Europa Universalis: Rome

Published by: Paradox Interactive
Developed by: Paradox Interactive
Release date: 18th Apr 2008
Genre: TBS

This is the latest addition to the Europa Universalis series developed by Paradox Interactive, a title aiming to be a simplified yet dynamic version of the original game and its sequels. While it is miles away from becoming a popular game for the masses, it is only fair to say that it brilliantly succeeds in cutting down the redundant aspects without losing the depth and complexity that granted this franchise a firm place in the TBS industry.

               

While it lacks medium and long-term goals, just like the previous games in the series, it allows you to choose your own goals and then try to accomplish your mission in a world tormented by conflicts. Depending of your starting nation these may differ from global domination, building up loads of trade routes and forging alliances to a continuous struggle to stay alive and maintain independence at all costs. The clever AI will be more than a challenge during the campaign, both as ally of foe, and if you fail to contain his threat or underestimate him at certain points he is even capable of backstabbing you, by breaking a treaty, if he gets the rights context.

To say that the manual and tutorials are much better than in the previous installments would be an understatement but even so this is a bold endeavor for anyone who is not familiar with the Europa Universalis games. There are still many features that are not explained clear enough in the tutorial and many first timers will be puzzled by the complexity of this game and might even give it up. The province is the cornerstone of your empire and it is ruled by a governor so it is recommended to appoint the right person for this job as his qualities and flaws will have a major impact over the prosperity of the region.

The problem is that if you choose the Roman Empire (and most people will because after all we play Europa Universalis: Rome) you'll have to assign dozens of governors and military leaders for your numerous provinces and legions. Nearly half of the available citizens are corrupted, seriously ill or downright stupid and it doesn't seem too wise to allow them to lead important sectors of your nation. To make things further worse the life expectancy seems to be extremely low, with valuable people dying before 35 so there will be a permanent lack of options in deciding the next governor for your province.

                 

Major improvements have been made regarding the way the economy functions, it is more intuitive than before and there are just a couple of basic principles you have to master in order to insure a flourishing economy. Trade is everything in Europa Universalis Rome as it is a major source of revenue along with taxes so opening many functional trade routes is paramount. One might find this a bit difficult in the beginning as you lack the infrastructure (roads are later researched) and the reputation to trade with other nations, but it must remain a constant goal throughout the entire campaign.