Total War: Attila

Total War: Attila
Developer(s)	The Creative Assembly
Publisher(s)	Sega
Series	Total War
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux[1]
Release date(s)	Windows & OS X February 17, 2015 Linux TBA 2015
Genre(s)	real-time strategy, turn based strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Distribution	DVD, download

Total War: Attila is a strategy game developed by The Creative Assembly and published by Sega, released on February 17, 2015 for Microsoft Windows and OS X. It is the ninth standalone game in the Total War series of video games.

The game is set in 395 AD, during the transition from Late Antiquity to the early Dark Ages. While the title character will be able to become the leader of the Huns, he won't yet be in power at the start of the campaign.

Gameplay

Campaign

The campaign map for Total War: Attila spans from Bactria to Lusitania and from Caledonia to Garamantia in the Sahara. Provinces are groupings of three regions, and each region within a province can be conquered separately. The number of cities and regions is different from Total War: Rome II, but the size of the map is similar. The map of Total War: Attila further extends into modern day Russia in lieu of the eastern provinces of the Hindu Kush found in Total War: Rome II, shifting the player's attention to the nomadic Huns. The largest settlement in a province is designated as the province capital. These province capitals have more building slots than the other settlements and are also walled at the start of the game, though in a change from Rome II the small settlements can eventually be upgraded to have walls.

Factions

The game features 56 factions, 40 of which are unplayable. each with their own unit roster and agenda. Five start as hordes without any capital or region, two do not start as horde, but can choose to become part of the horde, three can never become horde and 46 start with a region and capital. Ten factions are playable in the game at launch, with others added via DLC packs.

Downloadable content

Several packs of downloadable content (DLC) adding factions, units and new standalone campaigns which expand the original game are to be released.

The first of these, "Viking Forefathers", was released on 17 February 2015 and added three new playable factions; the Danes, the Jutes and the Geats. The second, "Longbeards", was released on March 4th 2015 again adding three additional factions (the Langobards, the Alamans and the Burgundians) as well as a new narrative chain (called the "Lay Of Ybor"), which when completed will unlock the titular Ybor as general, with traits tailored by the story.

A third faction pack was released on the 25th of March and contains three Celtic factions: the Picts, Ebdanians and Caledonians.

On 29 April 2015, The Creative Assembly released Assembly Kits on Steam, which is a pack that features mod tools, which allows players to create, edit, process or customize campaign maps, database entries and textures etc.^[2]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 77.90% [3] Metacritic 81/100 [4] Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 6.5/10 [5] Game Revolution [6] GameSpot 7/10 [7] GamesRadar [8] IGN 8.1/10 [9] PC Gamer (US) 83/100 [10] Polygon 8/10 [11] Hardcore Gamer 4/5[12]

Total War: Attila received positive reviews from critics. It received an aggregated score of 77.90% and 81/100 from GameRankings and Metacritic. ^[3][4]

Dan Griliopoulos from PC Gamer gave the game a 83/100, praising the in-game representation of history, enjoyable multiplayer, stunning music, animation and sound-effect, improved army and character management as well as the themes, which he stated "has reflected the era accurately" and the new family system, which adds new complexity into the game. He also praised the developer for fixing the long-term problems in the series. However, he criticized the extreme difficulty, AI problem, laggy chat in multiplayer, framerate issues and bugs. He conclude the game by saying that "[Total War" Attila] is a barbarous twist on Rome II, with a handful of fixes. The Total War games still need work to reach that perfection they’re aiming for, and the bugs this close to release are worrying, but Attila shows that Creative have been listening." ^[10]

TJ Hafer from IGN gave the game a 8.1/10, praising its dynamic campaign, AI, improved interface, siege battles and utilities, new army types, and enhanced pacing in the real-time battle, which he stated "adds an extra layer to the choice of army composition". He also stated that the game has helped people understand "the perspective of these ancient people, notorious for raiding and pillaging." However, he criticized the game for its impenetrable, non-user-friendly and frustrating internal politics and diplomacy, occasionally nonsensical AI and the disappointing Celtic factions, which are non-playable and lack their own roster or models. He stated that "'Total War: Attila' is a cleaner, better thought-out experience. It is an adept refinement of Rome 2 instead of a glorified expansion pack for its predecessor. In fact, Attila is proudly its own game, and puts a firm foot forward in contrast to Rome 2’s initially unsatisfying jumble" ^[9]

Atlas Burke from GamesRadar praised the graphics, audio-design, and new additions. He stated "[New additions] seem to be direct responses to the Rome 2 backlash". He also praised the satisfying gameplay, outstanding tactical battles, improved AI and UI, the option to turn settlements into armies, and the heavy emphasis on political machinations. However, he criticized the excruciating build turn, technical issues, over-simplistic interface, and unbalanced units. He summarized the game by saying that "Total War: Attila is a damn fine strategy game in its own right, without having to compare it to its oft-lamented predecessor.". ^[8]

Writing for Destructoid, Greg Tito was slightly more negative about the game, giving the game a 6.5/10. He praised the choice of setting and improvements to the real-time battles. But he was less positive about the campaign side. He criticized the changes to the political system and issues with trade and diplomacy. He thought there was "a lot to like" in Total War: Attila, and that "doesn't need to reinvent its formula each time," but "setting even a well-made sequel in the crumbling legacy of the once-mighty may not have been a good choice". ^[5]

References

External links

• Official website