The Trojan war is known by anyone who had history lessons. The love story between two people who are part of different communities that are actually considered rivals makes up for a great storyline that’s worth looking into. Hollywood has tried it with the blockbuster movie “TROY” and the developers at Creative Assembly Sofia took the risk to pour this story with all of its lore and mythology into a Total War game. Can this game bring the best out of this interesting story and conquer the Total War fans? Let’s take a look.
As a gamer, you probably already marked the 13th of August on your calendar to make sure you downloaded the game for free through the Epic Store. This free event has scored over 7.5 million downloads, so a lot of people will have played the game and discovered that this game has a bit more to it than just a story. The Total War Sage: Troy prepares you for this epic battle by opening up the world as your personal playground. The story we all know is only a part of the game and will only be available as an end game mission. Before you reach the end game, the game brings you into a familiar concept where you as a player, a leader of a faction, will have to stand for its own between all these other factions. As you build out your empire and make diplomatic agreements with other faction leaders, you’ll be pushed towards the conflict between the Trojans and Greek. Adding up all your actions and decision making will eventually lead you to this epic conflict between you and the Sparta of Menelaos. This epic event can eventually arrive sooner than expected but it’s up to you to accept this mission or try to build up a stronger foundation first before you unleash your Trojans on the Greek.
“Each faction will have his hero or commander which will lead your troops to victory or defeat.”
From the beginning, you’ll be given a choice to either go with the Greek or with the Trojans. The game will feel very familiar when you’ve already played some Total War campaigns. You’ll see a war table which gives you an overview of the occupied lands by the 10 different factions. This War Table goes from the west coast of Turkey to the Iconic islands of Greece. Each faction will have his hero or commander which will lead your troops to victory or defeat. For example, there’s Odysseus, Achilles, … The game is all about making diplomatic decisions to form up a big alliance that’ll help you towards the crushing of your enemies and becoming the main victor. Even though the iconic mission of Troy is only in the end game, the conflict between the Greek and Trojans will already be noticeable through diplomatic actions. Greek factions will quickly form an alliance with other Greek factions and leave the Trojans out of there precious war club.
Eventually, it’s a Total War game and the basic concept stays the same: make diplomatic alliances, build out your troops, and become the victor. However, due to the fact that the game has been developed around this conflict between the Trojans and the Greek make up for a very simplistic campaign that leads the player a lot more forward to the endgame. This isn’t a bad thing but veteran players won’t all be a fan of this straightforward Total War campaign and the lack of some interesting features like the trade section. The provinces you conquer will have to do the work for you and make sure your troops have the needed supplies ( wood, gold, copper, …) to become more powerful. The new trade system is also worth mentioning. If you’re low on a specific resource, there’s always the option to trade your abundant resource for another lacking resource. You will also be able to trade provinces or sell provinces to gain resources or form alliances with other factions. It’s a great system but you’ll have to make sure that you have a great reputation amongst the different factions. The developers also put their focus on a more streamlined campaign and the heroes/ commanders that play their part. You’ll quickly notice that the hero system will be the bigger focus of the game because of all the heroic skills and abilities the game has to offer. It’s a simple system but a decent one!
“Each hero has its own thing and will expect a different approach to your playstyle.”
Even though, the game is pretty straight forward that doesn’t mean the game doesn’t have anything interesting to offer… Each faction has a different hero and each hero has a different goal whether it’s to gain the favor of their father or become a legend among the different factions. For example, Achilles will have the itch to overcome more powerful enemies and will challenge them to a duel. If he wins, he’ll gain bonuses for its faction but if he loses, the faction will see a decrease in its bonuses. Paris and Hector want to become the rightful heirs in Troy and will do anything to gain the favor of their father. Agamemnon only wants to prove his worth by conquering Troy. Menelaos is constantly in search of his beloved Helen and will do everything in his power to assure a safe return. Each hero has its own thing and will expect a different approach to your playstyle. Don’t forget to keep everyone in your empire happy by completing your goals or your quest for redemption won’t take long. All of these goals will give the players the chance to replay the campaign and take on some situations/ battles differently.
Each faction also has its own units with their own playstyle. Choose a faction that complements your playstyle and adapt accordingly. Each faction has its own way of fighting due to the variety of units within their troops. Achilles will have a lot quicker units while Hector has the most formidable melee fighters in the world but will have to give in somewhat of their speed. Paris’ Trojans consists of strong archers that have a protective group of spearmen for them to take in the blow. It’s a great addition to the game and with all of these different factions and goals opens up a lot of room for replayability.
Greek storytelling won’t be complete if there weren’t any kind of Gods that have their deal in the matter. Each faction is religious and can make some offerings to a God of their choice. If you direct your attention towards Ares, the God of War, you’ll be able to receive some interesting battle blessings that’ll help your troops on the battlefield. There’s also the God of the Sea named Poseidon which will give you safe travels over the deep ocean. Anyway, the better your conviction, the better the rewards will be. Each God can contribute in different ways. They can support you in the battle by giving legendary units to your disposal or boost the economy of your provinces. Your conviction or worshipped God can be altered throughout the game and can change the course of battle into your favor. It’s a nice touch to stay true to Greek Lore.
“The developers didn’t want to make the battle seem less convincing while they’re giving their view on this specific story.”
A bit of a side note, when I’m talking about legendary units, you probably think about mythical creatures which in a sense isn’t wrong. However, the developers played this card very safely by creating legendary units that look like mythical beasts but are actually just humans. The armor of these specific units is designed in a way that makes the units look mythical beasts from afar, just to strike some fear into the heart of men. The developers didn’t want to make the battle seem less convincing while they’re giving their view on this specific story. For example, centaurs aren’t really half-man/ half-horse, they’re just an organized unit with horses which was already a weird sight because, in those ages, horsemen were rarely on the battlefield due to their honor and environment.
Just like any other Total War campaign, there’s also a part of the game to do real-time battles. These real-time battles are often the reason why you start a Total War campaign. Being able to set up your troops strategically around the battlefield will give you the feeling of a true commander. Although the combat system may look very simplistic, there’s a lot of depth going on. The concept and interface will feel very familiar to all those veteran players but as a beginner, it can be a bit overwhelming. For all those beginners, don’t be afraid and just think logically. The higher ground is always the best place to be, try to set up your troops with a defensive mind but make sure you have some quick units to flank the enemies’ archers. Experiment with different formations and find the right one for every type of battle. Also make sure you scout out the environment because Total War: Troy adds different grounds that can influence the movement of your units. Use this type of grounds to gain the advantage. Mud and sand can slow down heavier enemy troops while high grass can conceal your units from the enemies. Overlook the battlefield, set up your formation, and try things out. Think like a true commander and use everything you can. It’s a lot of information at first to take into but the more you play, the better you’ll become, and the more fun you’ll have.
“The game looks decent and plays smoothly.”
Each commander/ hero has buffs or de-buffs that can help you shape the battlefield. With every survived battle, your unit levels up and becomes stronger by adding skills that give them an advantage over the enemy. A Total War campaign is known for its long duration of one game and this duration can become handy while you’re doing your battles. Units can easily become one of the strongest, just by using them each battle and tend to their wounds after the battle. The game looks decent and plays smoothly. Unfortunately, there’s still no word of a multiplayer mode for this Total War Saga which is a bit of a bummer. The veteran players will quickly learn the use of these news tricks and apply their experiences from previous games which will eventually give them the upper hand of even the strongest AI settings. Even though there may not be a multiplayer mode this instant, the developers have already made it clear that they’ll support the game with DLC in the near future. Maybe our prayers will be heard and we can take the battle on with some of our friends.
Conclusion:
Total War Saga: Troy is a decent Total War but may look a bit simplistic at first with its straightforward campaign. However, the moment you learn about the heroes and the different units, this will open your eyes and see that there’s a lot more depth to it than first meets the eyes. Due to these different faction goals, special units, and worshipping, the game can offer you lots of ways to experiment and eventually find a playstyle that suits you. The developers made a Total War game that’s still familiar to the veterans and yet challenging enough to keep them interested for some time. It’s not your standard Total War but this isn’t really a bad thing. I’m grateful the developers stepped out of their comfort zone and made this game their own.
8/10
tested on PC
