Publisher: SEGA
Platform: PC, Mac
Tested on: PC
Total War: Attila – Review
Once upon a time, the Huns were united under a single banner. Attila brought them all together with his desire for lands, plunder and conquest. Like a knight in not-so-shining armour, he spearheaded his army into Europe, unleashing his terrible wrath on all who would stand before him. Even the Romans dared not speak his name. Therefore, it is only fitting that famed RTS developer Creative Assembly has poured his infamous path of destruction into the mould of its hallmark series with Total War: Attila.
Story
Those who are familiar with the Total War franchise know that it doesn’t shy away from a good war story. This holds true for Attila as well, as it delivers not just one, but sixteen Grand Campaigns. Essentially, each of these presents players with its own version of Eurasia, filling the map with a whopping 56 factions – sixteen of which are playable in the base game – and setting the stage for your conquest with the faction you have chosen. Whatever happens next, of course, is up to the player, redefining the term “open world.”
As Total War: Attila is a very complex game, players new and old will be grateful for the very lengthy tutorial mode, which is actually formed as a separate campaign. Instead of allowing you to roam and pillage as you please, however, the tutorial will constantly command you to explore a certain gameplay element as it slowly unveils its many layers. As this title could easily be deemed more complex than any of its predecessors, it certainly couldn’t hurt to check out this most helpful tutorial. Forgot something afterwards? Don’t worry, the game comes with a very detailed encyclopaedia that is available at all times, providing players with all the information they could ever need.
Graphics
Considering the focus of the Total War series, which has always lain on animating individual soldiers in massive armies, Attila has pretty stunning visuals during its many battles – provided you have a powerful gaming rig. Players using mid-range equipment might want to check if their machine is up to the task before deploying for battle, as the game is quite demanding.
Also, even when all of the graphics settings have been maxed out, zooming in all the way into the skirmishes could prove a bit disappointing, as character animations can be bland and repetitive, effectively making the soldiers look like clones of their comrades. This is also due to the lack of blood, which is especially true in the cut scenes. When a man gets stabbed, it’s only natural for him to bleed. When he is run down by flail swinging cavalry, he shouldn’t just fall down, unscathed. However, this is all just splitting hairs, as the epic scale of the ongoing battles soon made us forget these small details. This counts even more for the naval battles, which are nothing short of breath taking.
Of course, the battlefield won’t always be filling your screen. More often than not, you’ll be staring at the world map. Whereas the developer has obviously tried to make a visually attractive map, it tends to detract from the player’s focus. We would have preferred a less “real,” clearer version with clear borders and troop positions, but that might be chalked up to personal preference. The unit interface, however, makes up a lot for the somewhat unclear map. That is, after you have played through the entire tutorial, as the complexity of this experience entitles it to many – MANY – information screens.
Sound
As Attila is a war game, you’ll mostly be listening to the sound of shouting troops, clattering weapons and death rattles. However, there is also lots of space for calmness. Think, for instance, of the moments before each battle, the calms preceding each storm. While you are carefully placing your troops and planning their first moves, soft background music fills the air, waiting for the inevitable slaughter that is destined to take place on these fields. And then…
You give them the sign. Battle begins, arrows are shot, rocks are flung. Both armies start marching, the horses scurrying to the sides to take up their flanking positions. In the case of siege battles, city walls are torn down as legions of soldiers pour into the cities – if you buy the game, you should definitely try to battle for Rome, what a rush! As the battle urges on, the background music will start to swell, keeping players wholly in the game without ever treading the foreground. The sound design could probably not get any better for its genre, so this is one game you should never mute.
Gameplay
As was previously mentioned, Total War: Attila is a very complex title. The battles themselves require some serious tactics and even more long term strategy if players want anything more than a pyrrhic victory. This is not a game you’ll want to pop in for a quick game now and then. Instead, a good commander gathers knowledge and experience, learning the strengths and weaknesses of every troop and every faction.
When playing a campaign, the game shows its full complexity on the world map, which has large repercussions on the difficulty of the battles. Every decision you make is an important one and must be part of a grander scheme. Winging a campaign is a sure-fire way to burn through all of your troops and lose your entire people to war, so grand strategy is the only way to go.
This means that there is a lot more than some army to be managed. Politics plays a defining role in your empire, and conquering two continents without a single ally should only be attempted by the bravest players. Managing your political relations with fifty-five other factions is a daunting task, however, which is exacerbated by the internal politics of your own. Attila is the first Total War title to take families into account, and they are a handful. The royal family tree should be maintained carefully, as this brings forth your generals, kings and statesmen. Every choice comes down to harsh dilemmas, the consequences of which only become apparent as you end your turn and events unfold according to your tactics.
Conclusion
If you want to get a full picture of what Total War: Attila has in store, you shouldn’t be reading this review. The game has so many layers that even trying to discuss a portion of it is a Herculean task. However, this doesn’t impede our ability to guide you into – or away from – these wondrous lands of warfare.
If you’re into quick battles and want to be in and out of a game session in less than twenty minutes, then you shouldn’t venture near this epic battlefield. However, those who love nothing more than to lose themselves in world of brilliant tactics and painfully difficult grand strategy settings shouldn’t doubt a purchase. Sure, sometimes the troops don’t fully behave how you’d want them to and it can be hard to keep a general overview of the battlefields. Yes, the game does have the occasional bug and it takes a beast of a machine to keep it running smoothly on the highest settings. Look through the looking glass, however, and Attila’s world of plundering might be exactly the gruesomely lengthy brain teaser you have been waiting for.
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Decent review, I were pondering if I should get attila or not, this helped to tip my opinion.
Be sure to let us know what you think of the game. I’m also still pondering if I should get it or not. ^^