Europa Universalis: Crown of the North

New package, old game

Europa Universalis: Crown of the North is a pretty catchy title for what seems to be a standalone expansion pack. The moniker even seems accurate, in that gameplay focuses on the medieval war for supremacy in Northern Europe between the Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians. But all isn’t quite as it seems. Although Europa Universalis II is included here in its entirety, along with three bonus mod campaigns, Crown of the North is really a completely different game. It installs and loads separately from Europa Universalis II and was even released on its own in Europe under the name Svea Rike III. So if you’re looking for “Europa Universalis II Gold,” be aware that this isn’t it.

Meet King Birger

King-slayer and ABBA founder

Run for the border

Which is both good and bad. While it’s good that this isn’t yet another budget-minded repackaging of yesterday’s game with some fresh table scraps, developer Paradox and publisher Strategy First aren’t being entirely honest. Europa Universalis II fans might be surprised and disappointed that they’re getting a cut-rate game in the style of the original Europa Universalis, not a real expansion to that game’s much-improved successor. Newbies looking for their first exposure to the series might be better off hunting down a cheaper copy of the real deal, since they’re really not getting any significant extra content here. At any rate, the packaging is extremely misleading.