Easily the most comprehensive strategy game of all time, even after 2000 hours I'm still no expert at this game and there is still so many countries to play, challenges to attempt, achievements to unlock. This game has some awful monetisation methods with its unending pipeline of dlcs which in alot of cases contain crucial mechanics that should be part of the base game, however I understand that they need to keep people coming back and it is understandable in a way to have some incentive to put so much of their workforce behind improving the game. That being said it is inexcusable how some basic features are locked behind a paywall even after spending £35 on the game already.
In terms of mechanics the diplomacy, wars and religion are fleshed out but easy enough to understand. Trade is a bit of a mixed bag being very confusing but being very complex and is very satisfying to min-max. Colonisation is a bit messy but works fine enough and the navy mechanics underwhelming as expected from a Paradox game. Managing your countries economy is fun and the split between playing tall and playing wide can lead to entirely different playstyles which adds even more replayability to the game.
Overall, the game is great and has the most noticeable natural skill progression in any game I've ever played but it has 1 too many issues for me to award it a perfect score