Do you like Grand Strategy, but are tired of exploring the same historical periods? Perhaps your medieval monarchs are making you miserable, or your industrial revolution has run out of steam. Maybe you’ve just had enough of winning World War II again. It’s time for a new challenge, a fresh start. It’s time for Realpolitiks II.
Realpolitiks II is a grand strategy experience set in the modern era, dealing with modern political issues and enabling players to deploy modern political methods. Assuming control of one of 208 real-world countries, Realpolitiks II sees you vie for world supremacy against a dynamically changing globe state. You’ll control and manage your nation’s economy, build and command armies, engage in diplomacy with some nations, and spy on others through the game’s espionage system.
As a sequel, Realpolitiks II has had many of its systems either improved or completely overhauled. Chief among these is a brand-new combat system, where battles transition from the global strategy view to a 3D tactical map. Here, you’ll command your units directly, engaging in combat with soldiers, tanks, helicopters, and countless other unit types. Battles can be affected by many different factors, ranging from your general’s unique skillset to weather conditions, terrain and even unit formation. Realpolitiks II lets you decide how to face the challenges of war, giving you full control over every battlefield.
Away from combat, Realpolitiks II introduces a new economics system that offers much greater oversight of your country’s finances. You can construct new buildings to boost your reserves, establish country-wide trading policies, and recruit advisors to help you enact them. What’s more, the kind of government you pursue is entirely up to you, whether you want to run a liberal democracy or a totalitarian regime. Just be aware that even dictators are subject to the mood of their people, and a despot that pushes too hard could end up with revolution on their hands.
Realpolitiks II’s representation of statecraft is further enhanced by improvements to diplomacy and espionage. Diplomacy AI has been completely overhauled to create cannier nation leaders and negotiators. You can enter into defensive and non-aggression pacts to create mutually safe borders, allow and request military access from other countries, and conduct trade agreements. In addition, players can now invest directly into other nations in exchange for favours farther down the line, giving you more power to nudge international politics in your interest. If you prefer to adopt a sneakier approach to global influence, the retooled espionage system lets you steal tech from other nations and conduct covert operations to destabilise rival administrations.
Even if you succeed in establishing Norway as the dominant global power, your authority may still be subject to forces beyond your control. Realpolitiks II adds over a thousand new “Events” to the game, random occurrences that can affect world state in minor or major ways. Your country might be struck by famine, or infiltrated by terrorist groups. You might even have to deal with the fallout of a meteor strike. How you cope with these world-changing events could be the defining moment in your nation, cementing you as one of the world’s great leaders, or consigning your failed administration to the dustbin of history.
The fun doesn’t end on the campaign map either. Realpolitiks II also implements a new policy of extensive mod support, featuring a wide array of in-game editing tools that let you customise almost every aspect of the game. Not only can you develop your own campaigns and scenarios, such as creating a campaign set on Mars, or a fantasy Kingdom of your own devising, Realpolitiks II also enables you to create custom nations, new units, and even alter the game mechanics. For example, you can alter the abilities of spies, create your own unique events, modify the broader game’s parameters and balance, create new battlefields filled with bespoke hazards like lava or radioactive waste, and adjust AI behaviour. In fact, pretty much every aspect of the game can be tweaked, changed, or remodelled entirely.
In these ways and many others, Realpolitiks II allows you to shape the world’s political future like no other grand-strategy. If you always wanted to know what you can do for your country, Realpolitiks II has the answer.
Realpolitiks II will be available from the 18th November on PC in Early Access via Steam, GOG and other digital stores for 29.99 USD / 24.99 EU.
