Victoria: Empire Under the Sun

Victoria is the latest in a series of historical simulations that began with Europa Universalis. It has all the hallmarks of a Paradox game: It’s well researched, very re-playable, and has a learning curve like the Matterhorn. This time, the setting is the Industrial Revolution, leading up to the Great War. Your quest is to become a Great Power, based on overall strength and prestige.
Great Powers have great responsibility. In this case, the primary responsibility is to your citizens. Victoria has one of the most sophisticated domestic political models seen in a strategy game yet, with a population divided along many lines. Your domestic policy must be aimed at its needs as well as your ambitions. The economic model strongly encourages the production of finished goods for export to a world market—exports that largely fund your rise to power and prestige.
This would be easier if you had any idea what you were doing. The manual leaves you completely unprepared for the micromanagement that is essential to success. Menus are unclear, some terms are unexplained, and there is no tutorial. It is almost as if Paradox designed the game with only die-hards of their previous simulations in mind. Newcomers will be lost for quite some time.
The diplomatic and military models are excellent. Almost any kind of diplomatic overture is possible and the importance of army mobilization is emphasized. The usual Paradox attention to detail is strongly in evidence. Armies get ahistorically huge, but this is not a game-breaker.
Victoria was released in a very playable condition, but has been patched to the point that some things are, in fact, broken. There are chronic shortages in basic goods and enemy partisans seem overpowered. The early years of the Grand Campaign (1836-1920) are mostly uneventful, but the three other scenarios present interesting challenges and already viable nations.
Ultimately, Victoria is a good game hidden behind a baffling interface. All the “one more hour” elements are there; you just have to find them.

This article originally appeared in Computer Games Magazine #161