Total War: Attila
Release Date: February 17, 2015
Strategy, RTS, turn-based, ancient history, historical, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet
OpenCritic
Steam
Another chapter in the Total War large-scale strategy game series, created and developed by the Creative Assembly studio. After a couple of sequels to the earlier installments in the series (e.g. Medieval, Shogun, and Rome), the developers took on a new great historical figure. The game is set in the late 4th and the early 5th century CE.
Total War: Attila is a grand strategy game with turn-based empire management and real-time battles. It was developed by Creative Assembly studio, the authors of all previous installments of the series.
The action begins in the year 395, more than eighty years before the collapse of the western part of the Roman empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages, thus allowing to play a truly fascinating and rarely used in games period in history. The campaign focuses on a relatively short time period, at least by series standards, but pursues it in much greater detail. Among the playable factions are the major powers of the period, ranging from both parts of the declining Roman Empire, the young kingdoms of the Franks and Saxons and numerous tribes of wandering barbarians, to the nomadic Huns and the oriental Sassanid Empire. Thanks to the variety of starting situations and victory conditions, each faction is played differently, so that both novice strategists and veterans of the series looking for a real challenge will find something for themselves in Attila.
Just like previous installments of the series, Total War: Attila is a mix of RTS and turn-based strategy. We fight gigantic battles in real time, in which thousands of soldiers can take part. On the other hand, a strategic layer takes place in turns, requiring us to take care of the economic, military and technological development of our subjects and diplomatic relations. At the same time, the authors have introduced a number of new features designed to fully reflect the military, social and religious turmoil of the time. Fans will be particularly pleased by the return of the family tree, which was missing in Rome II, thanks to which we get the opportunity to sow intrigues, appoint officials, manage families and relations between specific citizens. In addition, pestilence has become a deadly threat, and if we do not keep the cities clean, their populations can quickly fall victim to a variety of plagues. Diseases can also bring enemy armies to the centers of civilization during clashes and sieges. The game also realistically reflects the religious and even weather situation, forcing players to station armies in cities and field camps during the winter, or to prepare supplies given the climatic changes that were occurring in Europe at the time. General cooling caused worse crops and resulted in regular famines.
Battles, on the other hand, are enriched by the ability to make clever use of fire, with engine improvements making it able to realistically spread and engulf buildings and sow panic among defenders. In addition, Creative Assembly studio has improved the user interface (the classic images of troops have been returned and their identification on the battlefield has been simplified) and significantly improved the graphics, both on the tactical map and during battles. The entire game has been made with enormous attention to historical realism, so that it could reproduce the realities of that period as faithfully as possible.
Last updated on August 14, 2015
Last Update: March 10, 2015
Total War: Attila Game Guide
Guide to Total War: Attila is a very extensive compendium of knowledge about this hard and challenging game.
Videos and Screens
[1:17] Total War: Attila Slavic Nations DLC - trailer
[1:42] Total War: Attila Empires of Sand DLC - trailer
PC Gamer: 83 / 100 by Dan Griliopoulos
A barbarous twist on Rome II, with a handful of fixes.
GamesBeat: 88 / 100 by Dean Takahashi
As with Rome II, the positives outweigh the annoyances. Creative Assembly has been very ambitious with Total War: Attila, and the game is a lot more compelling than its predecessor. It feels more balanced. The A.I. is smarter, but a human general can still beat it. But the unrelenting weight of a collapsing empire pushes a human ruler to the limit. If you simply survive for a while, you'll feel like you've won the game.
COGconnected: 77 / 100 by Doug Mercer
[F]ans of the Total War series will certainly enjoy this one and there's enough here to wrangle in some new players even if it may be a little daunting at first.
The main pros of the game
- Atmosphere and Setting: Many users praised the game's immersive atmosphere and historical setting, particularly the focus on the decline of empires and survival during a tumultuous period.
- Gameplay Mechanics: The unique campaign gameplay, especially the expanded horde mechanics and migration system for barbarian factions, was highlighted as a refreshing change from other Total War titles.
- Modding Community: The availability and quality of mods, such as "Fireforged Empires" and "1212 AD," significantly enhance the gaming experience.
- Challenge and Depth: Players noted that the game offers a more challenging experience compared to its predecessor, Rome II, with deeper city management and faction differences.
- Replay Value: The diverse gameplay options and historical events contribute to high replayability.
The main cons of the game
- Performance Issues: A significant number of reviews pointed out poor optimization, leading to long loading times, crashes, and low frame rates even on high-end systems.
- AI Problems: Users reported issues with both battle and campaign AI, describing it as unreliable and often reliant on cheating.
- Diplomacy and Game Mechanics: Many found the diplomacy system lacking and noted that managing characters within the government can be cumbersome.
- DLC Concerns: There were complaints about the numerous DLCs, with some players feeling that essential content should have been included in the base game.
The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users
- Polishing and Bug Fixes: Players expressed a desire for better overall polish and fewer bugs, particularly related to mod management and game stability.
- Multiplayer Improvements: Issues with multiplayer functionality, especially regarding the Western Roman campaign, were highlighted, with calls for better optimization to support multiplayer experiences.
- Enhanced AI: Many reviews called for improvements to the AI, both in battles and in campaign strategy, to provide a more challenging and engaging experience.
- Greater Diversity Among Factions: Some users felt that the barbarian factions lacked distinctiveness, with similar skins and mechanics across different groups.
Summary
- Overall, while Total War: ATTILA is celebrated for its immersive gameplay and historical depth, it faces criticism for performance issues and AI shortcomings, with a strong emphasis on the value of mods in enhancing the experience.
Summary generated on:
GAMERS Score
Average score from 701 votes. 298 players anticipated the game.
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Game Series
Total War Series
The highly popular series of strategy games by British studio Creative Assembly. The series Total War successfully combines elements of turn-based strategy, based on resource management, as well as tactical battles fought in real time. Since 2005, the series has been under the publishing supervision of Sega. In 2010 it was decided to make a change in the naming of the series, making its main element a member of the Total War, previously being only a subtitle.
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Total War: Attila Summary
Platforms:
PC / Windows
Developer: Creative Assembly
Publisher: Sega
Total War: Attila System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core 2 Duo 3 GHz, 3 GB RAM, graphic card 512 MB GeForce 8800 GT/ Radeon HD 2900 XT or better, 35 GB HDD, Windows Vista 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i5 3.9 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 560Ti/ Radeon HD 5870 or better, 35 GB HDD, Windows 7 64-bit
Rise of Mordor Mod Removed From Mod DB at Request of Warner Bros
Warner Bros. has recalled it owns the rights to the Lord of the Rings movie universe. As a result, a mod developed for years, called Rise of Mordor for Total War: Atilla, disappeared from Mod DB.
video games
Jacob Blazewicz
February 12, 2022
Total War: Attila - Age of Charlemagne announced, available on December 10
Creative Assembly announced Total War: Attila - Age of Charlemagne, the second campaign pack for their latest strategy game. The expansion will let players establish their kingdoms in early Middle Ages.
video games
November 25, 2015