After the press has already spent hours in Victoria 3, the steamer is now letting all fans on board. Since its release on October 25th, everyone can access Steam and take care of the economic affairs of a country in the 19th century. But while the political and economic simulation is almost effusively praised by the critics, draw die Steam-Reviews an other picture.
A look at the Victoria 3 Steam page shows that the game can’t push into the 80s here. True, it stands up overall Mostly positive
but only 72 percent of the 2,200 reviews to date have given it a positive rating.
This means that Victoria 3 does a whole lot worse in terms of players than it does in the eyes of the critics, who rated the game with an average of 82 points. You can read about it in our evaluation table:
more on the subject
Many are enthusiastic, some even euphoric
That’s what the critics say on Steam
Before we get to the specific points of criticism, one more important note: Of course, most users haven’t had that much time to play Victoria 3 extensively. Therefore, many reviews should be treated with caution. Most of them spent about five hours in it, but many also spent less than two – both of which are actually very short for such a large strategy game.
If we take a closer look at the negative reviews, a few points of criticism always catch the eye:
- The war system is often criticized because players are deprived of direct control.
- Many fans of Victoria 2 are disappointed with the successor and say that the game mechanics seem reduced.
- Victoria 3 is also said to lack concrete gameplay and be more about watching graphs and bars grow.
Logan of James Town writes about iin his review:
I was really shocked how boring the game mechanics are. I spend all my time managing trade routes, waiting for a building to be built and you can’t even manage armies in war. Victoria 2’s fun gameplay elements have been replaced with monotonous ones.
The user Silberkreuz writes after 12 hours of play:
I’m torn.
The game is beautiful but there isn’t much to do. You just build buildings to get more money. War is boring and non-existent, there is no place for skill. I know this can be applied to all Paradox games, but it’s just a spreadsheet. I tried, really. It’s no fun.
2:14
Victoria 3 Gameplay: We start a new game and admire the world
That’s what the proponents say on Steam
What applies to the critics also applies to the supporters. There are also many reviews here that were created in less than ten hours. Also, many positive reviews seem less detailed than on the negative side.
Nevertheless, a few similarities can be identified:
- The economic and political system is deep and, above all, well branched with each other.
- The war system is very passive, but not the focus of the game and quite authentic.
- The game looks fantastic and has an amazing soundtrack.
The user cooperative mike knows that more time would be needed for a clear conclusion, but is at least satisfied so far:
Paradox games are the kind that make you feel competent after 100+ hours. But my first impressions are positive. Good changes compared to the predecessor in terms of AI transparency, game goals and tooltip improvements. While Vicky is a very different game compared to other PDX titles, with its focus on economics and internal politics, newbies and veterans alike should be fine.
The user Denixius emphasizes in his reviewthat it is not a war game:
Before you start playing: This is a society simulator, not a war game. That makes Victoria 3 unique.
Please consider feeding your pops and don’t go to war too quickly. That’s bad in the long run. As in real life, war is bad and shouldn’t even be an option. War is a result of bad diplomacy. Successful diplomacy and economy are the most important factors of a prosperous nation.
The rest? play it!
In our big test of Vicky 3, we were also rather positive. However, there are also some points of criticism that some fans don’t like either. So read what we think about Victoria 3:
more on the subject
Giant test: Victoria 3 is a revolution that will take time
And now it’s your turn. Have you already played it and how did you experience Victoria 3? Are you more of a critic or a supporter? Write us your opinion in the comments!
