Europa Universalis III: Divine Winds Review

Europa Universalis III: Divine Wind is the fourth expansion to Paradox Interactive’s historical, nation building simulator Europa Universalis III. The expansion addresses its earlier Eurocentrism by focusing on East Asia, specifically the Ming Empire in China and the different Shogunates of Japan, as well as adding a series of other graphical and gameplay updates.

Divine Wind develops new gameplay for the Ming Empire and Japan. Ming China’s government is divided into several factions which each provide different bonuses depending on the faction in power, while Japan is now divided into several different Shogunates that vie for power and influence. These changes add a new level of micromanagement and difficulty while playing as these states and certainly makes them more interesting to play. However, while playing as any other faction these changes make almost no noticeable difference to the game.

The expansion also changes the dynamics of nomadic, horde nations in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. These factions will constantly attack their neighbors and cannot be eliminated by traditional military and diplomatic means but must be colonized to be subdued. While this creates a very interesting dynamic when playing as a horde’s neighbor it ultimate leads to very strange and non-historical situations where one state will colonize a vast horde empire after warring with them, such as the Kingdom of Georgia colonizing the entirety of Central Russia and the Black Sea region.

The game has also been given a graphical facelift as well, which is nice. The game is updated to match the look of Paradox’s newer game, Victoria II. This is a beneficial because it makes the game much easier on the eyes, and anyone who spends long periods of time playing will appreciate the slight graphical updates in the expansion.

There are also some other slight gameplay upgrades. For example, buildings become more expensive to produce and now cost magistrates to produce. This makes choosing what to build and where you build more of a strategic choice and adds a layer of micromanagement and realism to building your empire. There are also a few tweaks to the trade system and to revolts which adds another layer of realism and detail to the expansion.

All these changes don’t amount to a massive amount of change though. Overall, Divine Wind makes some positive gameplay and graphical updates but is not a need-to-buy expansion. Unlike its predecessors, Divine Wind does not add much game-changing material. While the expansion does add new challenges and ways of playing, its price only makes it worth it for dedicated Europa Universalis players who will benefit the most from the changes. It gets one thumb.