The subscription service has been a great resource for gamers, with many different genres and styles of games to suit any player. While strategy games have traditionally been the domain of PC players, there are still plenty of brilliant examples on Xbox Game Pass that console gamers can enjoy. Now that Crusader Kings 3 has made the switch from purely PC when it was first released in 2020, to PlayStation and Xbox as of this week, console players have the chance to check out this critically lauded strategy dynasty simulation.
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The King of Strategy Games
The basis for a great strategy game is depth. Players want to feel like they’re really in control of a multifaceted society, where their decisions make real changes and have actual consequences. In addition to a complex world of decision-making and responsibilities, the fighting needs to be fun and challenging, and there needs to be more to the world than just building an army and invading places. Crusader Kings 3 makes the most of its Middle Age setting, conveying all of that era’s bizarreness, its challenges, and its delicate political situations.
The game also balances all of its many aspects so effectively, offering gamers a detailed world that is packed full of interesting nuance, but which still feels connected and demanding in all the right ways. The epic adventure sees players crafting their own dynasty, shaping their leader and their heirs alongside the regions under their control. Gamers can choose to be a tight-fisted ruler who inspires dread among their subjects, a more benevolent strategist who navigates political intrigue with skill, or even a despotic madman if they want. Crusader Kings 3 offers a deep level roleplay within its medieval setting, with complex characters that lend authenticity to the world.
Elevating Every Element From Crusader Kings’ Past
As well as showing how a strategy game should play, Crusader Kings 3 is a big step up from its previous iterations. From switching out the 2D character models with 3D ones, to adding more layers to its mechanics, Crusader Kings 3 has leveled up almost every element of the previous games.
The characters also age across the years, picking up wounds or displaying the ravages of their many medieval diseases if they survive long enough. As well as elevating the aspects of Crusader Kings and Crusader Kings 2, Crusader Kings 3 broadened the scope. It increased the map sizes and added more elaborate elements, making the in-game world bigger in every sense of the word from areas to added menus.
Crusader Kings 3 also gives players all the tools they need to fully customize their gaming experience; from who their leader is, to how they run their kingdom. While some may think strategy games can become too complicated with how they ensure every aspect is interconnected, Crusader Kings 3 handles this web of responsibilities, actions, and consequences with ease. However, it’s also fun and frantic and potentially quite weird as well, as players have to navigate the relationships in their own tumultuous households, as well as their rivalries and allegiances with other regions.
The game gives players the option to approach Crusader Kings 3 in a more analytical, methodical way as they carefully negotiate and wage war, or they can pursue a more experimental playthrough and see where they end up. Paradox Development Studio has really fine-tuned its formula with Crusader Kings 3, giving players the complete strategy and dynasty simulator experience.
There is a level of detail in every layer, and so many different options to pursue that can absorb players’ attention for hours and hours. Creating such an extensive world is no mean feat, and strategy fans should definitely check out Crusader Kings 3 if they’re after a truly exceptional gameplay experience.
Crusader Kings 3 is available now for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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