Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Reviews
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia experiments with the series' formula to great effect, creating a compelling, epic setting that is refreshing to play for series' newcomers and veterans alike.
Anglo-Saxons, Gaelic clans and Viking settlers battle for Brittania and the glory of forging a great empire. A change from the usual Total War games but a potential gateway to newcomers.
It's understandable why some people have gripes with Britannia but it's the expected grips from changes to the main formula. As this isn't main total war game but the first of their Saga series, Creative Assembly have the chance to just mess around and try new ideas. Britannia is a breath of fresh air for the Historical total war games as the last two we had to use were very much and up and down affair.
If you're looking for a deep, highly realistic experience, this is exactly where you want to be.
Thrones of Britannia is a nice new view of the Total War franchise and the changes made by Creative Assembly seems to be the future for it.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Although it's not expansive enough compared to other games in the franchise, Thrones of Britannia does make a great progress because of the depth of stratage.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia makes a hearty meal out of pig-sticking, pillaging, and politics.
While Total War has often focussed on the big picture, Thrones of Britannia shows there's plenty of scope for a series of Total War Saga offshoots to explore the smaller conflicts and civil wars through history.
Thrones of Britannia offers extensive tactical depth, but a lot of the time you won't need it.
Historical strategy isn't everybody's cup of tea, and this isn't the most broadly accessible historical strategy game. It plays to a niche of gamers who want more realism and in-depth management, and who like wrestling with the politics, warfare and complex challenges of a specific period and place. Even as someone who likes Total War, I wasn't sure whether I was having a good time for the first few hours.
The various factions really give a different feel to each playthrough, so there's huge scope for replayability here.
Thrones of Britannia is a very good start of the Total War Saga series. It's not a revolutionary or an amazing title, but it has interesting and fresh elements that can attract players and gather new followers of the genre. This new approach to the brand – to make smaller and historically accurate games – makes me extremely happy.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Total War Saga tries to make the series more accessible. They succeed, but there is still room for improvement. A must-have, but only for fans.
Review in Polish | Read full review
All in all, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is solid entry in the franchise. It's not exactly the most accessible for newcomers but once you come to grips with its depth and scale, you're treated to solid sessions of political intrigue, backstabbing, and drama galore.
This is truly a Total War Saga– a smaller entry in a venerable series that's not interesting in rocking the boat.
If medieval history is your thing, then this is the Total War for you.
Though there are plenty things to gripe about, from the lack of diplomatic options (like subterfuge) to a relatively dull selection of cultures, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is still a wonderful experience for both new and veteran gamers. With the seemingly smaller scale, Thrones of Britannia feels more intimate than Total War titles of the past, which adds a certain personal touch to the overall feel of the game. While Total War: Shogun 2 is still the crème-de-la-crème of the Total War franchise, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a wonderful addition to the longstanding and beloved franchise.
The first Total War Saga game tries a lot of new things, succeeding at about half of them. It improves on a few areas historical Total War games have struggled with, but at the same time falls back into some bad, old habits that other games in the series were able to rise above. The overall tapestry reads as more than competent, and I could watch hardened huskarls with their massive axes crash into a Saxon shield wall all day. But there are too many blemishes for me to place it alongside some of its truly great peers like Attila and Warhammer.
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia has flaws, but it condenses properly the Total War formula in a more accessible way and, before all else, carves the optimum path for the forthcoming spin-offs.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a more streamlined, sleeker and quicker Total War than those before it. However, the changes to make it like this offer new opportunities and one of the more tactical campaign maps than ever before. While it still suffers from some issues, like boring end game and being altogether too easy, there's still a whole lot to gain from playing Thrones of Britannia.