Creative Assembly is bringing the Total War series into the pages of Homer's Iliad with the announcement trailer that dropped today for Total War Saga: Troy, the next historical Total War game.
The Total War Saga games are titles that target specific historical events, rather than a sweeping look at an era. The previous game in this series, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, had focused on the Vikings invasion of the British Isles. Total War Saga: Troy will focus specifically on the Trojan War.
When the announcement first came out in August that Total War was taking on Troy, many gamers were left wondering what that meant. Those questions were answered when the announcement trailer opens with the first lines of the famous epic poem, the Iliad, "Rage – Goddess, sing of the rage of Peleus' son Achilles, murderous, doomed." From the rest of the trailer, we see those words (mostly) played out in a great battle. The battle isn't just for show, as Total War: Troy will focus mainly on infantry versus infantry battles. Horses in that time were not a common commodity, and if any were used for military service – which was a rarity – they were more often used to pull chariots than as heavy cavalry. This will force gamers to develop new strategies based on the dynamic new elements involved with light, medium, and heavy infantry.
According to the Steam store page, players will have the opportunity to experience both sides of the conflict, Greek and Trojan. The store page also promises eight iconic heroes and a character-led narrative, suggesting a lean more toward the grounded China setting in Total War: Three Kingdoms than the grand effects of Warhammer 2.
Though the Total War series has already explored the Ancient Rome era with Total War: Rome and Total War: Rome 2, the A Total War Saga: Troy game opens a new layer of strategy. By utilizing much of the myth and legend of the Iliad, a new gameplay element is getting added in the form of Gods and Favor. Though instead of the grand spells and abilities from something like Total War: Warhammer, this system seems to offer more of a sense of influence and bonuses. Players will have the option to devote themselves to a deity and earn a range of benefits specific to that deity, though we don't yet know exactly how many gods will be available at launch.
With more infantry-focused combat, godly powers that are more spiritual than actual, and a barter-based economy than a currency-driven one, one must ask: will there be mythological creatures? Unlike the High Elves from Total War: Warhammer 2, the developers are focusing on as much of the truth of the events than the wild myths, the answer isn't a yes, but not necessarily a no, either. Instead, the focus will be to present mythological creatures as authentically as possible, introducing them as what their true forms might have been at the time that then grew into legend.
There's a lot to appreciate in the new addition to the series for both fans of ancient myth and the in-depth strategy of the Total War games.
Total War Saga: Troy is set to release in 2020 on PC.