Analysis of Crusader Kings III on Xbox Series X – Long live the king

We analyze the console version of Crusader Kings III, one of the best PC titles of 2020, which is finally coming to Xbox consoles

Console gamers and strategy game enthusiasts are in luck, Crusader Kings III Coming to next-gen consoles. The third installment in the classic saga of Interactive Paradox It was released on PC last year 2020 being considered as one of the best strategy games on PC. This time we bring you an analysis of its version for Xbox Series X|S, which has adapted its controls to the controller. One of the hardest tasks to carry, especially in the strategy/simulation genre.

Crusader Kings III is perhaps one of the most complex strategy titles due to the infinity of variables to take into account and its strong RPG component. Trying to explain in detail how this title works is probably mission impossible, since, understanding its basic mechanics can take a few tens of hours, and mastering it, possibly hundreds. I will therefore try to focus on explaining the four basic concepts with which to begin to understand Crusader Kings III and, above all, analyze the work of Paradox Interactive with its port on consoles.

At your command, my Lord

Nearly, our mission in Crusader Kings III is to keep our dynasty alive over the years. We will be able to embody hundreds of sovereigns of the Middle Ages, all included between the following ranks: Count, Duke, King and Emperor. Although depending on the dynasty we choose, since we will have different cultures available, it may vary a bit. In this case, I will focus on Western European culture to explain what the game is about and make it easier to understand.

Our character, whatever his position, will have a to research at your disposal, among whom we will choose the most competent members to form our own advice. Each character, including our protagonist, has a series of attributes (diplomacy, martial, administration, intrigue and instruction) and skills related to them. So for the proper functioning of a game, each character must be placed in the task that suits him best for his skills.

Although it seems strange, the goal of a Crusader Kings III game is not to win, at least in the same way we would understand it in other games. Our mission will be to make our dynasty survive and not lose the power we had on our lands. For it, it is essential to have an heir to become our playable replacement when death knocks on our door.

So to prosper, you have to forge alliances and choose your enemies well so as not to be defeated in a battle or worse, ruined. Since our entire court and loved ones will lose all our respect and more than likely they will invoke murder behind our backs to end our lives. Then yes we could define defeat as staying broke and landless or dying without an heir.

take care of your advice

The most important thing when starting a game is to see what the attributes of our character are and try to follow a development path according to our abilities. We can choose a lifestyle that will help us move forward on the path we have decided to take. Something that basically works like a skill tree, which we can improve as we earn development points by performing certain actions.

Another very important part is guiding our council to help us rule and expand our empire. the ecclesiastical representative it can help us improve our economy and we can also invent rights that allow us to go to war to claim land. Our Chancellor This will keep home affairs at bay and give us a good reputation in foreign policy. the Administrator He will be in charge of tax collection and other development and cultural issues. the Marshal He will be the one to organize our troops and train new commanders. Our spymaster He will be the one who watches over our safety and is responsible for organizing influence or assassination plots against other characters, one of the funniest positions. And finally our joint he will also hold a position on the board, although we are the only ones to decide which other position on the board to support.

After explaining the most basic layer of Crusader Kings III, I’ll focus a bit on developing a game itself. Although, as I said before, I will remain very superficial because I am still far from mastering this title.

Crusader Kings III, Littlefinger’s favorite game

The strategy in Crusader Kings III takes place in real time, although we can pause the game at any time for as long as we want. Something essential to be able to take the time we need to make an important decision. In fact, we’ll be spending more time with the game paused than running in any game.

Throughout each game, we will have to make hundreds of decisions, some of them vital, that will determine the future of our dynasty.. Choosing a powerful spouse for our playable heir, marrying our other children to make powerful alliances or even evoking a murder to favor the position of our offspring in the line of succession of another house, are some of them.

We will also face political decisions how to accompany an ally in a war, face a peasant revolt or defend our lands against invading armies. Without neglecting other issues such as the development of our culture or keep our family healthy against possible diseases or pests. In this direction, the amount of mechanics and variables in Crusader Kings III is a real barbarism.

It’s also not a good idea to be constantly at war, because armies are expensive and our economy suffers, so you have to choose which battles to participate in. As we rise through the ranks and occupy the position of our lord, we will have to take on more tasks. Although Crusader Kings III knows how to put limits on it, so if we do not want to suffer penalties, we must delegate titles and lands to our vassals if we exceed the limit that we can manage. This will allow us to focus on other tasks and have a totally different experience.

From keyboard and mouse to control

Now it’s time to tackle the slightly trickier part of the analysis. Crusader Kings III seems to me to be a spectacular, excellent game, but its version on consoles makes the experience not so pleasant. The work of Paradox Interactive is surprising when it comes to adapting the controls, which although functional, are not entirely intuitive and comfortable.. This may be because it is impossible to compete with the versatility of a mouse to move around a screen, especially due to the large amount of information found on the screen.

For example, at times when we have to make a decision, we cannot move around the map and research who might be involved without first choosing one of the possible answers, which is possible on PC. I guess it’s because the game locks the cursor when making this decision and disables all other options. On PC, on the other hand, we can move the tab away with the mouse, move around the map and take the time necessary to choose the answer that suits us best. I don’t know if this specific detail can be improved with future updates, but it was more to illustrate the limitations of the controller in general in this genre and in this title in particular.

Ultimately, I think you can enjoy Crusader Kings III in this version for next-gen consoles. Even if, to my taste, the experience is much less satisfactory than on PC.

Attention to detail

The amount of detail in Crusader Kings III is overwhelming.. In their campaigns we can relive different historical moments through famous characters such as Son of Ragnar at the end of the 9th century King Alfonso VI’s Spanish Wars at the end of the eleventh century. All this while respecting the historical rigor through its playable mechanics according to the culture and the era that we choose to play, wonderful.

Graphically, the design and recreation of the maps are excellent. To give it a snag, the depiction of battles is very unattractive, with a small doll moving across the map representing our army. The soundtrack perfectly accompanies the rhythm of this title, highlighting the music of war when it is declared to an enemy.

While technically, Crusader Kings III runs flawlessly on Xbox Series X, where we performed this analysis. Where it has fast loading times in addition to fast resume features, a delight in this type of game.

Conclusions of Crusader Kings III

Crusader Kings III seems to me to be one of the best strategy games on the market, one of the deepest and most complex and, at the same time, one of the most difficult to grasp. I needed several tutorials on YouTube to be able to finish understanding how a game works, because I think your tutorial is not the best option to learn how to play. Once inside, the play is incredible and its possibilities are endless.

My only problem with recommending it on consoles comes from its PC version. Although the Xbox Series X|S version is perfectly playable, it loses a significant part of its charm. Although if you don’t have a PC to play it, I highly recommend trying this version on console. Plus, it’s a title that will be available on Game Pass from launch, so there’s no better excuse than that, even if it’s to give it a try.