Napoleon: Total War PC

Napoleon: Total War for PC is the sixth installment in one of the most renowned real-time/turn-based strategy series - Total War. This installment was developed by Creative Assembly as well, the developer known also for Stormrise and Viking: Battle for Assgard.

Story

The game takes the player to the Napoleonic era, when the nineteenth century Europe is embroiled in a massive conflict. The game has three separate story campaigns, including the Italian (1796-1797), the Egyptian (1798-1800) and the European (1805-1812). The story begins in the northern part of Italy, and the player becomes a witness of the empire rising first, and collapsing at the end. One can play as Napoleon himself or as one of the heads of the anti-Napoleonic coalition (Great Britain, Russia, Prussia or Austria). Choosing to play as Napoleon, the player is brought to Italy and Egypt first, in order to lead his armies through subsequent battles until the invasion of Moscow. The player is given an opportunity to face the problems Napoleon encountered himself, as well as to understand the decisions he had to make to achieve victory. Moreover, the game allows to take part in several historical campaigns, such as the Battles of Lodi, Arcole, Austerlitz, Borodino, Ligny, Waterloo, Trafalgar or the Battle of the Pyramids.

Gameplay

Napoleon: Total War for PC is not as revolutionary strategy game as Empire: Total War was on its release, but it contains all the advantageous gameplay mechanics of that game. These include mainly both the ground and sea battles in full 3D, detailed maps and extended diplomacy mechanisms. However, the game also has a set of new features making the gameplay more enjoyable. Diplomacy was substantially extened - during the negotiations, the player can now state their demands, insist that some other nation broke their alliance, declared a war or put an embargo on something. The soldiers' nutrition system was added as well. When the player forces their soldiers to traverse harsh terrain, they begin to starve and die afterwards. Entire armies can be destroyed in extreme cases of that. The role of spies was substantially increased in this installment, for not only do they gather information concerning enemy forces, but they can also sabotage their actions and delay their march. Generals are more functional now, because they can sustain the spirit of the subordinate troops and gather the soldiers who are trying to flee the battlefield.

Artificial Intelligence was improved in every aspect of the game. When playing, AI-controlled nations behave in a more logical way. Although units respond quicker and more effectively to the player's commands, it is still more difficult to defeat the enemy than it was in Empire: Total War. Sea battles were enriched with repairs, which have to be made to the ships during the battle. In total, the game offers 322 unique units and more advanced weaponry.

Napoleon himself participates in virtual battles, because the legendary leader is known to have led his soldiers himself, incessantly raising their morale. Rewards for achieving certain goals faster than Napoleon actually did are uniquely valuable and desired.

Technical aspects

Napoleon: Total War for PC brings noticeable improvements of the visuals the players could see in Empire: Total War. Buildings on the battlefields were improved. The environments and details were very accurately recreated in the game. Among other improvements, there is the addition of a large number of new soldiers' faces. Also, weather conditions have their influence on the battle, for example, rain affects gunpowder. Thanks to such elements, the battles are realistic.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer mode is fully functional - there are Steam achievements, gameplay bonuses or the editor of uniforms. When competing against each other, the players can use voice communication. Any battle from the story campaign can be played in the multiplayer mode against another human-controlled opponent.

Last updated on 31 August 2009