Recent reviews by Loveparade

Fun DLC which will be loved by any Stellaris player; unfortunately the high price point holds it back a little, especially considering the amount other DLC give for far less. Pick this up, but it should be the last DLC you nab and hang on for a sale.

Excellent - buy it.

Great game utterly diminished by the garbage Sony account integration. What's frustrating about this is that the Sony account does not allow one to change country in 2024, truly remarkable for people across the globe but especially in Europe where country moves can be somewhat routine depending on the industry, thus adding an additional unnecessary step if one wants to commence (or continue) playing.

Played a tabletop campaign for a number of years and delighted to see how faithful to tabletop this is, while bringing the best of a computer game.

Terrific fun, well written and smooth all around - the current iteration of Kingmaker is in great condition and well worth your time and money. It reminds me a lot of the original Neverwinter Nights - quite crunchy if you want it to be, with lots of choice and of course, built on a great gaming system.

I understand the game was in a rough position when it was first released. As an aside, I have just under 2000 hours in Stellaris, and a mixture of a few hundred hours each across other Paradox titles.

I picked this up in the summer of 2020 and have clocked up almost 400 hours in a few months - it's in terrific condition with a remarkable pace of development and focus highlighting Paradox's commitment to its products - superb dedication in a world where titles are abandoned left and right (Hello EA/Anthem).

At present the game takes a mixture of elements from the paradox lineup - missions from HOI, character "light" elements which are somewhere between CK<---> Stellaris - more engaging and enjoyable than Stellaris but not enough to get too attached.

Map painting is great fun and there's a breadth of activities to engage in, with paths to victory for larger established nations such as Egypt, as well as for smaller provinces in ancient Ireland. Combat is understandable and enjoyable, with enough impact from the landscape to improve depth. All these enjoyable features and more are receiving attention and icing added to what is an amazing cake - be sure to check out the dev diaries.

The aesthetic is gorgeous and draws you in, whether it's the UI, sound cues or the weather. Performance is great and I've not noted any degredation as end game draws near.

I hope Paradox continues to expand the timeline to a further date, with future expansions. The time setting for the game is antiquity, ending before Rome transitions to an empire. This provides an immersive and detailed sandbox to play in and is well worth your coin if you are a fan of the era but wish for a more relaxed change of pace from the Rome - Total War games, or of course if you are a Paradox fan.

On a scale of Victoria 2 to Stellaris in terms of ease of understanding/barriers to entry I would place this right behind Stellaris - it's an incredibly easy to get into game but with layers of understanding and nuance developing with each playthrough.

Enjoy!

Superb little number - a wonderful mix of RPG, adventure, sci-fi and mystery elements to it. This game won't hold you by the hand as much as other games and you'll need to look at the map a little more and scrutinise your quest/mission log.

The ship designer is especially fun and I enjoyed exploring different builds whilst progressing through the game. The story is compelling and there is mystery around the corner right up until the end.

It's been a blast and I look forward to seeing Kevin/Wx3 Labs flesh the universe out further with more lore/dlc.

Well worth your purchase!

I still have my old copy of GalCIv2 lying around on a disk ssomewhere and it entertained me for thousands of hours. Gal Civ 3 is shaping up in very much the same way; a wonderfully paced 4X that draws you in at every level - well defined action, a beautiful soundtrack and rich lore. The expansions are a must and are worth the extra few bob.

Game turns on, time vanishes. You can't explain that.

A lot of people are getting a bee in their bonnet or talking about this as a "donation" to Paradox or going on about the pricing of this DLC and the aesthetic nature of it. Anyone who has played a MOBA or free to play MMO etc will know that you'll get a loss let colour, skin, etc for the same price (if you choose to pay in real currency)

With that in mind the DLC offers a pleasing range of art direction, covering portraits, ships and names. As someone who is easily immersed in Stellaris I find the value proposition quite compelling as it has helped me immerse myself further with new imagined empires with fitting "head canon"\

Overall if you are chalking up any degree of hours on Stellaris you will likely find this an enjoyable addition to your play experience.

When I try and explain this game to my friends I cite it as "Heroes of Might and Magic meets Risk with a dollop of hex style strategy". In reality it's impossible to do the depth and breadth of this game justice. If you enjoy deep, 4X and are looking for a strong fantasy component - this is the game for you. I'd highly recommend you give it a try - I believe you can get a demo of this on the illwinter website also.