Edited on: December 2, 2025
Posted on: December 2, 2025
LiquidProj3ct
Verified ownerGames: 296 Reviews: 43
Why I Returned It - Then Bought It Back
The first time I bought this game, it didn't take me a minute to return it. I thought it was awful. Input lag was the biggest problem, because this game is single thread. The fact is, there's nothing that personally bothers me more than bad controls. But something about it intrigued me, and I kept looking into it. When I realized my mistake, I bought it back immediately. Crusade in Europe is a fast-paced, real-time game with active pause. Perhaps the first, or one of the first, of its kind. The unit and general stats are simple, and more than enough to make the game enjoyable in my opinion. The issue I initially saw was that I was trying to give orders without pausing, which resulted in input lag. But if you want to examine the unit's status before giving orders—which is something you will want 95% of the time—you must use the F key for the pause, and then you can give the orders without any problems. The orders themselves are simple: defend, attack, move, or change to reserve. And optionally, you can specify where they should go. The rules, however, are slightly more complex, but not overly so. You quickly learn, with the help of the manual, which are the units, their strengths, and weaknesses. It has quite a few game options, many more than many games today: difficulty, AI intelligence, scenarios, and variations, etc. Regarding the difficulty, I believe it only changes the units' stats. Personally, I find the AI to be more than adequate. And it is perfectly set up to be played in multiplayer (hotseat or using tools like Parsec). The manual has some suggestions; I'll give you mine: Once every 12 hours, pause the game, give orders to your units, and then pass it to the other player so they can give their orders. The game has a function to properly hide units between players, so it is easy to do this. And, again, even if it's not stated on the store page, the game is designed to be played with a controller. Although I personally prefer to map my Xbox controller to the keys and relax. I find it very easy to start playing and lose track of time. But let me insist: you have to read the manual; it's short but very helpful. At least the first few chapters. Keep in mind that this is a very old game, and it has some significant flaws for me, but for its time, it must have been very good. For example, there's a lack of unit feedback directly on the map instead of having to click on each one to see its status. Also, the input lag when not paused is there, but it is very manageable for me. And of course, the graphics are not the best, and the sound is quite bad, but both perfectly serve their purpose.
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