Europa Universalis vs Social Empires
Europa Universalis
Europa Universalis is a historical real-time grand strategy game that includes all aspects of world history in the Early Modern Europe era, a period of time between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. Due to the game's meticulous need to be accurate in its historical accounts (period monarchs, known military leaders, and technological advancements), the game can, in some way, be doubled as an educational game since you can learn quite a lot simply by playing it.That said, the gameplay in Europa Universalis is just incredible for its time. The game is played on a huge world map that is divided into around 1,500 provinces where you can literally govern your nation the way you like. You can get involved in your nation's colonization efforts, explore new lands, trade with neighboring countries, wage war when they renegade on that very trade deal, spread the religion you've adopted far and wide, and of course, navigate the tricky political waters of diplomacy.
Not to mention, instead of using a turn-based format, the game has opted for a pauseable real-time format, so you can pause the game, issues orders and plan out strategies, before unpausing the game and let the world events play out. There are even tons of historically-based missions and events which may affect the world based on your actions and decisions.
When it comes to grand strategy games, there are only a handful that truly embodies the genre, and obviously, Europa Universalis is one of them. However, being the original game in the franchise, the graphics might be a bit worn for wear, but if you don't really mind, you can definitely pick this game up from GoG.com.
Social Empires
Social Empires is the fantasy/medieval-themed MMORTS spin-off of Social Point's other game, Social Wars. Playable on Facebook, the gameplay between both games are pretty similar. Basically, you'll need to build a base on the plot of land you're given, assemble an army, and eventually go all out on the offensive, attacking your rivals left and right. Aside from the warring aspect of the game, you'll also need to gather resources and use them to upgrade your buildings and your troops. Interestingly, the game has a souls-combining feature which you can use to obtain better units or even legendary fighters who are, more often than not, immensely powerful.Social Empires were shutdown by Social Point at least a few years now, unfortunately. However, for players who are looking to find a game similar to Social Empires, we might just have the games you seek - check them out below!