"The main reason A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia failed is that it was not Total War: Medieval 3, which for many fans of the series was reason enough to review bomb it into oblivion."
Singleplayer.
Co-op Multiplayer.
PvP Multiplayer.
The history of the Total War franchise is one that is heavily grounded in experimentation, it was the act the developers being free to try new ideas, incorporate new mechanics, and roll back unpopular changes when needed that allowed Total War to recently celebrate its 25th anniversary, something that few franchises can enjoy.
While there have been times when things were not so cheerful, and moments where Total War shone brighter than today, it is still an immensely popular franchise, with an army of dedicated fans who will for the most part ride out the bad times, giving CREATIVE ASSEMBLY time to bounce back from any missteps along the way.
Don’t get me wrong, after multiple refinement passes Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia became a very good game, but even now many years later, when emotions have cooled, I doubt anyone would call Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia a “good Total War game”.
While all the core Total War mechanics are present in one way or another, they are buried under layers of newly introduced mechanics which would feel more at home in a Crusader Kings game, than a Total War title in which combat takes on a larger role than diplomacy, which is a good thing, considering that Total War games for the most part did not enjoy a functional diplomacy system until just a few years ago.
As someone who enjoys games such as Crusader Kings and Total War games equally, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia should be a dream come true, but honestly mechanics which work for Crusader Kings, do not work well for the Total War, and by combining them, the result is a game that is somehow less than the sum of its parts.
In Crusader Kings, combat comes second to diplomacy and politics, while the reverse is true for Total War, and by trying to bolt on a layer of enhanced political intrigue to the Total War formula, the result is a game that feels less fun to play that both Crusader Kings and Traditional Total War titles.
While leaving the majority of your kingdom unguarded works in a title like Crusader Kings in which combat is slower and more methodical, in Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia its possible for a single unit to capture any regional minor outpost uncontested, which results in a war of back and forth, with players being forced to play cat and mouse with single unit armies, a siltation made worse due to the complex systems of alliances inherent with the way that Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia plays.
In a recent playthrough I was rarely at war with less than 5 factions at once, not by choice, but rather due to the way that Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia‘s factions are more prone to become/acquire vassals and allies.
A great example of this from my most recent playthrough was an enemy faction which owned a single city and a few villages that somehow was able to vassalize around 30% of the map, including a faction which owned 2-3 large cities, and had an army multiple times larger than that of their liege.
Due to the multitude of factions involved in most wars, its not uncommon for multiple villages and towns to change hands in a single turn, and with the changes to city sieges, its not uncommon for settlements with garrisons to fall after only 1-2 turns, long before its possible to re direct forces to the besieged city to aid the defenders, something which effects both player and AI factions, resulting in settlements of all sizes changing hands often.
While this does make for and interesting and often exciting game, it does not feel like a Total War game, and honestly I think I would have subconsciously liked it more if it was not part of the Total War franchise, but rather marketed as something else entirely.
Considering the setting, and how popular the Viking series was at this time, I think it would have done better as a licensed Viking game, incorporating characters and events from the show, which would have made it more appealing to a wider demographic, and helped it avoid the flood of negative reviews it received from Total War players who were understandably upset that it did not look, feel or play like a traditional Total War title.
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a 4x strategy video game developed by CREATIVE ASSEMBLY and published by Sega Games, it was released on 3 May 2018 and retails for $39.99.
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is available exclusively on PC.
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia supports the following peripherals:
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:
I realty enjoy playing Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, its a very interesting title, set in an fascinating part of history and I grew to appreciate its unique visual aesthetic, however, as a fan of both Crusader kings and Total War franchises, I must admit, that while it is an interesting combination of mechanics gleaned from both, it fails to live up to either franchise.
Don’t get me wrong, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a good game in its own right, and is well worth playing if you do not go into it expecting a traditional Total War experience.
However for those looking for a more traditional Total War experience, I would suggest revisiting Total War : Medieval II which is still one of the best strategy games on the market, despite being over 18 years old at the time of wring this.
We found Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia to be a good game, meaning it is likely to be enjoyable for most players, despite having a few areas that could be improved upon.
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