If you haven’t heard of Paradox’s hugely successful and ridiculously brain-crampingly Hearts of Iron series, then this might be the best time to jump into it. The meet with Paradox emphasized streamlining; more importantly, optional streamlining. A lot of processes can now be automated, so if you’re new, then you can let the computer handle a bulk of the game for you.
If you’re a veteran of Hearts of Iron or Europa Universalis, this game will be immediately familiar. Some of the improvements include more information being fed through you on things like alerts and techs, giving you more info on the ready to plan out your stratagems.
Another nifty improvement is the ability to prioritize on multiple fronts much more easily. You can issue troop movements from one HQ to multiple fronts; just make sure you have the men, firepower, and finances necessary to pull something off like that.
It’s been four years since Hearts of Iron II, and if you like Paradox’s body of work, then you can expect to continue to enjoy the fastidious efforts they’ve been making for years. One little thing: I asked if Europa Universalis IV was being worked on and I got a tepid “maybe.” Take that for what you will.
