Europa Universalis 5 marks a bold step forward for the series, managing to lets its tangle of initially intimidating systems breathe and interact with each other in an outright impressive manner that also feels less limiting than the Monarch Power of its predecessor. The sheer amount of detail and granularity on display feeds into a complex gameplay loop that, with enough patience and help from its integrated automation, reveals itself as surprisingly approachable while allowing you to claim victories as you’re learning the ropes.

Its focus on simulation does translate to a slower-paced sequel that, on top of demanding lots of time for one playthrough, can also feel cumbersome. Yet, in breaking away from the series’ boardgame roots and borrowing elements from its cousins, Paradox Tinto has managed to truly put the “grand” in grand strategy, creating a beast of a game that’s eager to eat hundreds of your hours provided you’re brave enough to cross the swamp leading to its lair. Full Review[www.gamewatcher.com].