Democracy 3

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 172 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 88 out of 172
  2. Mixed: 56 out of 172
  3. Negative: 28 out of 172

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  1. themipper
    Oct 16, 2013
    5
    I think this game is unfinished and needs some polishing.

    The UI and general presentation is neat but plagued with some bugs. I had to kill the process several times due to hidden and unclickable buttons. Sometimes it breaks after saving. The game hides behind an initially perceived complexity with lots of statistics, neat focus groups, flow diagrams and pie charts. The perceived    I think this game is unfinished and needs some polishing.

    The UI and general presentation is neat but plagued with some bugs. I had to kill the process several times due to hidden and unclickable buttons. Sometimes it breaks after saving.

    The game hides behind an initially perceived complexity with lots of statistics, neat focus groups, flow diagrams and pie charts. The perceived complexity is quickly replaced with the feeling of a pretty simple simulation.

    For me the gameplay consists of getting rid of the red bubbles by making obvious policy choices. Increase taxes and make up for it in give away policies. After that the country is stable and debt free. The only thing that follows is pressing next and wonder about the volatile behavior of the global market.

    The good news is that the game is fully moddable and the simulation parameters can be changed very easily.
    Which means the developer and the community can fix this and make it more challenging.

    They have to add more events, decisions, policies and the ability that policies can interact with each other by other means than the interest group. For example policies that exclude others or create an explosive situation.

    At the moment this game has no replay value. Every round seems to be the same.

    I really like the presentation and I will revisit this after some time has passed.    … Expand
  2. raiokincaris
    Dec 9, 2013
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is very difficult to pull off on its own, and the style is suited for the type of game, but overall I'm not truly impressed. It honestly feels like, even when you create the best of paradises, your cabinet will always be out to get you, and won't bother supporting you when you need them most, which is after all the policies you want are in effect. It's nice for burning a few hours on, but not really worth more than a few hours.

    It's just really annoying that you can't eventually somehow sway people in your cabinet to think a certain way after pretty much brainwashing an entire country into whatever your whims may be. You'd think they'd learn a thing or two and actually step down so people who care about what you want done will step up and help out. In other words, this game forces you to lose after awhile of balancing. While on paper that kind of thing sounds like fun, but not when you just want to run your own country without listening to someone scream about how ineffective the road system is while people are busy clocking into work from home anyway.

    An odd tangled mess, in my opinion.    … Expand
  3. calcipher
    Aug 11, 2014
    6
    Pros:
    -Graphics improved from last edition
    -Overwhelming amount of data, all linked together. Lots of choices, graphs, spreadsheets - It's fun to play around and it's not terribly hard to achieve your goals: you can make the USA a communist country, or France a capitalist heaven easily, once you get into the mechanics. -Lots of mods available for free, both on Positech forums and    Pros:
    -Graphics improved from last edition
    -Overwhelming amount of data, all linked together. Lots of choices, graphs, spreadsheets
    - It's fun to play around and it's not terribly hard to achieve your goals: you can make the USA a communist country, or France a capitalist heaven easily, once you get into the mechanics.
    -Lots of mods available for free, both on Positech forums and Steam.

    Cons:
    -Too short. You won't play this game for more than a week, at best. It's incredibly easy to get all the achievements and once you tried even the more extreme policies, there's no reason to play it again. There are no scenarios. There are random events once every 4 years, but they have little to none impact on the gameplay. After a while, every playthrough just looks the same and you'll probably look for mods.
    - No editor. Modding is either done through Excel (lol?) or through an unofficial modding tool created by fans.
    -Terrible price tag: 23€ + 10€ of DLCs.

    If Democracy 3 was priced at 5.99€ or even 9.99€, I would've probably rated it 7 or even 8, but 33€ to get the full game is just too much. By the time I'm writing this, this game costs more than Skyrim and we're talking about something made entirely of spreadsheets and graphs, doomed to be left unplayed in your Steam library after a couple of weeks.

    For now it's a 6. I will eventually raise my rating if the price drops and/or if Positech implements an official modding tool.    … Expand
  4. leomcontos
    Nov 17, 2013
    6
    Great game Positech Games! but there is a lack of nations to play as and the polices are a bit strained, but the policies are only a minor problem. but luckily steam workshop changes all that. The price is also very 'inflated' at $25 USD, and the game is a few second download and quick to quit and enter the game. This all makes a really quick and great experience. I give this a 6/10:Great game Positech Games! but there is a lack of nations to play as and the polices are a bit strained, but the policies are only a minor problem. but luckily steam workshop changes all that. The price is also very 'inflated' at $25 USD, and the game is a few second download and quick to quit and enter the game. This all makes a really quick and great experience. I give this a 6/10:
    +Steam workshop
    -little nations and more policies needed
    +fun
    -price too high    … Expand
  5. VideoGameCritic
    Nov 12, 2013
    5
    Civilization is one of my favorite turn base strategy game, been able to take over the world with your massive army is the best. Democracy 3 is nothing like civ and to be honest I kinda wish it was. The game is all about really the policies that you set in place for the country your in control of. Sometimes I really do think regardless of if alcohol laws I put in place or the amount ofCivilization is one of my favorite turn base strategy game, been able to take over the world with your massive army is the best. Democracy 3 is nothing like civ and to be honest I kinda wish it was. The game is all about really the policies that you set in place for the country your in control of. Sometimes I really do think regardless of if alcohol laws I put in place or the amount of time I put in to stopping wars It really just makes someone more pissed off. I could give everyone two-thousand bucks a piece and also punch there most hated enemy and still someone will still hate that I raised a tax by one percent. This game is just like actual politics and that's all it is a president simulator. I like the idea of the game and really I knew from the moment I started that this game was not the type of game for me. I really get what the devs were going for but in the end this is someones favorite game.… Expand
  6. ZZZGheronZZZ
    Jun 1, 2014
    7
    Can you say super high replay value??? I must've played hundreds of games as the US trying to balance the Mother F@%--n budget!

    :/ maybe it doesn't help that i always try to legalize cannabis right out the gate.
  7. diehard-gamer
    Dec 7, 2014
    7
    Good game. Played a couple of times (with the first two dlc/expansions installed). Initial impressions are its not a 'hard' game. Its like manipulating a graphical spreadsheet with hidden and time delayed formula linking key cells and trying to get a good balance in the key cells you're most interested in. That's not to say its not fun, if you like that sort of thing. I found it fun. YouGood game. Played a couple of times (with the first two dlc/expansions installed). Initial impressions are its not a 'hard' game. Its like manipulating a graphical spreadsheet with hidden and time delayed formula linking key cells and trying to get a good balance in the key cells you're most interested in. That's not to say its not fun, if you like that sort of thing. I found it fun. You can 'build' the government you want, 'research' new policies etc ...... Every so often you have to win an election to stay in the game. To win the election you have to have the majority of voters vote for you. All good. BUT. Yo can get assassinated by extremists. OK, fair enough. But I created a liberal paradise with all the policies you'd expect, but with a strong police force and lots of surveillance (to remove organised crime, violent crime etc). I won two elections and was just about to win a third. My police kept warning me the corporates were unhappy with my high tax rates. Fair enough. I had game 'awards' for equality, eco friendly, health care, education etc - then a 'liberal extremist' assassinated me with a bomb. With no warning. Game over. Not sure how realistic that is. Anyway still a fun game.… Expand
  8. Bubbadabad
    Nov 29, 2013
    7
    Getting this game, I thought I would be the greatest political ruler since Gandhi. Unfortunately, I was quite mistaken.
    Democracy 3 takes you through what seems like a promising political career, but what you realize is only a pile of kissing up to the various parties that have power. Just like real life.
    Waive the mandatory drinking age? The masses love you, but violent crime    Getting this game, I thought I would be the greatest political ruler since Gandhi. Unfortunately, I was quite mistaken.
    Democracy 3 takes you through what seems like a promising political career, but what you realize is only a pile of kissing up to the various parties that have power. Just like real life.

    Waive the mandatory drinking age? The masses love you, but violent crime spikes.

    Legalize drugs and prostitution? Liberals and socialists are fin, but the religious and conservative bunch really want you out of office then.

    Playing through, I never thought I would do half the things I ended up doing, especially since at the end, I was trying to run a country similar to Communist Russia, all while looking back, wondering what had gone wrong.

    My main complaint with the game, is that while you can change many of the the stats about your country, you can not change the religious population. Many times I've had to change what would have been a very good plan for the country because of strong opposition from the religious front.

    All in all, I'd call this a solid game. 7.5 Will play again kind of thing.    … Expand
  9. Thealmightyduck
    Jan 31, 2014
    6
    I did like the game quite a lot. It is a good political simulator game in some respect. I mean it portrays people in ways that aren't just two-dimensional. Another nice thing is that you can edit the game, which I have started doing. Its easy to pick up and play. However, there are significant issues with the game that can't be ignored. Most of these is the price. To justify paying £19 orI did like the game quite a lot. It is a good political simulator game in some respect. I mean it portrays people in ways that aren't just two-dimensional. Another nice thing is that you can edit the game, which I have started doing. Its easy to pick up and play. However, there are significant issues with the game that can't be ignored. Most of these is the price. To justify paying £19 or $25 for a game, the game would have to be good, with cool graphics and most of all content that means you would replay it time and time again. Instead, you may play it 7 times and never play it again. It is extremely simplistic and simple. I mean you can increase healthcare spending but this is not accompanied by anything; no graphics just words for you to appreciate what you have done. This is only the beginning of the problems, Whilst voters in the game aren't 2D, they aren't particular complex either. Someone who is a Keynesian would be a Socialist in the game. A Socialist doesn't nationalize any industry though, which is strange because that is the definition of a Socialist, someone who believes in an economy which is collectively owned. In some regards, this shows the game to be particularly American. There is also significant Left-wing bias to the game. Capitalists and Conservatives are seen as heartless monsters that like to complain about any sort of government interference or liked "gated communities" or disliked disability allowance. Religious policies are always negative; either opposed to science and create a technology backwater or create ethnic tension. I mean religious countries can never be scientific can they? Oh yes, India is the world's largest producer of scientists. I am a Socialist myself but Socialism in the game is very simplistic but so too are the capitalists who like to privatize everything. But the Liberal/Conservative thing is perhaps just as bad. Most people exist between being true-Liberal and true-Conservative. I would say I am quite conservative on crime and family, There again I hate the death penalty and agree with equality for ethnic minorities. So I am a mixture but perhaps would exist in the "Conservative" section, despite my disgust of the death penalty. But people aren't just Liberals or Conservatives; perhaps they are a mixture. The game also completely ignores voting systems and considering it is supposed to be called "Democracy", Having a systematic electoral college in say America would really add to the game. But instead to is just a collection of calculations of who votes for you, who votes for the opposition and who doesn't vote at all. This is the dumbest thing that has ever walked in a democratic arena. Firstly, you could easily win 75% of the vote in the game when in real life, you are unlikely to achieve more than 55% in a two party state or about 40% on a good day in a proportional based system. There aren't even constituencies or anything; just you getting half of the vote will establish your victory.

    Overall, it is questionable whether paying $25 is worth it. Sure, the game is good and is quite fun, but the content really does lack a lot of features which justify the $25    … Expand
  10. PublicNuisance
    Aug 5, 2019
    7
    I really wanted to slam Democracy 3 and label it as nothing more than having a left wing bias but on further thought I’m not sure if I can or if that even matters. Here is the story of one of my reigns as Prime Minister of Canada:

    I am in power for over 20 years. I give the people everything they want to the max in terms of government funded education; government funded university; max    I really wanted to slam Democracy 3 and label it as nothing more than having a left wing bias but on further thought I’m not sure if I can or if that even matters. Here is the story of one of my reigns as Prime Minister of Canada:

    I am in power for over 20 years. I give the people everything they want to the max in terms of government funded education; government funded university; max funding to libraries, police, jails; subsidies to every sector you can imagine; legalized drugs, prostitution and gambling, etc. By the end of the 20 years I win every election with 96% of the vote each time. It doesn’t seem to matter to the people that we are $1.4 trillion in debt, have a deficit of $100 billion per quarter and are heading for the brink of destruction. This all with an income tax rate of 55%, corporate tax at 25%, sales tax at 20%, a gas tax, capitol gains tax, etc.

    Now for the flip-side I tried a more libertarian approach, still had all of the personal freedoms as before but taking out the government funding to all that I could. I also reduced the income tax from 55% down to 20%; reduced the corporate tax from 25% to 10%; abolished the gas tax, tobacco tax, alcohol tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and had plans to reduce the income tax further. We had $100 billion in reserves and had a surplus of $10 billion per quarter after just five years. I lost the election only getting 2% of the vote.

    I tried playing as Australia, The United States and Germany having similar results with all three. Now my first thought was that this game just loves left wing socialist policies but then I got thinking maybe it was trying to make a statement about how dumb the average voting public is. I could certainly agree if it was. I then thought that maybe the moral of the game was that it isn’t your job as leader to do a “good job” but to get elected. A grim and cynical view but one that has some truth to it. I could easily win the game and continue to get elected if I pushed aside my personal views on politics and policy and went with what would garner votes. In the end maybe it doesn’t matter. If you enjoy simulation games and have an interest in politics you will surely find some value in Democracy 3. You may want to turn off assassinations as it is next to impossible to not get killed within 5-10 years by some group you have angered. This being said you have a good amount of options you can tweak such as political apathy, natural disasters and citizen views. You can also enact a good amount of policies as well as adjust a lot of different taxes. You can play pretty much any way you want to, or try to anyway. There are a decent amount of countries to play as and the difference is mainly what the laws and policies you start out with as well as the makeup of the population. I disagree with certain consequences that policies have such as legalizing drugs increases organized crime. That makes no sense as that takes business away from organized crime.

    I played Democracy 3 on Linux. It never crashed on me. There is a manual save option allowing you to save whenever you want. Alt-Tab didn’t work while playing. While playing the game my system used 525MB of VRAM, 2% of my CPU and 2.3GB of system RAM. I was playing version 1.30.2 that I got from GOG.

    It is easy to get bogged down in a political debate with the game but at the end of the day it is solid fun and most of it’s issues I had with it such as the assassinations and the policy consequences. Many of these issues can be side stepped such as turning assassinations off and other things such as the prostitution issue are just a personal belief that is what it is. Once you set aside your personal beliefs and just work within the game rules it can be fun.

    My Score: 7/10

    My System:

    AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 580 8GB Gaming X | Mesa 19.1.3 | Samsung 850 Evo 250GB | Manjaro 18.0.4 | Mate 1.22.1 | Kernel 5.2.4-1-MANJARO    … Expand
  11. tilde
    May 30, 2014
    7
    Good game, one definitely worth buying and playing. I enjoyed it, however it lacked the gameplay aspect of the gaming industry.
    Regardless of this, it's still a good game and is a lot of fun, especially if you're interested in politics.
  12. Rednetter
    Aug 18, 2015
    5
    Was amazingly fun at first, but is only good for the short term. At first it seems complex but then it become a little mundane once you understand how it all fits together and the impending timeline challenges for each country seem to be the same.

    The game needs a bit more balance. Once you figure it out you can stay in power indefinitely in a virtual dictatorship, which quickly gets    Was amazingly fun at first, but is only good for the short term. At first it seems complex but then it become a little mundane once you understand how it all fits together and the impending timeline challenges for each country seem to be the same.

    The game needs a bit more balance. Once you figure it out you can stay in power indefinitely in a virtual dictatorship, which quickly gets boring. The beginnings are often the hardest, but after the first election it gets easier and after the second it become a cakewalk. It should be easier to begin with and then get more difficult rather than the other way around.

    They should also include difficulty ratings on countries - some can be extremely difficult in the first term compared to others.    … Expand
  13. borla
    Feb 6, 2022
    7
    Good strategy game with interesting mecanics. Also, the game hud it's pretty cool.

Awards & Rankings

51
#51 Most Shared PC Game of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Digitally Downloaded
    Mar 17, 2014
    70
    At its core, Democracy 3 is a mass of pretty spreadsheets that visualise an intimidating amount of data systems that are all linked to one another.
    Read full review
  2. IGN Italia
    Mar 9, 2014
    61
    The idea is great, the realization not so. Democracy 3 fails to portray the nuanced inner workings of a democratic government, instead presenting the player with a sort of strategical puzzle that can and must be solved in a clear way.
    Read full review
  3. Gaming Nexus
    Feb 25, 2014
    88
    The first glance at Democracy 3 can cause an immediate "it's too complicated" reaction, but the well-designed interface enables a fairly quick understanding of how to manage the policies required to create your own personal political utopia. For those that are into this kind of thing, Democracy 3 is a great way to test pet political theories in a (mostly) consequence-free way.
    Read full review
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