#Total war thrones of britannia series#

Resigned to taking up arms against lest your citizens turn on you for being a coward, youвЂ™ve got no choice but to face the invaders head on despite your exhaustion. Before you can grieve, however, a war horn sounds to the east and a barbaric force appears on the horizon. However, your adopted son Ricsige cuts a swathe through your settlements in some misguided idea of rebellion before meeting his end at your sword.

West Seaxe has flourished across the British Isles, and youвЂ™ve kept yourself in the hotseat of the English kingdoms through years of hasty allegiances, diplomatic marriages, and bribery.

#Total war thrones of britannia series#

This is truly a Total War SagaвЂ“ a smaller entry in a venerable series thatвЂ™s not interesting in rocking the boat.The year is 880 AD. But if you were hoping for a major evolution of the Total War formula, you will be left colder than a Pict at the winter solstice. Never has commanding mustachioed men to bludgeon each other to death been such an intellectual exercise.

If you come to Thrones of Britannia with a bloodlust you wonвЂ™t be disappointed. I know Total War games are mostly about the, you know, war, but I miss the days of old when I had to manage a colorful court and build up my infrastructure. It just took so freaking long to rally my troops, especially when vikings would suddenly show up raiding my coastlines.

I always had multiple ways to progress forward. A polished Total War game should have a more compelling diplomacy system than what Thrones of BritanniaВ offers. Generals and governors are drawn in a beautiful abstract style, but lack a lot of the personality they had in the earlier games. Despite Britain being a much smaller setting than say, Rome, armies take far too long to maneuver. The larger map game did not work for me at all. ItвЂ™s not as thrilling as besieging an enemy castle with ninjas or dragons, but itвЂ™s reliable. But the combat is tighter than it has ever been. They donвЂ™t get much more colorful than war dogs. Armies in Britannia are fairly straightforward. A line of spearmen will decimate charging cavalry, but the speedier horsemen can flank an army and charge from behind, discouraging a unit and causing it to flee from the battlefield. ThereвЂ™s a complex rock-paper-scissors system to keep track of. You command units of dozens or hundreds of troops, and managing morale is more important than health. If youвЂ™ve played a Total War game, you know what to expect with commanding armies. A lot of the fat has been cut out of the game since then, and although the real-time tactical fights are better than theyвЂ™ve ever been, I find Thrones of Britannia to be lacking in the turn-based department. I remember when Total War games were board games, each province making up an entire space on the map. I started with the first Medieval: Total War (though IвЂ™ve gone back and played the original Shogun) and IвЂ™ve seen the formula evolve. IвЂ™ve been with this franchise for a long long time. The commitment to a focused setting makes for the most well-realized Total War map since Shogun 2. The valleys are green and lush, and the user interface is made of wood and stained glass. Thrones of Britannia really leans into the aesthetic of Great Britain. IвЂ™m something of an Anglophile, and marching an army through the hills of Wales is an exciting experience. On the other hand, itвЂ™s nice to return to a familiar map. After the zany insanity of full-on fantasy battles, the literal down-to-Earth setting of Thrones of Britannia makes the game feel positively subdued. The distinction between the kingdoms of West Seaxe and Gwined is a little bit less distinct. Griffins and goblins and dwarves and dark elves created a unique strategic experience. ItвЂ™s a refined Total War experience, but this may be the first time that focusing in has worked against a Total War game.ДЄfter all, the last new game in the series was Total Warhammer. Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a smaller sequel, bringing the focus to two tiny islands on planet Earth. IвЂ™m sure Empire Total War has its defenders, but it is not better than Shogun 2, thatвЂ™s just a fact. In any other franchise, the promise of a smaller sequel would be a deal breaker, but this is not so with Total War. They can go bigger, or they can go smaller. Total War sequels can go in two directions.