Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC, MAC
Europa Universalis IV: Conquest of Paradise – Review
Back in August, Europa Universalis IV managed to hit all the right notes when it came to simulated historical warfare. Maintaining dynasties and pleasing your nobility were as much a part of the experience as actually conquering nations through brute force was. This (potential) focus on guile kept things fresh and interesting for fans of the genre.
Fast-forward six months and Conquest of Paradise aims to broaden the horizon somewhat.
First of all, you now have the ability to start a randomly generated world, meaning that resources aren’t distributed the way you’re used to. I’ll immediately concede that this does diminish the historical factor somewhat, as the traditional power scale between nations can shift completely. At the same time, however, never quite knowing what to expect, keeps things remarkably fresh and interesting.
As a result, every game you play is different from the last, especially when you’re focusing on conquering or colonizing North and South America, as those two continents have been hit the hardest by the random game generator.
Colonies offer another major change in Conquest of Paradise. Colonies now strife towards independence; opening up a whole new role for them, as well as a decent reason to play as one of the smaller nations in the game. As soon as you colonise four provinces, those colonies will then form one large Colonial Nation. Colonial Nations pay taxes, but the more you demand, the more likely they’ll rebel, establishing them as a completely separate nation. You could also decide to grant them sovereignty, in turn giving you the ability to swap nations.
Other than that, a plethora of new Native American tribes have been added, adding their own cultures and attributes to the New World. Sadly, they still lack the versatility of other nations, as these – by nature – nomadic tribes have little to offer when it comes to actual development. It’s part of the historical accuracy Europa Universalis depends on, I guess.
In short: Conquest of Paradise is a worthwhile expansion for Europa Universalis IV. The focus on both discovering America and managing colonies keep things fresh and offer a new incentive for players who thought they had already experienced everything the game has to offer.
Some people might be put off by the randomly generated worlds, since it undermines the historical accuracy this series has always been know for, but in the end, it only makes for a more interesting game.
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