on this. Controlling your own armies is more fun than it seems and can also allow you to end wars faster. Rushing the enemy’s capital is a valid strategy, and it is very rare that the AI would take advantage of such a thing.
Regardless of all of the menus, I still found myself becoming immersed and addicted to the world of Crusader Kings III. I had numerous children and fell into the horrifying realm of civil war as my children all fought to reunite Spain. Or perhaps you are the Byzantine Emperor wishing to channel your inner Aurelian and restore Rome, becoming Restitutor Orbis once more!
That is what makes Crusader Kings III stand out from all grand strategy games, and it still does so on consoles. Drama. The RPG elements are in full effect on consoles and allow players to find themselves becoming attached to all of the great characters they will meet: the plots and the schemes, the wars and battles. Build up your capital so that it becomes the most dominant city in the whole known world. That is what makes Crusader Kings III special.
Overall, Crusader Kings III on consoles is not as good as its PC counterpart as most had expected. However, despite this, the title still manages to stand on its own two feet and be incredibly addictive and fun. The menus may be cumbersome at times, but the tiresome nature of it is often completely overshadowed by the events of the game, you will quickly become hooked into the world of medieval politics and everything else will seem to vanish around you.
CK3 is one of the best grand strategy games ever made, and its new console iteration is quite possibly the best grand strategy game on consoles right now.
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