These are really smart additions, playing homage to Greek mythology while also contextualising them in a realistic setting. The centaurs are essentially men riding horses, while the Minotaur is a huge human warrior who intimidates foes by wearing a bull’s skull as a mask. To make up for this, Creative Assembly has introduced special class units inspired by mythical monsters. Don’t get me wrong, combat is still tactically deep and engrossing, with various map terrains and weather systems keeping you on edge, but seasoned Total War players may be disappointed by the reduced combat options. This also means Troy features one of the least versatile pools of unit types in the series, at least for common troops, resulting in a lot of repetitive combat in the early stages of the game.

This changes the whole dynamic of combat, making it significantly more difficult to mow down fleeing soldiers and counteract the bombardment of arrows from archers.

It took several hours of play before I encountered the first enemy cavalry unit, making them feel more like a super-powered special class rather than the core foundation of the classic rock-paper-scissors formula. The usual swordsmen, spearmen and archers feature, but cavalry is now reserved as special class units. That not only affects the visual looks of buildings and clothing, but also restricts what units are available to recruit for warfare. The Trojan War marks the earliest point in history that the Total War series has ever tackled. One of the most notable differences is the time period. Mythical monsters and Greek Gods still play a major part here, but you’re limited to human troops and worshipping the likes of Zeus will only grant you combat and productivity buffs rather than allowing you to obliterate the battlefield with lightning bolts.īy balancing fact with fiction, Creative Assembly succeeds at retaining the engrossing combat realism of its historical epics, while also adding a splash of mythical flavour to entice newcomers and keep hardcore fans on their toes with new twists to the tried-and-tested Total War blueprint. Resisting the urge to go full Warhammer and embrace the fantasy aspect of the Trojan War, Creative Assembly has reimagined the epic through more grounded goggles. While Creative Assembly has built a reputation of recreating famous wars with astonishing accuracy, it’s been forced to adopt a more creative license for Troy, with historians knowing relatively little about the Bronze Age period. But by tackling the Trojan War, the latest entry has marched into uncharted territory with the Bronze Age setting and sprinkling of Greek Mythology introducing some game-changing tweaks. A Total War Saga: Troy is ridiculously addictive, featuring the same strategy-rich combat that Creative Assembly’s popular turn-based series is renowned for.

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