Cossacks: European Wars

About

"Cossacks: European Wars" is a historical real-time strategy game set in the 16th-18th century Europe, where players choose from 16 nations to build and manage their economy, research technologies, and engage in large-scale battles with up to 8,000 units. Each nation has unique strengths, weaknesses, and units, providing diverse tactical and strategic options. City sieges, guerrilla wars, and naval landings are among the many possibilities for engaging gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

74%

Audience ScoreBased on 213 reviews

humor4 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Cossacks: European Wars offers a rich historical setting with detailed and unique buildings for each civilization, enhancing the immersive experience.
The game features large-scale battles with the ability to command thousands of units, providing epic and engaging gameplay.
It has a deep resource management system and diverse strategies, making it appealing for both veteran RTS players and newcomers.

The game suffers from numerous technical issues, including frequent crashes and compatibility problems with modern operating systems.
The steep learning curve and punishing difficulty in campaigns can lead to frustration, especially for new players.
The user interface feels dated and clunky, which can detract from the overall gameplay experience.

story
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
83%
13%
The game's story is primarily conveyed through a series of challenging missions, including campaigns and standalone scenarios that reflect historical contexts, such as the Ukrainian civil war. While some players appreciate the unique historical settings and tactical gameplay, many criticize the difficulty and frequent crashes, making progress frustratingly slow and often requiring multiple retries. Overall, the narrative experience is marred by technical issues and a steep learning curve, leading to mixed feelings about its execution.
- “Though the missions give you a very unique impression of the epochal circumstances when trying to cross enemy land or to deliver a message to your king by ship when there are enemy ships waiting for you to cross their territory.”
- “Maybe this is a title that really exclusively shined as a multiplayer title, but the campaigns and single missions just seem borderline cruel.”
- “The first mission of the Ukrainian Civil War campaign is just absurd.”
- “Ten hours of play and I've beaten one total mission outside the tutorial.”
gameplay
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The gameplay of "Cossacks: European Wars" is characterized by its intricate mechanics and historical accuracy, offering a deep and rewarding experience for both veteran and new RTS players. While the tutorial is criticized for being superficial, the game provides hours of engaging strategy that requires tactical thinking, despite some mechanics showing their age. Overall, it remains a highly recommended title for strategy enthusiasts, particularly those who appreciate historical settings.
- “This classic RTS, set in the 17th and 18th centuries, immerses you in the intricate world of European conflicts with its detailed historical accuracy and complex gameplay mechanics.”
- “Overall, Cossacks: European Wars provides hours of captivating gameplay and is highly recommended for both veteran RTS players and newcomers looking for a deep and rewarding strategy game.”
- “The depth of these systems adds a layer of complexity to the gameplay, requiring both tactical and strategic thinking.”
- “The tutorial is easy but it barely teaches you anything - more like it shows off the mechanics of the game and that's all.”
- “The convert mechanic is instead put on the shoulders of your military units, who can effortlessly capture enemy buildings and peasants if there are no enemy soldiers nearby.”
- “Speaking of towers, these need to be built outside your walls as they cannot fire over the wall, which is very annoying and contrary to the mechanics in the Age of Empires series.”
graphics
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The graphics of the game exhibit a nostalgic charm, despite showing signs of aging and being coarser compared to modern titles. While the visuals may not impress by today's standards, they are deemed decent and serve their purpose within the context of the game's engaging gameplay and historical setting. Overall, the graphics contribute to a classic experience that resonates with strategy enthusiasts, even if they lack the depth and detail found in contemporary games.
- “The graphics, while showing signs of aging, have a timeless charm.”
- “The graphics are a bit rougher/coarser looking than AOE, but they're otherwise fine.”
- “The mechanics are way beyond its time, as are the graphics and everything about it really.”
- “The graphics are a bit rougher/coarser looking than Age of Empires, but they're otherwise fine.”
- “The graphics might not be much (unsurprisingly) but the game offers loads of fun.”
- “While the visuals and interface may show their age, the depth of gameplay and the immersive historical setting make Cossacks a must-play for strategy enthusiasts and history buffs alike.”
music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The music in the game has been widely criticized for being generic and annoying, with players noting that it detracts from the overall experience. Many users report technical issues, such as crashes when attempting to mute or change the music settings, further compounding their dissatisfaction. Overall, the soundtrack fails to leave a positive impression, lacking the memorable qualities of previous titles in the genre.
- “The game features a unique theme for each nation, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “The music adds a distinct atmosphere to the gameplay, making each session feel immersive.”
- “The sound design complements the visuals beautifully, creating an engaging environment.”
- “I had to listen to the annoying music unless I mute my speakers.”
- “The game is flawed on all levels; it will crash if you turn the music off or change any of the settings.”
- “The music is awfully generic and more of an earsore than anything worthy of remembrance like the AOE scores.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky visuals, such as amusingly designed footmen and unconventional cavalry, which contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining strategic experience. Players find the game's early jankiness and costly mechanics to be amusing, making it enjoyable even in 2024. However, there is some ambiguity about whether the humor is intentional or simply a byproduct of the game's design.
- “It's quite funny and interesting to play even in 2024.”
- “It's a funny strategic game.”
- “Russia - janky early game with funny looking footmen and questionable cavalry and costly buildings too.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been reported to be highly unstable, with frequent bugs causing it to freeze, particularly when accessing the options menu. Users have also experienced issues when attempting to run the game on multiple computers, and support from the host has been lacking.
- “Very very buggy; it will not work properly on the second computer now.”
- “It freezes up, and help is not available from the host.”
- “One day after downloading the game, it freezes when I go into the 'options' screen.”
grinding
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the late game where relentless AI attacks can make progress feel frustratingly slow. While the game offers a variety of building and strategic options, the campaign can become unforgiving, with mistakes potentially leading to significant setbacks, although the ability to save and load helps mitigate this issue. Overall, the experience can be enjoyable for shorter sessions but may wear thin over extended play.
- “In the late game, the experience becomes tedious as the AI fails to pull back and continues to spam units at your base.”
- “The campaign in Cossacks: European Wars is pretty tedious and unforgiving; a simple mistake or a bug could cost you the entire match, although you do have the option to load and save whenever you want.”
- “Grinding through the game feels repetitive, as you start with villagers and have to build various structures like town centers, mills, barracks, and more, which can become monotonous.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's replayability is enhanced by its competitive multiplayer matches and the unpredictable strategies employed by players, making each session feel fresh and engaging.
- “The competitive nature of multiplayer matches and the unpredictability of human strategies add significant replay value to the game.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making it hard to put down.”
- “The variety of character builds and strategies keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging every time.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization has been criticized for known performance issues, prompting users to seek solutions online before purchasing.
- “Before you buy this game, be aware that there are known performance issues. You should look around the web for solutions if you encounter them yourself.”
- “The optimization is severely lacking, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite the game's potential, the poor optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems.”

80%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Cossacks : European Wars
Eurogamer.net
80%

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