Being a longtime fan of the ‘Total War’ franchise, I was excited to discover upon it’s unveiling that Creative Assembly was taking a different direction with this next installment. Up until now, ‘Total War’ has been known for making RTS games based off of historical content predating thousands of years. Some notable examples of previous games include but are not limited to ‘Rome,’ ‘Shogun,’ ‘Medieval’ and a handful more. Though many of those other games are great in their own right, it is extraordinary that Creative Assembly had ditched the previous formula of ancient warfare for a fictional fantasy setting known as ‘Warhammer.’
For those that don’t know, ‘Warhammer’ is a miniature hobby/board game created by a company known as Games Workshop. There have been numerous ‘Warhammer’ and ‘Warhammer 40k’ video games made in the past but almost none of those compare to the scale of this game. The sudden unity between ‘Total War’ developer Creative Assembly and Games Workshop was certainly a surprising one but a very welcome one at that.
The combined elements of previous ‘Total War’ games with that of the ‘Warhammer’ franchise feels both familiar and new to long time ‘Total War’ fans and newbies alike. There is still a fair bit of strategizing when it comes to the battles and political aspects of conquering the in-game world, but it is now mixed with the likes of great mythical beasts, magic and other various fantasy elements. I had initial worries that these two wouldn’t blend so well but I have since been proven wrong. The fact of the matter is that after having played this, my standards for what an RTS game should be has thoroughly been raised.
The attention to detail of not only the landscapes but each soldier of every army is the best it has ever been. Without the worry of breaking historical accuracy, Creative Assembly had full freedom to do almost whatever they wanted in this fantasy game. All the landscapes and cities that I battled in felt new and different each time. Whether I battled in an underground Dwarven city, the snowy wastes of the North or just a plain grassy field, each battle felt exhilarating and fulfilling. It almost seemed as if there was no real repetitiveness. Granted, there will always be repetitive-like concepts in any game you play, but this time it just seemed nonexistent.
On top of that, this is perhaps the most diverse gameplay you will ever have in a ‘Total War’ game (unless this one is followed up by a sequel). As opposed to previous ‘Total War’ games, each army had their own unique playstyle. Using ‘Total War: Rome’ as an example, in that game you had the option to choose between playing dozens of different ancient human factions such as Rome, Gaul, Greeks, Britannica and many others. But every faction of that game played almost exactly the same as one another with very minor differences. This time around, you simply just don’t get that feeling playing the core four factions of “Total War: Warhammer.” Granted, the four may seem little in comparison to the dozens in previous games; I can assure you that you will never find more diversity in another ‘Total War’ game. The core factions being Empire (Humans), Dwarves, Orks & Goblins and the Undead; each faction completely played differently from one another. It was as if I played a new game all over again when I tried each faction, complete with their own unique advantages and disadvantages to the overall core gameplay.
To summarize, despite being another installment in an already existing franchise, “Total War: Warhammer” still felt unique and fresh. The gameplay, combining elements of previous games in the franchise with the new core mechanics created for a fun and engaging time. Although there were a few bugs upon initially playing the game, the cons pale in comparison to the absolute fun this game ended up being. This is an absolute must-buy for fans of the ‘Total War’ franchise, fans of the ‘Warhammer’ franchise, fans of the RTS game genre, and really just about anyone interested in anything related to fantasy in general. I had an absolute blast every time I played and will most likely continue to play this great title for a very long time. Creative Assembly have really outdone themselves.
