Europa Universalis

Europa Universalis brought the grand strategy genre onto the scene, which then became the flagship of the Swedish studio and the entire Paradox publishing house. The game covers four centuries of European and colonial history, from the late Middle Ages to the threshold of the Napoleonic Wars, and in it players lead one of dozens of historical states - from great powers like France or the Ottoman Empire down to small principalities, which can grow into an empire or, conversely, vanish from the map entirely. Each playthrough thus offers a different variation of European history, since both the AI and players shift the balance of power according to their own decisions.

Unlike later entries in the series, the first Europa Universalis was built on a turn-based system with monthly turns and a simpler economic and diplomatic model, yet it already offered an unusually open map of possibilities - overseas colonization, the religious conflicts of the Reformation, dynastic marriages, and warfare according to period military doctrines. Developer Target Games built the game on the motifs of its own board game of the same name and released it for PC in 2000, at a time when strategy games of comparable scope on computers were still finding their place alongside more action-oriented and accessible genres. It was precisely this uncompromising depth and focus on historical simulation that made it a cult favorite among players who wanted something other than fast real-time battles. The interface was, compared to later entries, spare and full of numerical tables, yet it concealed a surprising degree of freedom - it was possible, for instance, to play as a small German state and gradually work your way, through diplomacy and marriages, up to your own empire, without the game forcing the player into any single strategy.

Why play it: Europa Universalis is a game for those who enjoy history more than scripted narrative - it lets you rewrite the history of Europe from the ground up and watch how a small decision in the fifteenth century affects the map three hundred years later. It is an archaeological find for series fans who want to see where the mechanics Paradox still builds on today were born, and it will also appeal to players looking for a strategy game that is truly a marathon, not an afternoon's entertainment.