876.2 hours played
Written 21 days ago
Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 82:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (9/10)
[i] Crusader Kings III [/i] is the kind of game that turns history into a sandbox full of drama, dynasty-building, betrayal, and bizarre storytelling. With over 800 hours in the game, including 400+ hours spent in the incredible CK3: AGOT mod, it’s safe to say I have a love-hate relationship with it. This is a title bursting with potential and personality, held back by writing inconsistencies, strange design decisions, and a frustrating DLC strategy. Despite that, I can't stay away.
🏰 [b] Pros: [/b]
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[*] Narrative-driven gameplay. Every character has traits, relationships, and quirks that lead to amazing emergent stories. A gluttonous, paranoid king might alienate his council and get murdered by his own son. A zealous second son might join and win a crusade, thus eclipsing his older brother. A lustful wife could try to pass off her bastards as trueborn. Anything can happen, with or without your consent.
[*] The stress system adds an incredible layer of roleplay. Acting against your character's nature has tangible gameplay consequences, which makes every decision feel more immersive. Accumulating too much stress leads to negative Traits like Lunatic or Irritable, all of which have repercussions.
[*] Incredible UI and Visual Design. The clean, parchment-style interface is beautiful and practical. Nested tooltips, character finder, inheritance previews, etc., are all leagues better than CK2.
[*] Modding scene that rivals entire game releases. CK3: AGOT alone is worth the game. The level of detail, lore integration, and unique mechanics (dragon taming, bastard legitimization, knight system, etc.) is mind-blowing. Other mods like Community Flavor Pack, Princes of Darkness, or LotR overhauls can completely transform the experience.
[*] Art Style grows on you. The 3D portraits are highly detailed and reflect changes over time (aging, illness, wounds). Map visuals are clean and the terrain is visually distinct without being cluttered.
[*] High replayability and emergent drama. Start as a Viking count, a Mongol horde, or a Zoroastrian in India—every region has flavor and potential. Inheritance systems, dynastic marriage, secrets and hooks, and branching family trees make no two campaigns alike.
[*] Frequent updates and dev transparency. Paradox releases regular patches and quality-of-life improvements, and the weekly dev diaries offer consistent communication and previews of what's to come.
[*] Accessibility improvements. Compared to CK2, onboarding is significantly smoother. The tutorial is helpful, and systems are far more readable.
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⚔️ [b] Cons: [/b]
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[*] Writing is shaky and often immersion-breaking. The tone of CK3 veers wildly. One minute you're immersed in a serious political drama, the next you’re dealing with events about farting courtiers, poop jokes, or affairs of some lowly courtiers. It’s juvenile and undercuts the otherwise rich setting. Compared to CK2’s often moody tone, CK3 feels like it doesn’t know whether it’s a parody or a simulator.
[*] Buggy and poor performance in mid to late game. Even on powerful machines, the game slows down as empires grow. Pausing is slow, the game starts to freeze, and bugs pile up—especially post-patch. Ironically, mods are often more stable than official patches.
[*] Weak late game and AI. Once you're powerful, there's often nothing left to challenge you. The AI struggles to handle succession, war, or complex diplomacy. Even with new mechanics added, the late-game remains a bit of a chore unless you roleplay your way through it.
[*] Pop-ups are too frequent and shallow. In an attempt to create a narrative, the devs have focused on events. However, many events feel procedurally generated in the worst way. After a few hundred of hours, you’ve seen every “poisoned plant while travelling" event ten times over. Flavor is missing—and when it’s there, it’s oddly flippant.
[*] DLC model gates important content. This is probably the most important one. The base game is light on depth in key areas like court life, travel, intrigue, and economies. Unfortunately, many of the most interesting mechanics [i] (Royal Court, Roads to Power, Tours & Tournaments) [/i] are paywalled behind pricey DLC. It creates the feeling that CK3 was released as a framework—waiting to be finished. You will likely miss out on fun or historic content.
[*] Underbaked official systems. Mechanics introduced in DLCs often feel unfinished. For example: [i] Royal Court’s [/i] grandeur system adds little once you click all the upgrades; [i] Legend of the Dead's [/i] plagues is just non stop event spam; [i] Friends and Foes [/i] is just a pathetic murder system, not much else. They add breadth, not always depth.
[*] Much of the base game needs a rework or polish. Despite CK3’s impressive systems, several major pillars of the game still feel underdeveloped or shallow—especially when compared to the depth fans expected post-CK2 or from major modding projects like CK3: AGOT.
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[*] Trade, for one. There's essentially no dedicated trade system in the base game. While development and gold income abstract some of this, the lack of any real merchant republic mechanics, trade posts, routes, or resource dynamics makes the economy feel basic and static.
[*] Feudalism: The feudal contract system is a step in the right direction, but it's overly simplistic. Vassal management boils down to opinion, and contracts rarely matter once you're stable. Feudal relationships could use more personality and dynamism—factionalism, personal favors, intrigue, and military obligations should all have more weight.
[*] Religion: The faith system has lots of potential, especially with custom religions. But most faiths feel mechanically samey outside of heresies or tenet-swapping. Head of faith mechanics, holy sites, and clergy roles lack nuance and don’t significantly change your playstyle.
[*] Culture. Cultural hybridization and divergence are great ideas, but beyond that, culture lacks gameplay teeth. Ethos and traditions are often minor modifiers, and the system doesn’t react dynamically to major world changes. Innovations are largely passive.
[*] Crusades and Holy Wars. Crusades still lack gravitas or meaningful player interaction beyond "join and send troops." The AI often loses them without your input, and your involvement can feel disconnected. Post-war rewards are static and barely interact with character motivations or diplomacy. In CK3, they’re just calendar filler.
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