As much as I want to love this game, and while the early campaign is genuinely fun, I can’t fully recommend it. This isn’t a positive review so much as a neutral one, and that mainly comes down to one major issue the endgame. It’s a slog and even by Total War standards, that’s saying something. By the time I reached the late stages of my Hector campaign, I was forcing myself to finish rather than actually enjoying it. I’ve completed the game twice once when it originally released for free on Epic Games, where I played Achilles, and more recently after purchasing it, where I played as Hector. From both runs, it really feels like the game was designed more with the Greek factions in mind. Their path to victory feels smoother and more natural, while the Trojan side tends to drag on and become a grind. I stuck to Historical mode rather than Mythological since I kept seeing that it was the better way to play, and I can see why. Even then, there are noticeable issues especially with pathfinding and how generals and troops can have very different movement speeds, which can throw off engagements in frustrating ways.

The units themselves are fun to use, but they’re clearly limited by the Bronze Age setting. After a while, the lack of variety starts to show, and battles can feel a bit samey. Chariots were also a bit disappointing they’re slower and less impactful than I expected. Maybe that’s more historically accurate, but from a gameplay standpoint, they just don’t feel as powerful or exciting as they should.

Diplomacy is all over the place and can feel inconsistent or even random at times. The limited number of agents is also frustrating, though I understand it’s there for balance. On the positive side, the battle maps are well designed and actually encourage some creative strategies thanks to their layouts, which helps keep battles interesting even when the unit variety doesn’t. I do really like the Bronze Age setting, though. There’s something immersive about it, and it does a good job capturing that epic, myth inspired war atmosphere. That said, once you’ve played through each faction type, it starts to feel like you’ve seen everything the game has to offer. It doesn’t have the same staying power as other entries in the series. It reminds me a lot of Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia a game I also enjoyed, but it's quite similar as it felt smaller in scope and limited in replayability. This ends up being a similar experience strong at first, but it doesn’t quite hold up in the long run. I’d only recommend this to die hard Total War fans who want to experience something a bit different for a couple of playthroughs. For everyone else, it’s a decent game, but one that never quite reaches its full potential.

The kind of video game you see in a TV show playing in the background. Neat visuals. Absolutely abysmal UI and campaign map

Great Game, Playing in Historic Mode as Thrace. I like the 5 resource system!