There hasn’t been a great Total War game in quite some time and the franchise was losing the faith of its fans with every release, especially after the bug-ridden disappointment that was Rome 2. Leaving historical accuracy behind, Total War: Warhammer mixes the strategic gameplay of the main series with the fascinating Warhammer universe. Accompanying human soldiers are Dwarfs and Vampires, making Total War: Warhammer an exciting crossover that we never knew we wanted.
There are five playable factions in the game, four of which — Empire of Man, Greenskins, Dwarfs and Vampire Counts come with the game while Chaos Warriors was free upon pre-ordering, but now can be purchased separately.
The mixture of turn based and real-time strategy is as good as it has ever been. Players control groups of units on a campaign map, moving their heroes around while expanding and conquering. Upon contacting an enemy unit, the game changes to a large scale war where you manage the army in real time. Watching armies collide has always been exhilarating, but the same concept in a fantasy setting is even more exciting. The different factions are well-balanced, and it does give you an impression that you are playing a role in an epic fantasy battle for the ages.
In previous games each faction felt like a variation of the other but here they all feel much more unique thanks to the fantasy background of the Warhammer franchise. The units are naturally distinct, but they also play differently. For example, Dwarfs and Greenskins can travel underground and use that to their advantage while humans must use diplomacy skills to their benefit. Each race also has individual goals and quests. With this release, most of the issues that made previous games boring and stale have been removed. But certain aspects, such as the wonky camera and still remain.
Almost everything from the past games has been improved or expanded upon. It is deep, complex while remaining fun and rewarding. Warhammer’s rich lore when combined with Total War’s formula has produced one of the finest strategy games in a long time. Total War: Warhammer has already been confirmed as a trilogy of games and if the first game is any indication, the best years of the Total War franchise are yet to come.
