Just like in the Victoria series from Paradox Interactive, you command a chosen nation, guiding it through diplomacy, industrialization, and warfare to achieve global dominance. The game’s world is alive and interactive, letting you place cities, railways, and buildings anywhere on the map, shaping your nation’s growth with precision.

Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender stated: “We love grand strategy games, and Gilded Destiny is shaping up to be one of the most exciting titles in the genre.” Aquila co-founder Kenneth Mei added: “Partnering with Hooded Horse will gild the road ahead, helping us realize our vision for a living world with deep military and economic systems.”

Funded by a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $150,000 from 2,300 backers, Gilded Destiny is targeting an Early Access launch in late 2026.

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The latest update, detailed in patch notes on Steam, focuses on long-term performance improvements, delivering a significant boost in frame rates, especially for larger cities and the world map. The update also includes a visually overhauled world map. Player feedback drove additional changes, such as enabling the Copy Tool to include building upgrades and allowing queued movement orders for Navy Units.

Kaiserpunk stands out by combining the creative freedom of city-builders with the depth of grand strategy games. YOu shape your city-state from scratch, building housing, infrastructure, and industries while maintaining citizen morale and economic growth. On the global stage, you can trade, form alliances, or wage war across 100+ regions, balancing diplomacy and military might in a dynamic world inspired by Anno and Europa Universalis.

Launched on March 21, 2025, Kaiserpunk has earned a 68% positive rating from 385 Steam reviews, with praise for its logistics depth and unique premise, though some players noted performance issues now addressed in the update.

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Marking 25 years since the original Europa Universalis debuted, this fifth installment, developed by Paradox Tinto over five years, blends the series’ empire-building legacy with modern innovations. Crafted with input from the passionate Paradox community through a year of public discussions, the game aims to attract both longtime fans and newcomers with its expansive scope and refined systems.

Europa Universalis V transports you to 1337, at the dawn of the Hundred Years’ War, and spans through the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and beyond. The game features a larger, more accurate world map with improved projections, allowing you to lead hundreds of societies across every continent. The detailed map also introduces more nations and varied terrain.

A new population-based system replaces the series’ traditional province focus, letting you manage cultural, religious, and economic dynamics within your realms. You must balance the influence of estates, meet the needs of diverse populations, and navigate thousands of dynamic historical events that challenge you to replicate or reshape the past.

The game’s economy is driven by a detailed production and trade system, where you build farms, plantations, and factories to supply goods for economic and military needs. Trade networks, facilitated by roads, ports, and fleets, allow you to import resources or export products to amass wealth, with some buildings requiring specific goods to function. Nation customization is central, with policies, laws, and military structures adapting to technological advances and your goals, whether centralizing power, embracing tolerance, or building an elite army.

On the other hand, military and diplomatic options offer more flexibility to dominate through conquest or spying. You can rally levies, mercenaries, or professional soldiers, but wars impact population directly. Diplomacy includes royal marriages and trade treaties, but also provides options for peaceful paths to expand influence.

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As a Paradox Interactive fan, I’ve seen the ups and downs, but my passion for grand strategy games remains strong. While I love titles like Crusader Kings and Old World, indie games rarely dive into this genre. That’s why I tried Bellfortis, a unique turn-based strategy game. Developed by Rake in Grass, known for Jets’n’Guns Gold, it’s unexpected to see them explore this style, but Belfortis is definitely a game worth keeping an eye on.

It’s a strategy game set in the early Middle Ages, combining turn-based strategic planning with real-time battles, and draws inspiration from classics like Total War: Medieval II, Crusader Kings III, and Defender of the Crown, but aims for a more streamlined, intense experience tailored for players with limited time. You play as a medieval ruler expanding your kingdom through diplomacy, conquest, or cunning politics in a turbulent era of emerging European powers and savage raids.

Diverse Campaigns and Gameplay

Even in Early Access, Bellfortis offers large-scale campaigns or smaller, focused maps. The current build includes five campaigns in Central Europe, Iberia and the British Isles, each lasting few hours, with multiple factions being playable per campaign. Gameplay involves managing provinces, raising armies, forming alliances, and fighting arcade-style battles while handling random events like plagues or raids. You can choose any nation and start fresh, each offering unique starting positions, from powerful to still growing.

Before starting your campaign, you choose a mentor who grants bonuses like extra gold or technology points, and select a campaign goal. The campaign map feels like Total War but with a simpler, Risk-style 2D design rather than a vibrant 3D world. You manage five key resources, which can be tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, Bellfortis becomes a lot of fun.

Each turn in Bellfortis represents a month, where you use resources to build infrastructure like barracks for recruiting units or markets to increase income, or to expand your territory. Province management is simpler than in Crusader Kings III or even Total War titles, focusing on several key building menus that unlock military or economic perks. Buildings are interconnected but designed to be straightforward, so you’ll easily know what to build first.

Diplomacy aspect is rather barebones currently, mostly letting you send diplomats to boost relations, gain allies, or peacefully annex kingdoms, while spies collect intel or sabotage foes. More diplomacy options become available based on good or bad relationships and through technologies. Random events like crop failures or barbarian raids keep you on your toes, adding variety without being too complex. However, in Early Access, the province management UI feels clunky, with menus that make accessing key info tedious. Events are also repetitive and can get annoying after some time.

The 2D, Risk-style campaign map resembles Total War but lacks 3D vibrancy.

Kingdom Growth and Replayability

Battles in Bellfortis are fast, real-time, arcade-style fights, unlike Total War’s slower pace. You lead infantry, cavalry, and archers on 2D battlefields, controlling unit formations and tactics directly. Combat lasts 5-10 minutes, focusing on quick decisions rather than micromanagement. Flanking with cavalry or holding a line with spearmen can shift the outcome. An auto-resolve option will also suits strategy-focused players. While accessible, battles lack Total War’s visual or tactical depth, and the current build’s limited unit types reduce strategic variety.

As your kingdom grows, you unlock new buildings, units, and diplomacy options through technology. Over time, you gain advanced units, more gold for upgrading lands, and a clear overview of your provinces. Each province has unique terrain with specific bonuses or penalties, and you can assign governors to boost them. Replayability comes from diverse factions, random events, and varied campaign maps. However, the single-player focus and lack of multiplayer (planned for later) reduce its social appeal compared to Total War’s online battles.

Bellfortis doesn’t offer deep complexity, but unique quest objectives, optional or assigned, add a nice touch, rewarding you with plenty of resources. This simplicity isn’t a downside; the game avoids long, 10-hour campaigns, keeping things concise. As the devs noted, it’s perfect for players with limited time. Early Access also only means the content is going to expand over time.

Public order and tax rates matter a lot in Bellfortis. High taxes can spark rebellions, so you need to keep things balanced. I found it frustrating how little gold you start with, beginning a campaign with -300 gold is tough and stabilizing the economy takes time. Overspending can hurt, so Bellfortis pushes you to plan carefully. You can’t just spam units or buildings; you need to think about what you’re building and why.

“Short, concise campaigns suit players with limited time.”

Promising Indie Strategy Experience

In the end, Bellfortis is a promising indie grand strategy game that simplifies the depth of Total War and Crusader Kings III into a more accessible, engaging experience. It combines turn-based kingdom management with real-time arcade battles, offering meaningful choices and replayable campaigns. However, as an Early Access title, it has limited content, rough visuals, and a clunky UI, with basic AI and diplomacy needing improvement.

It makes me to think that this technicially isn’t a “grand” game but rather a completley different genre in need of a name. It doesn’t have that grand style to it but it’s also good enough to satisfy any fans of the genre that just really want to enjoy a simple game. It’s good enough and it’s easy to reccommend.

“Not a traditional ‘grand’ strategy game, Bellfortis feels like a new, unnamed genre.”

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.8

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Set in an alternate history after World War I, Kaiserpunk challenges players to build a city, drive industrialization, and establish an empire through territorial expansion or strategic defense. The game features over 90 different buildings and production chains that must be managed wisely to dominate rival empires. Beyond resource management, players must also take care of their citizens, maintain morale, and develop a thriving economy.

While the game primarily focuses on city-building and management, Kaiserpunk does not overlook military strategy. Growing empires pose a constant threat, forcing players to engage in diplomacy, form alliances, or wage war to ensure survival. This balance between economic development and military challenges is a key reason why the game has garnered significant interest, offering an experience that appeals to fans of both genres.

We had the opportunity to visit the studio in person and discuss the game, learn more about it here. It is expected for Kaiserpunk to release on PC via Steam.

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“Our general approach to historical events is to allow players to experience them as they happened if they choose to do so. However, recreating every detail of history, from the micro to the macro, would make the game impossibly complex or unplayable. As a result, we sometimes rely on abstractions or creative workarounds to achieve the desired outcome”, Mark said and added:

“At the same time, we want players to have the freedom to diverge from history. After all, part of the fun of a historical game is the ability to rewrite it. This can happen through direct choices during events or through the broader geopolitical shifts that occur as a result of gameplay. For example, there’s no guarantee that a specific country will exist, own certain territories, or maintain particular alliances by a given date.”

To balance this, they designed events to be flexible enough to accommodate alternate historical scenarios. Mark here gives the example of Prussia’s 19th-century history, focusing on the Second Schleswig War and its consequences. The Schleswig-Holstein issue arose when Denmark’s claim to the region neared expiration. The First Schleswig War left the matter unresolved, as Prussia withdrew under pressure from the UK and Russia, resulting in a treaty that prevented full Danish integration of Schleswig-Holstein.

“In Gilded Destiny, we’ve modeled this event chain to reflect both historical accuracy and player agency. For example, we check whether Denmark still owns Schleswig-Holstein and remains a monarchy. If so, Denmark faces a choice: sign a constitution integrating Schleswig or face political turmoil. If Denmark chooses integration, Prussia can respond diplomatically or prepare for war”, Mark emphasized.

Prussia’s decisions ripple through the game. It can ally with Austria, offering them Holstein, or risk the rise of liberalism in the German states. The UK and Russia also get involved, deciding whether to support Denmark or stay neutral. These choices are weighted for the AI to generally follow historical paths, but players have the freedom to forge their own.

The event system also models the consequences of these decisions. Political opinions shift, populations react, and international standing changes based on the player’s actions. Even if Prussia loses the war or avoids conflict altogether, the game adapts. For instance, if Prussia and Austria don’t go to war over Schleswig-Holstein, tensions over other territories like Silesia could spark conflict.

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The developers recently launched a pre-alpha version of the game, allowing a small group of 100 testers to provide feedback. Based on their suggestions, the team is revising several mechanics, adjusting the economy, and reworking parts of the user interface. Once these changes are made, the pre-alpha will expand to more testers. Players who missed the Kickstarter campaign may still have a chance to purchase access to the alpha.

One of the major updates involves the province UI, which has been slightly redesigned. Players will have full control over their country, including the ability to rename provinces. The appointment of governors plays a key role, as leaders gain experience that can prepare them for higher government positions.

Using Pomerania as an example, James explained how provinces contribute to the economy. Pomerania has a population of 646,000 and adds 120 million to the total GDP. The province also contains major cities, such as Stolp and Kösling, which were small in 1822 but will grow over time. Factories, like the textile mill in Stolp, convert raw materials into valuable goods, influencing employment and economic stability.

Each province has a population tab that displays demographic details, including class distribution, ethnic groups, and religious beliefs. In Pomerania, 85% of the population are smallholders, 90% are North German, and 90% follow Protestantism. The tab also tracks migration, economic conditions, and employment rates. James also in detail explained the Edicts. Province Edicts offer specific benefits and drawbacks. For example, the Clear-Cut Forestry Edict increases timber production but reduces farm and plantation output due to erosion.

Province Edicts can be customized to create unique effects. For example, a “Mandated Fasting” Edict could remove the food requirement for all residents but drastically increase mortality. Another Edict could spawn an instant army but trigger an automatic war with neighboring countries. The developers promise to add more options as development continues, allowing players to shape their experience.

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We had the opportunity to go through the studio, see how the development process works, and they showed us the references and programs they use for animation, artistic design, and building modeling. For those who are not yet familiar, Kaiserpunk will be released on February 27 for PC via Steam. They also recently successfully completed another playtest, during which more than 10,000 players played the game.

They are most proud of the AI, which is a key part of the game

“We can proudly say that our game connects fans of city-builder titles and grand strategy. Players who usually enjoy Paradox Interactive titles often find something that attracts them in Kaiserpunk,” Mihoković told us. “The playtest and demo have proven to be very successful. We are still working on improving certain strategic elements, especially the combat system, which many players had complaints about. However, we are nearing the end of the development cycle, and the game looks very good in its current state. Players particularly enjoy the territory conquest and the setting itself – an alternative history of Europe.”

Mihoković particularly praised the AI system within the game, highlighting the numerous changes that have been made: “The AI in Kaiserpunk is quite complex. It won’t be passive and just observe your moves. Each front has its own personality and approach. If you attack nearby provinces, the AI will react, arm itself, defend, and even form alliances to provide resistance. It will not take your expansion lightly.”

City-builder mechanics are not the only important aspect of the game

In Kaiserpunk, players start as leaders of a faction with one capital city. The city-building aspect involves organizing production chains, managing the workforce, and effectively connecting structures. As players gain control over new regions, the focus shifts. Instead of building new cities, they make strategic decisions about the development of those areas through trade, diplomacy, or conquest.

Although the AI adds a significant dose of challenge to the game, Mihoković also emphasized other key aspects: “You cannot win by focusing only on city-builder elements. You can progress to a certain point, but the game has several main objectives that you must fulfill to complete it. At some point, you will run out of resources. While diplomacy and trade can help, most players have realized that the fastest way to achieve goals is through warfare.”

Mihoković pointed out that managing and controlling a larger number of provinces can be challenging if you do not establish balance: “Although city-builder elements are present, the game forces you to make key decisions on your own. That is why conquering new provinces can be risky, as it requires significant resources. The treasury depletes quickly, and waging war is extremely expensive and not always profitable. Especially when enemies specifically target your key points, such as farms or industrial facilities, which can significantly weaken you and complicate further warfare.”

A hybrid that captivated players

Creating a hybrid game that combines two complex genres, grand strategy and city building, was not easy. They faced challenges in balancing strategic depth with complex building mechanics. They carefully simplified certain features while maintaining meaningful gameplay. Additionally, they developed a notification system that helps players keep track of global events while focusing on construction. For example, if an enemy faction begins to gather troops at the border, players will receive a warning so they can prepare.

The title of the game reflects its era and aesthetics. "Kaiser" refers to the early 20th century, with a particular emphasis on the period under German influence after World War I. The "Punk" element symbolizes the alternative history of the game and imaginative technologies, adding a creative twist to traditional historical settings. This has allowed for a lot of freedom in customization, both through character avatars and the bonuses through heritages (nations), so that no gameplay is the same. Especially since each playthrough brings new stories, where you can choose a different approach to gameplay each time.

Regarding multiplayer, Mihoković noted that it is planned, but nothing is certain yet: "We'll see after the game is released. I can't promise anything, it's very difficult to add multiplayer to such a complex game."

And the state of the industry within Croatia?

Toward the end of our conversation, we touched on the state of the Croatian gaming industry as well as the situation with publishers: “The state of the industry in Croatia could always be better. Unfortunately, we’re not yet at a level where we have domestic publishers, which would make things significantly easier, especially when it comes to marketing. The situation is improving; certain progress is happening and being encouraged, but it’s still not enough. In most cases, we’re left to fend for ourselves. Publishers are generally afraid to experiment, and that’s the main reason why we don’t have a publisher for our game. We dared to create something new, something that, for now, is proving successful,” Mihoković pointed out.

He also shared an interesting anecdote: “When we first organized Develop Blue in Dubrovnik, it was a small event, mostly for people from the region. During a discussion about the state of the industry here, representatives from Serbia told us that they were somewhat envious because we are creating our own IPs and games, while they mostly depend on other studios and larger publishers, without rights to their own projects. Now the situation is changing; we are trying to reach the global market, while they are increasingly working on publishing their own games.”

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The event system in the game is inspired by classic strategy games, particularly those developed by Nintendo and Paradox Studios. They believe a good system should reflect historical depth while allowing for unexpected outcomes. This approach helps Gilded Destiny capture both real and alternate histories in an engaging way.

It is built on two main ideas: conditions and effects. Events happen when specific conditions are met, and every player choice leads to different effects. This structure allows the game to represent complex historical situations, such as political assassinations or diplomatic alliances, that might not be fully covered by the core mechanics.

When designing events, they focus on key principles:

• Players have the freedom to make any choice, even “bad” ones. Sometimes these choices mirror real historical events, adding realism and depth.
• As a small team, they focus on doing a few things very well rather than spreading resources too thin. This ensures each event is meaningful and impactful.
• Choices should have significant consequences. Each decision leads to important outcomes, increasing replay value.

There is a difference between decisions and events in the game. Decisions are actions players trigger, like starting a war. These require specific conditions and give the player control. Events, on the other hand, are triggered by game dynamics and are not directly controlled by the player. For example, if another country starts a war, an event chain will trigger for the affected nation.

While they can’t include every alternate history scenario, the goal is to create key moments where players can explore “what-if” situations. These points in the event system allow players and future modders to create unique timelines. The flexible system ensures that the community can expand the game by adding their own twists to history.

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Ara: History Untold is a refreshing, original take on the classic 4X Civilization-style gameplay, offering a new spin on the genre with some great innovations, and is firmly rooted in historical realism. It takes players through three distinct eras: Prehistory, the Middle Ages, and the Age of Machinery. You start by choosing a leader who represents your civilization, and you’re tasked with building a memorable and dominant nation.

Let’s clear something up right away, Ara: History Untold involves a lot of micromanagement. There’s plenty of clicking, observing, and strategic thinking. This isn’t your typical Civilization game, though it does manage to capture that “just one more turn” feeling. If, like me, you enjoy long marathon sessions, Ara delivers that experience pretty well.

That said, don’t expect anything groundbreaking. The game is trying to carve its own niche, but it’s far from perfect. Its mixed reviews on Steam speak to some real issues — especially the micromanagement, which only intensifies as you hit the mid-to-late game. Things can get messy, and this isn’t a game for everyone. So, be aware of what you’re getting into when considering Ara: History Untold.

A Deep Economic System

Each leader offers a different way to play the game, and the options feel fresh. Some of the notable characters include historical figures like Hildegard von Bingen, offering a research-focused path, while others provide military or cultural advantages. This diversity keeps the early game fun and varied, boosting the replayability of the game. Even after multiple playthroughs, each start can feel distinct thanks to the different leaders and playstyles available. I often found myself playing as Genghis Khan in multiple playthroughs, drawn in by the allure of exploring the game’s military aspects.

One of the standout features of Ara is its highly detailed economic system, which offers much more depth than traditional 4X games. You don’t just gather resources passively — you’re actively deciding what to produce in your workshops, granaries, and other buildings. This adds a layer of strategic micromanagement as you plan how to grow your cities and manage resources.

At the start, the economy seems simple: you gather basic resources like food, wood, and wealth, and use them to build improvements. But as you progress, crafting becomes a critical part of the game. Consumer and strategic goods like jewelry and tractors can be produced, which dramatically boost the efficiency of your cities. However, as the game advances, managing all these production lines can become overwhelming. While the resource system adds depth, the micromanagement of industry becomes time-consuming, especially in the late game. It’s not uncommon to find yourself focusing more on running factories than making high-level strategic decisions.

A Strategic Yet Exhausting Challenge

The strategic aspect of Ara goes beyond the economy. Combat, while automated, is another key feature. When two warring factions meet, their units will automatically engage in battle. While the military aspect isn’t the game’s strongest point, it offers enough depth to keep things interesting. Armies can be organized into formations, like Shield Walls, and their abilities depend on the mix of units you assign to each formation. The game lacks more intricate battle mechanics, like factoring in terrain advantages or allowing for strategic retreats and re-positioning.

On top of that, the balance of military units is questionable. It’s odd to see a group of outdated units easily take down a fortified city defended by advanced troops like rocket launchers. Similarly, the tech requirements for building advanced units are frustratingly complex. You’ll unlock a certain tech only to realize you need fuel, a factory, and several other steps before you can actually build anything.

Diplomacy, while standard, has a nice touch with its merchant system, limiting the number of imports you can access. This brings a layer of strategy to trade and resources, but it could benefit from more depth. Religion and leader interactions are decent but don’t quite stand out compared to the game’s other elements. Additionally, interacting with minor tribes is mostly limited to random events. Army management is also clunky, with units only able to merge into formations while in reserve.

The game’s tech system is unique, allowing you to skip certain technologies in favor of advancing faster. However, the rapid pace at which you unlock new technologies can make it hard to keep up. You may just have started producing a new resource when a better alternative becomes available, making your previous efforts feel wasted.

Flaws in the Late Game

While Ara offers a compelling experience overall, it does suffer from some issues, especially in the late game. The biggest flaw is the excessive micromanagement required for industries. As your empire grows, the sheer number of buildings and resource slots becomes overwhelming. You’ll find yourself scrolling through cities, manually checking if new resources are better suited for specific buildings, which slows down the game considerably.

The resource management system is both a strength and a weakness. On the one hand, it adds a deep strategic layer to the game, especially with rare resources that encourage trade. On the other hand, obsolete resources have no use, leaving them to clutter up your storage. Similarly, city stats like happiness, health, and security can degrade gradually without you noticing, resulting in sudden negative effects that feel frustrating rather than fair.

The building menu doesn’t help, either. It’s poorly organized, and finding specific buildings becomes a frustrating scavenger hunt. There’s a color-coding system, but it’s not intuitive at all. Submenus would have been far better, allowing us to sort by population, amenities, or military needs. The AI, meanwhile, becomes hyper-aggressive in its expansion, grabbing land rapidly, even when they don’t seem to have many cities. In general, AI is just barebones.

Before The Conclusion

Ara doesn’t offer much in terms of customization when it comes to world-building or map design. The procedurally-generated worlds are serviceable, but the maps lack in variety and detail. For instance, why are the animals always stationary? Why isn’t there any migration? And why is using the seas and oceans almost irrelevant? The game is full of small quirks that can become frustrating over time. Performance issues also crop up, particularly in the late game and on larger maps, where the game struggles to maintain smooth frame rates as the world expands.

One surprising feature is the knockout mechanic, where players with the lowest prestige are eliminated at certain stages. This felt like an odd choice, as cities disappear without a trace. While this feature can be disabled for human players, it ultimately limits the diplomatic complexity of the late game by reducing the number of factions in play. Similarly, the government systems are rather bland, offering passive bonuses without introducing new strategies or meaningful choices.

As for victory conditions, there aren’t any traditional ones like military or scientific victories. Instead, the goal is to accumulate prestige points through a mix of achievements, which feels a bit vague. The religious system also feels underdeveloped; while you can spread your faith through missionaries and oracles, the impact of these actions isn’t clearly communicated.

Verdict

Visually, Ara is a beautiful game, with detailed graphics that add a lot of charm to the world. Whether you’re zooming in on cities or following roads between civilizations, the graphics are top-tier for this genre. Road-building is functional, and monuments inside the game look amazing.

At its core, Ara is an economic management game with 4X elements, and it borrows heavily from games like Anno 1800 while mixing in ideas from Civilization and Humankind. However, its over-reliance on micromanagement and some UI weaknesses hold it back from reaching its full potential. Despite these issues, Ara is a fun and challenging game, especially for those who enjoy managing complex systems.

It offers plenty of replayability thanks to its diverse leaders and flexible strategies. With some post-launch updates and additional content, it could become a strong competitor to games like Civilization and Humankind. For now, it’s an enjoyable experience, but one that could benefit from some refinement in its more tedious aspects.

Review copy provided by the publisher

3.3

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