In any inciting historical event, one person always takes the first step, makes the first shout, or fires the first shot. The latest DLC for Paradox Interactive’s Victoria 3: Voice of the People, focuses on some of these historical inciters and how the governments of the time could respond to their cries. It will be up to the player to decide how they wish to react to these calls for change and can either input their own choices or listen to the voices of the people.
Gameplay
The DLC includes 60 agitators that may appear in your country to promote their agenda, which may align with or oppose your own. You can promote these agitators or exile them and are able to potentially welcome these leaders from other countries. Along with these characters being added for many countries and regions, France has received updates that include various historical situations and events, such as the second Bonaparte empire, deciding the future King of France, and taking over North Africa by sword or by an olive branch. These additions to France bring a bit more depth and storyline to an otherwise sandbox experience and added a fun dimension that I enjoyed while playing as France. Along with the agitators encouraging revolution, I thought it made it much more interesting.
The DLC definitely feels French-focused, and includes updates to the UI and various art elements. These include a nouveau-inspired UI, new building art for France, and updated on-map animations to display the activities of various Revolutionary Interest Groups. A paper map for the fully zoomed-out view also includes French theming, with various French names for oceans and a large “Carte Du Monde” logo. It looks great overall but leads me to question the purpose of this DLC.
What It Could Have Done Better
For the first part, this doesn’t feel like a true DLC. While the Agitator system adds some extra flair to many of the countries in the game, I feel like this plays more like a flavor pack focusing on France. I understand the theme is French and it highlights the feelings of Revolution present throughout 19th-century France, but for $14.99 it should add more to the game at large. While the changes to France definitely added to the experience and I really liked some of the guiding elements included with the historical events, I barely felt the changes in the other countries.
Verdict
Unfortunately, Voice of the People really doesn’t speak for the little guy or revolutionize DLC purchasing. While Paradox is known for its copious amounts and variety of downloadable content, this feels like it should be half the price for what it adds. One global gameplay feature, a few UI and art changes, and a series of additions to one country should really be classified as a flavor pack than a true DLC. While the content is enjoyable, it is only worth buying if you like to primarily play as France or really want to up the historic value and play with the agitator systems. Otherwise, it’s not worth the price of admission.
Victoria 3 - Voice of the People is now available on PC via Steam. Check out the release trailer below and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
