AGE OF HISTORY 3 REVIEW: WHEN ONE DEV DOES THE WORK OF AN EMPIRE
Ever wondered what would happen if a single person tried to create their own version of Europa Universalis while hopped up on energy drinks and sheer determination? Well, wonder no more because Age of History 3 is here to show us exactly that, and holy shit, it's actually pretty good... mostly.
HONEY I SHRUNK THE PARADOX GAME
Let's get one thing straight: this is basically EU4's scrappy little cousin who learned everything through YouTube tutorials. Created by one absolute madman named Łukasz, AoH3 takes the grand strategy formula and strips it down to something more digestible than a hundred-page manual of keyboard shortcuts. The transition from the series' previous turn-based format to real-time strategy is smoother than a diplomat's sales pitch, and the whole package looks cleaner than my browser history after a panic clear.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BUGGY
The graphics won't make your GPU cry tears of joy, but they're clean and functional – like a Honda Civic with a fresh paint job. The UI is actually intuitive enough that you won't need to sacrifice your firstborn to figure out how to build a road, and the color palette is easier on the eyes than its predecessor's "every color is the right color" approach.
Combat has gotten a serious glow-up from AoH2. No more watching your armies play ping-pong across the map like a deranged game of Risk. The pacing is slower and more realistic – you won't be conquering Europe faster than you can order a pizza. And speaking of conquering, the Holy Roman Empire is now actually, you know, holy and roman and stuff, with mechanics that make it feel like more than just a fancy name for "Germany's Messy Bedroom."
WHY ARE WE STILL HERE? JUST TO SUFFER?
But hold onto your historically accurate headgear, because not everything is sunshine and successful sieges. The diplomacy system feels like it was designed by someone who learned international relations from a pack of angry squirrels. The AI snatches up alliances faster than free samples at Costco, making early expansion about as fun as a root canal.
And what happened to all those juicy features from AoH2? Forming unions? Gone. Ultimatums? Nope. Custom vassals? Sorry, that technology has been lost to time, apparently. It's like they took some of our favorite toys and threw them in the historical dumpster.
ECONOMY AND MANAGEMENT: EXCEL SPREADSHEETS WITH EXTRA STEPS
The economic system is actually pretty solid. It's intuitive enough that you can build an economic powerhouse without needing a PhD in macroeconomics, and the growth actually feels rewarding – unlike some games where your treasury numbers might as well be Monopoly money.
Resources work surprisingly well, even though seeing them in the trailers initially made me as skeptical as a conspiracy theorist at a government convention. The research system is meaningful, though the cap is lower than my expectations for mobile game monetization.
CONCLUSION: A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH (EMPHASIS ON ROUGH)
Age of History 3 is like that talented kid in class who clearly has potential but keeps forgetting to do their homework. It's a massive improvement over its predecessor and manages to deliver a genuinely engaging grand strategy experience that's more accessible than its Paradox-made cousins.
Sure, it's missing some features that should've been no-brainers, and the diplomacy could use a serious talking-to. But considering this was made by ONE PERSON, it's kind of like watching someone build a spacecraft in their garage – it might not be perfect, but holy hell, it actually flies.
For fans of the series or anyone looking for a more casual grand strategy experience that won't require selling your soul to learn, AoH3 is worth your time and money. Just don't expect it to replace your 2,000-hour EU4 addiction.
Score: 8.4/10 - Like watching someone successfully juggle chainsaws while riding a unicycle – impressive as hell, even if a few fingers get lost in the process.