GamesRelay

Name: Victoria II

The Victorian Age was a world struck by enormous changes. Old Boney is dead, but lives on in tales to frighten children. Industry grew under the advent of the steam engine, and the British Empire held tight to the realms of riches it still held on to in South Africa, India and beyond. Victoria II takes strategy to the extreme by placing you in ultimate control, from trade and war to the insignificancies you never would have thought of.

The historical context is the only plot here. You begin the campaign by choosing a country a country ouf of a choice of over 100. Ever wanted to create the Hawaiian Empire? This is possible, but not easy. Expanding beyond your island borders would be essential, whereas the British would not find this to be such a priority. With its hold over much of the Earth, it'll find itself most at threat from external attack and internal rebellions. The only potential form of narrative that expresses itself is the pop-up windows giving you the choice of a course of action when some event of interest takes place.

These vary greatly, from upset religious orders after a desecration, to civil complaints about plans to label Irish place names in English rather than in Irish. Depending on your chosen direction, you end up angering certain segments of the population and changing your own political agenda. You can end up adding support to certain ideological viewpoints, from libertarianism, lassiez-faire, planned economy and more. This all plays into the Politics section of the game, where the political parties change depending on public opinion. Elections take place, and you are asked your viewpoints on the pressing issues of the day, such as the desire for new equipment for the army. Your choices will upset some and please others, depending on their religion or nationality.

Keeping your own people happy is important, yet dealing with other nations is the primary aspect of the game. The game includes a realistic take on the declaration of war. Launching hostilities without reason will lead other nations to turn against you, yet feeling an aggressive push from your enemies will also bring allies behind you. The goals of combat depend entirely on your choosing, differing from overcoming and conquering to simply humiliating them in the public eye. Battles take place on land and sea, but are purely statistical. Once combat launches, the only indication of their progress is a slider illustrating the winning side, as well as a counter showing the number of units that constitute the army. There is no way to actively turn the tide with tactical commands, so the outcome of each battle is essentially decided before they even begin.

All wars require money, and the finance for this is also treated in a realistic fashion. Instead of acquiring wealth on the purchase and sale of goods you buy yourself, all earnings are received by taxing your merchants, who can automatically buy and sell as you go about your many other responsibilities. The amount you tax can be adjusted depending on your social objectives. Do you tax the poor heavily? This usually earns much more income, due to their vast numbers. Do you alleviate their troubles, and instead tax the wealthy or middle class? All can be adjusted for each class structure and changed whenever you choose.

Reading this far, it's probably quite evident that Victoria II is a very complex game. Being more of an empire simulator than a strategy title, it covers every area of importance in running a nation. This can be exhaustive to learn through, even if it comes with reams of reading material and tutorials that attempt to ease you in. Sadly, these are all done through text, and with multiple levels of tutorials to sift through, they can induce a lot of eye-scratching and yawning. It is far from easy to convey all of these dense systems and gameplay mechanics, yet involving the player more would have made the necessary learning easier. I found the best way was to just dive into the campaign itself, learning as I went and clarifying the parts that I was unsure of.

The map, in apt fashion, is based entirely on political boundaries, all coloured to correspond with the nation that owns them. The entire game world is based on this cartographical aesthetic, which is appropriate even if it isn't outstanding. One thing about the presentation that immediately makes an impact is the strong musical score. It sets the tone beautifully, with period-style string and brass compositions that are both spritely and majestic. This is what dominates your ears the entire time, with the distinct lack of any voice-acting and only minimal sound effects, so being as robust as it is definitely adds to the presentation.

Victoria II is uncompromising in its appeal. If this heightened level of strategic gameplay suits your personal tastes, the game found therein is well-made and quite obviously, from its opening to its score, been crafted with love and care by those who laboured on it. Its progression veers away from conventional history, creating an alternate Earth that will be very different from player to player. Depending on what country you choose and which direction you take; pacifist or warmongering, laissez-faire or planned economy, which battle you win and which battle you lose, all will create a game world that will be different each time it's played. If you have the patience, mettle and ability to make it past the sharp learning curve, the game underneath the mass of menus is one that will both challenge and reward.