The Total War series by Creative Assembly, now Sega, has spanned numerous eras of human history, evolving its mix of Turn-Based and RTS gameplay. Then, they moved to the fantasy setting of Warhammer and now to the far future with Total War: Warhammer 40,000.
This is a match made in heaven. Massive armies, constant strategy-making, and army customization mix all aspects of 40k fans to bring them in. Even as someone who isn’t too familiar with Total Wars but an enjoyer of RTSs, the whole spectacle of Total War Warhammer 40k is undeniable.
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As part of a hands-on experience at a recent Sega event, we got to play the tutorial, a campaign mission against an Ork army, and a late-game big battle. The tutorial did a pretty good job of getting even a casual player of these types of games familiar with all the different ways to control each type of Marine troop available.
More complex than the average RTS game.
The campaign mission gave a taste of the inter- and intra-planetary conquest involved in the turn-based aspect of the game. Things such as selecting areas to build out more resources or choosing to attack an Ork stronghold and begin a fight was all there. Yet it was fun to zoom out and see the grandeur of Total War: Warhammer 40k’s space and how the fighting can expand to numerous different locations. The most prominent ones, though, that were tested out were war-torn cities.
With the fighting, there was a lot going on at once. Hopefully the easing into the RTS aspect is more gradual so casual fans and newcomers can grasp what all the buttons do. Because there are a LOT of buttons on the screen, making for a way more complex experience than any average RTS game. Yet the whole spectacle of far-future warfare was undeniable.
Flashy attacks, bombing runs from orbit, and the dropping of troops created a wonderfully grotesque depiction of war. Even the Commander abilities, one usable being summoning a huge fire tornado to tear through larger enemy armies, was like looking at a fire burn and burn with awe.
Total War Warhammer 40k promises fun for all types of fans.
Even zooming in for a closer look at the battle revealed the sheer amount of detail in not only the Marines’ and Ork designs but also the landscape. Like if you see cover, you can move troops accordingly to hide behind building rubble. Similarly, watching a Dreadnought or an Annihilator roll up to an Ork boss or heavy unit and tear into them is simply cool to watch play out at that scale.
Total War Warhammer 40k is going to attract both Total War and 40k fans alike. It’s the best of both worlds. More turn-based RTS with futuristic battles to command, and a great way to get into the tabletop game and figure painting. Particularly with being able to design your army’s color palette (though not at the level of actually painting the figures) adds a sense of ownership in what you’re playing.
Even people who aren’t familiar with Games Workshop’s massive and ever-expanding universe will have a great time watching and controlling these massive killing machines on a grand scale. Heavy emphasis on scale.
Total War Warhammer 40k is coming soon to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 with no set release date or release window yet.
