The long-awaited sequel to Paradox Interactive’s 2013 game “Europa Universalis IV” (“EU4”) is finally here. “Europa Universalis V” (“EU5”) was released on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and it has since garnered immense critical and commercial success – topping charts for sales and player count.
For the uninitiated, “EU5” is a history, economy, diplomacy and warfare simulator where players interact as the spirit of a country from 1337 to 1837, which spans a whopping 500 years of history. “EU5” masterfully simulates changing eras, new technologies, economies and politics throughout this massive historical timespan, presenting players with literally thousands of hours of unique content from day one.
The sheer amount of content “EU5” has on release is a major stepping-stone for Paradox Interactive, as their previous releases have been incredibly bare on day one. In the past, Paradox Interactive had been reliant on downloadable content available months after release to make the games fun, interesting and, in some cases, playable.
The hype for “EU5” had been palpable since its announcement earlier this year in May. Paradox Interactive collaborated with dozens of YouTubers, giving them early access to the games to make content, which was then slowly released. This built anticipation, as fans were given just enough info to keep them satiated while also wanting more.
What makes the game so good is its technical depth and mechanical interconnection. The basis of these mechanics is the part of population system (P.O.P.). Within this system, “EU5” simulates every living person on Earth from game start to end. Every person has a social class, culture, religion and satisfaction. They have needs for goods like food or jewelry, work in the buildings the player constructs, fight in the armies the player raises, produce goods they trade to other people, migrate across the world and much more.
The P.O.P. system is deeply integrated into the game’s system. You cannot produce goods if your population is hungry; you cannot field armies if none of your population are soldiers; and you cannot make money if you don’t have enough control of your population. The key factor for a player’s success is keeping their population happy and growing by managing economics, trade, diplomatic relations and a host of other mechanics.
If this concept felt confusing and overwhelming, that’s because those are two words one could use to describe this game. In fact, detractors of “EU5” cite the game’s complexity as a major turn-off, as it makes the barrier for entry higher than it has ever been in a Paradox Interactive title.
The barrier for entry is certainly high; some people have even gone so far as to claim it took them fifty hours to learn this game, but that figure likely varies for everyone. For me, everything started clicking around hour five, and now with 15 hours logged, I can say that – although I’m far from mastery – I understand most of the game’s systems.
Moreover, the “EU5” community is dedicated to helping players succeed. To start, Paradox Interactive has its own tutorial series on YouTube, and dozens of other creators have produced tutorials which break down the game into understandable pieces. Even the game’s subreddit, r/EU5, is filled with forum posts of confused players helping one another.
While “EU5” isn’t for everyone, if managing a country for half a millennium sounds remotely interesting to you, you should absolutely pick up this game. It’s hard to learn but deeply rewarding once you do. It’s Paradox Interactive’s magnum opus – it’s their best work.
