Once again, I ask you to raise sword and shield in an epic battle across fabled lands. Once again, I ask you to rise among your peers and lead them to glory that only you can achieve. So drink your wine, hug your family, and make peace with gods and demons alike. Once again, you have been summoned to prepare a gift to those who have wronged you, your home, and your country: A gift of Total War.
Story
TROY: A Total War Saga puts you in the chariot of some of ancient Greece’s greatest commanders. You follow their stories as they fight to liberate, or conquer, all of Troy. While each commander has a unique tale to tell, they will all have to face seemingly overwhelming obstacles in order to achieve their goals. As Hector you’re constantly fighting against your brother to earn the love and respect you deserve from your father, while as Achilles, you fight for the glory of knowing that you are the strongest and most proud of all men. These stories are brought to the forefront of gameplay in the form of Homeric Victories: conditions that the player must meet in order to satisfy the lore of the game’s historic tales. While not a hard requirement, these goals supplement both gameplay and storytelling; giving you extra goals to achieve and truly immerse yourself in the narrative of your commanders.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Creative Assembly & Sega captured the heart of the Total War series when designing the UI for TROY: A Total War Saga. It’s been delicately handcrafted in the same familiar style that fans of the series will easily recognize. Newcomers to the Total War style may struggle with commanding multiple armies at once, but TROY’s quick-paced tutorials are designed to familiarize both crowds to these demanding mechanics, and man can they be demanding. Ammo management for ranged units, flanking maneuvers with a hundred men, crushing enemy morale while managing that of your own forces. Not to mention the variety of mission times from large-scale skirmishes across a massive field to tighter battles across several choke points. Not to mention the amazing siege mechanics! At times, it can be a lot. Lesser generals would look for any moment to simply throw their armies into chaotic combat, but skill and precision among the bloodied roads of TROY are rewarded with swift, decisive victories, and glorious animations abound.
Aesthetics & Sound
The map is absolutely stunning. Creative Assembly & Sega have done a phenomenal job with world design that fully immerses you into the bronze age with a masterful color palette. Everything, from the sprawling map with a textured fog of war that visually burns away as you explore, to the detailed and simplistic farmsteads that you battle through on the battle maps, has such a level of care and detail that shows the passion that went into this project. Zooming in, you can see the climatic animations of your Heroes dueling it out with infantry and enemy heroes alike. All of this paired with the rolling thunder of hundreds of footsteps, the clamoring of bronze armor, and the horns of war belting out the song of battle.
Summary
TROY: A Total War Saga is a masterful addition to the Total War franchise. It’s a game that inspires you to pick up older titles just to have more of what makes this name great. Creative Assembly & Sega have outdone themselves with this installment, which adds its own unique flavor of storytelling to the climatic action fans of the series celebrate. The artwork is beautiful and, aside from a few small technical errors, the game is an immersive experience that is difficult to put down once you’ve started. DLC has already been planned for the future as well as rumors of Mod support after launch. I can’t wait to see the future of TROY: A Total War Saga!
8/10
Check Out the TROY: A Total War Saga Trailer:
A Total War Saga: TROY will launch on PC exclusively on the Epic Games Store on Tuesday, August 13, 2020. The game will become available on other digital PC storefronts such as Steam from August 2021.
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PC Review
As the (self-proclaimed) King of Casuals, I'm always seeking out new titles to play and experience across all platforms. Eventually, I have ambitions to take the many different styles of this medium to create titles that will wow the masses in fresh, innovative ways.
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