Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
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Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado offers a lot of strategy mechanics

For Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado, the most impressive moment I have experienced is not linked to the new religions or the new gameplay possibilities opened for both European and American nations, but to the Nation Designer that can be accessed before the start of any campaign.

This game system allows gamers to dispense with the nations they already know and to create an entirely new political entity, which opens up a whole lot of possibilities for the grand strategy title.

Paradox Development Studio has made it incredibly easy to set up unhistorical scenarios and gamers only need to mine their knowledge of history and their own imagination in order to find countries that could make an impact and then create and play them in Europa Universalis IV.

Story

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado does not have a classic story, but gamers will create their own unique narratives with each new campaign, and the above mentioned Nation Designer is just another way to introduce new twists and surprise moments.

The focus of the expansion is on Central and South American nations and they are the ones that get most of the new dynamic events and a new religion that introduces its own story, which involves human sacrifices, prophecies of doom and tales of invaders that will come from across an ocean to seize the land of the natives.

Each new campaign of Europa Universalis IV is a journey through time and the development team at Paradox has made sure that the start positions for nations are well researched regardless of the year gamers choose to begin with, while also giving them a lot of freedom once the clock starts ticking in the upper right corner.

I tend to play mostly European nations, but in my time with El Dorado, I also experienced the Inca, the Aztecs and other minor tribes from the region, and the experiences they generate are interesting if a little weird at times.

Gameplay

El Dorado is an expansion that makes one fundamental change to the core of Europa Universalis IV, while also enhancing the game experience for those who are looking to play something other than classic Western nations.

The already mentioned Nation Designer is an impressive new feature and is worth the price of admission by itself because it allows gamers to create almost any nation they can think of and play with it.

Want to put a Hindu country in the middle of Europe and see whether it can survive? It's possible. Want to try and see how a nation with Western tech would be able to deal with the Asian steppes? Want to create an English-speaking kingdom in Africa and see whether it can thrive? Want to bring the Mayan faith to the Ottoman Empire? All of these scenarios can be created quickly and easily.

The Nation Designer offers a lot of control but also has limitations to make sure that gamers do not create all powerful countries.

For those who want to experience their grand strategy title without any sort of unhistorical elements, El Dorado also introduces a lot of new content centered mostly around South and Central America.

A new set of religions is present and gamers will need to deal with the Doom value that affects them all, which involves fighting Flower Wars with neighbors and trying to then pass reforms which can make the entire civilization more capable.

As time progresses, the Europeans show up and most of the time they have the upper hand when it comes to tech, and a native nation can only thrive by reforming in order to move into the Western group and then challenge their new rivals.

Games played using the likes of Inca or Aztecs can be more brutal than those played with European powers and the Doom concept often forces players towards very risky decisions.

For Western nations, the biggest additions are the dynamic events associated with exploration, which deliver stories of their own built around the Seven Cities of Gold and the Fountain of Youth, and a new system for treasure fleets, which introduces some excitement when it comes to getting precious metals from the colonies.

El Dorado also expands the Liberty Desire concept found in Europa Universalis IV and applies it to all vassals, which means that there's more pressure on overlords to keep an eye on their subjects and make sure that they never reach the Rebellious level.

The change makes all smaller nations feel more important and tends to also lead to more annexations in the long term for player-controlled countries that can afford it.

Graphics and audio

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado does not make any sort of major changes to the Clausewitz engine that powers the grand strategy experience and has done so since it was launched, although there are some cosmetic packs offered alongside it that will make some limited modifications.

This does not mean that the title, first offered to gamers in 2013, looks dated in any way and that's a testament to the quality of the experience the development team has created.

The interface does take a little getting used to for those who play Europa Universalis IV for the first time, but once gamers understand where everything is, it's very easy to direct a nation, get information about friends and rivals and prepare long-term plans.

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado physical map
Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado physical map

The one thing that the game still cannot do efficiently is to offer a look at important events that happen to other countries because the volume of information is just too high to present in any clear manner.

El Dorado's soundtrack is engaging and theme-appropriate, but for truly epic game sessions, I believe gamers are better served by introducing their own music, preferably the works of the classic composers that they love best.

Multiplayer

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado allows players to use their creations from the Nation Designer in the multiplayer mode as well as the single player, which can result in some very interesting unhistorical matchups, as up to 32 new countries can be introduced in any campaign.

Paradox has been working hard to make the idea of playing the grand strategy title seem more appealing, and with a right group of players and enough time allowed for each session, the experience can be both exciting and challenging from a gameplay perspective.


The Good

  • The Nation Designer system
  • Brutal South and Central America campaigns
  • Liberty Desire for vassals

The Bad

  • Doom can put too much pressure on gamers
  • Complex for newcomers

Conclusion

El Dorado is a good expansion for Europa Universalis IV and all fans of the title will certainly like the freedom that the Nation Designer introduces to the game and the way it can be used to create new experiences even when exploring familiar ground.

The Central and South America-focused additions are also intriguing and the games started in that area of the world do offer some unique moments, but my Aztecs have failed to make a big impact on the world stage so far.

It will also be very interesting to see how the new mechanics are adapted by modding teams for their own projects.

Fans of Europa Universalis IV should get El Dorado as soon as possible in order to experience a more complete set of game mechanics and to use the Nation Designer.

For newcomers, it's a better idea to get the base version of the grand strategy title initially and only add expansions gradually once they are comfortable with the core mechanics.

story 8
gameplay 9
concept 9
graphics 8
audio 8
multiplayer 7
final rating 8.5
Editor's review
very good
 

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado Images (20 Images)

Europa Universalis IV - El Dorado offers a lot of strategy mechanicsEuropa Universalis IV - El Dorado warEuropa Universalis IV - El Dorado mapEuropa Universalis IV - El Dorado historical flavorEuropa Universalis IV - El Dorado Nation Designer features
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