Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics video game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, released on 3 May 2018 for Windows. The game was brought to macOS and Linux by Feral Interactive on 24 May 2018[1] and 7 June 2018 respectively.[2] It is the twelfth game in the Total War series of video games.[3]

Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
Developer(s)Creative Assembly
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Jack Lusted
Designer(s)
  • Paul Strong
  • Craig Kirby
  • Laura Kampis
  • Joy Dey
Programmer(s)Mihai Simionescu
Artist(s)Nick Tresadern
Writer(s)
  • Chris Gambold
  • Martin Montford
  • Jaine Fenn
Composer(s)Jack Melham
SeriesTotal War
Platform(s)Windows, macOS, Linux
Release
  • Windows: 3 May 2018
  • macOS: 24 May 2018
  • Linux: 7 June 2018
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy, real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

The game is set in the British Isles, 878 AD.[4] There are ten playable factions, including Wessex, Mercia, Circenn, Mide, Gwined, and the Danelaw.[5]

Gameplay

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Like its predecessors, the game is both a turn-based strategy and real-time tactics game. The game takes place in the British Isles in 878 AD, after Alfred the Great defeated the Danes at the Battle of Edington and the signing of the Treaty of Wedmore.[6] Players assume control of various factions including Vikings, British clans and Anglo-Saxons, and compete against each other to be the new king.[7] In the game, players command different military units and move them around the map. They can also fund research for new projects, recruit and manage new characters for their cause, and engage in diplomacy with other factions.[8]

Development

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Thrones of Britannia is the first game in the Total War Saga series, which was developed by Creative Assembly to be a shorter but more focused Total War game by focusing on a particular time period in history instead of being era-spanning.[9] According to Mike Simpson, the series director, the Saga series aims at "putting defined geographical areas under the microscope" with a "strong cultural focus and flavour".[10] Initially the game was set to be released on 19 April 2018, but Creative Assembly delayed the game's launch to 3 May 2018 in order to have extra time for polishing the game.[11]

Reception

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The game has received positive reviews. It has an aggregated score of 75 on Metacritic, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[19] The game garnered some criticism for what some perceived as stripped campaign and issues with combat compared to previous games, and a lack of variation between factions.[20]

The game won the award for "Best Strategy Game" at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2018; its other nominations were for "Best Educational Game", "Best Audio Design", and "Heritage".[21][22]

Notable players

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Gregg Wallace, an English television presenter, entrepreneur and writer, claims to play Thrones of Britannia for two hours a day, starting at 3pm in the afternoon, at the weekends, after spending 90 minutes playing with his son.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Molina, Ric (24 May 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia for Mac is now available". Mac Gamer HQ. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  2. ^ Nestor, Marius (7 June 2018). "A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Video Game Is Now Available for Linux". Softpedia. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  3. ^ Schoenholtz, Noah. "Games". Total War. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  4. ^ Bratt, Chris (11 May 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia review – Creative Assembly returns to historical warfare with mixed results". Eurogamer. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  5. ^ Jones, Sam (1 May 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia – Meet the factions". Fanatical. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  6. ^ KingGobbo, C. A. (15 November 2017). "A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia - Why 878 AD?". Total War. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  7. ^ J. Capel, Chris (3 May 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is out now – here's a new trailer". PCGamesN. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. ^ Campbell, Colin (1 February 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is a deep dive into Viking combat". Polygon. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  9. ^ Morse, Blake (1 February 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones Of Britannia Hands-On: Going Back To The Dark Ages". Shacknews. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  10. ^ Cork, Jeff (14 November 2017). "Sega Launches 'Total War Saga' Series With Thrones Of Britannia". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 16 November 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  11. ^ Ashaari, Alleff (21 March 2018). "Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia Release Date Delayed by Two Weeks". Game Revolution. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  12. ^ "A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  13. ^ Brown, Fraser (19 September 2021). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia PC review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  14. ^ Hafer, TJ (19 September 2021). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia PC review". IGN. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  15. ^ Williams, Mike (19 September 2021). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Review". USgamer. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  16. ^ Lewis, Packwood (19 September 2021). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia PC review". PCGamesN. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  17. ^ Woo, Ginny (19 September 2021). "Total War Saga: Thrones Of Britannia Review - Rule, Britannia". GameSpot. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  18. ^ Dozsa, Preston (30 April 2018). "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Review". CGMagazine. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  19. ^ "A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia". Metacritic.
  20. ^ Plunkett, Luke (15 May 2018). "The new Total War game is a complete mess". Kotaku UK. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  21. ^ Stephenson, Suzi (19 September 2018). "TIGA Announces Games Industry Awards 2018 Finalists". The Independent Game Developers' Association. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  22. ^ "2018 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
  23. ^ Wallace, Gregg (3 February 2024). "Gregg Wallace: I spend two hours every Saturday by myself playing computer strategy games". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
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