Developer: Paradox Development Studio
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC, MAC
Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India – Review
Crusader Kings II is kind of like the gist that just keeps giving; incredibly deep gameplay, as much challenges as you’ll allow yourself to tackle and a fondness for historical events that all blend together in one of the best hardcore strategy games you can get your hands on. It has, by now, also spawned six expansions, each adding their own complexity and mechanics. Rajas of India is the latest in that line and focusses on the exotic Indian culture as it was during the middle ages.
As it stands, Rajas of India offers several Rajas and families (or dynasties if you will) to choose from, introduces more ethnic groups and adds three extra religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism (also know as Jaina dharma).
The basics haven’t changed of course, you still play as a civilisation, be it small or large, trying to usurp more land and to keep others from backstabbing your dynastie by using diplomacy, intrigues and good old-fashioned war. Rajas of India, though, manages to spice things up, even for seasoned players, well enough.
First of all, you should know that there’s no single force in India that initially has the upper hand. Most dynasties are instead decent matches for each other, creating a fragile bower balance that’ll really get you thinking. This creates a lot of interesting situations, but we’ll have to be honest and tell you that most of them are combat driven, especially considering your Muslim-neighbourgs aren’t exactly fond of any of the three new religions.
To help with those dicy situations, you can save up Karma in order to buy Holy Warriors who’ll gladly put down any opposition or rebellion.
While all of the above is pretty much what we’ve come to expect for any Crusader Kings II expansion, but on the flip side, it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect for a Crusader Kings II expansion. No risks were taken, religions within Indian territory work largely the same as any other religion, combat stays the same, diplomacy turns out to follow the same orchestrated events as elsewhere in the world and a few culture-specific events don’t do much to differentiate this piece of DLC from what came before.
In short: Rajas of India is still a decent expansion and CKII-fans will certainly love it. Just don’t expect it to re-invent the wheel.
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