Total War: Attila

With this chapter, Creative Assembly brings the Total War franchise to a new level. You can consider it a great - and fresh - start.

Like the man himself, Attila is brutal, unforgiving and complex, and all the better for it. A triumph. [April 2015, p.68]

Attila builds on the legacy of Rome II and delivers a great combination of deep strategic experience and epic atmosphere.

Attila offers a new "horde" mechanic and re-introduces obsolete game-play elements like the family trees progression back into the Total War series. In general, it should be considered a much better version of Rome 2 in every aspect, in a more interesting historical setting. Should you find yourself in a dilemma between Rome II: Emperor Edition and Attila, I would definitely suggest the latter.

If you don’t like the Total War series in general, there might not be enough revolution here to change your mind. But if you’ve appreciated the series in the past, even in passing, Atilla deserves to be given a whirl. Learn the ins and outs, and you’ve got days worth of content right here.

Total War: Attila brings exciting new mechanics into a "survival" experience, while the Middle Ages approach for everyone. Live the last years of the Roman Empire or be Attila, the "Scourge of God", and set on fire the whole Europe.

Total War: Attila reveals itself as a worthy successor to the Total War series with many improvements and interesting new mechanics. It can be said that we have finally found the game that Rome II should have been. It's a pity that we had to wait till this new implementation to see the wishes of the fans satisfied. At least we have gained a new and exciting Era for the series such as the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Huns. Now, it's time for Europe to tremble.

For the uninitiated, Total War: Attila does a good enough job introducing a very detailed world and mechanics.

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.

Highly recommend for armchair generals with an interest in that epoch of history and lots of time to get into the game.

The horde and all that comes with its invasions really gives a new spin to the gameplay. Rome II fans will feel at home, especially when playing sedentary populations, but when you take control of the nomads, everything feels fresh. Moreover, the devs took care in solving some of the main issues of the predecessor. That's more than enough to please fans and newcomers as well, even if the core gameplay remains the same.

The time-period, focused campaign, new migration aspects, fleshed out political intrigue, and consistently grand battles make this feel like a Total War game aimed squarely at fans of the series.

It delivers what is expected from the franchise: a great, deep experience. It also offers some new, tweaked gameplay to make it feel fresh.

Total War: Attila is a complex and diverse strategy game that will offer returning Total War fans their fair share of ups and downs.

This is more of an enhanced edition of Rome II than anything else, but it manages to mend the biggest problems of its predecessor. [March 2015]

Total War: Attila clearly goes beyond the usual add-on, but it hardly can be considered as sequel. Despite the serious work on the bugs and several significant innovations it is almost the same Rome II. This is what Rome II should have been from the very beginning – with hard, dynamic and diverse gameplay which is equally alluring both to green neophytes and hardened professionals. [Issue #195, p.58]

A barbarous twist on Rome II, with a handful of fixes.

Creative Assembly's passion and dedication to their Total War machine is evident with ATTILA. It's not for everyone, but for those that enjoy the series, this has all the makings of a superb entry.

The additions and tweaks to Total War: Attila definitely makes it a little simpler to navigate for Total War veterans. But newcomers may struggle with coming to terms with all the features of the game and it will take a fair investment of time to learn the ins and outs.

Attila is an adept refinement of Rome 2. From the desperately paced campaign map down to each individual skirmish on the ash-specked earth, it’s a cleaner, better thought-out experience.

Attila does for Rome II what Napoleon did for Empire: Total War – it expands the elements that were good, skillfully covers up the shortcomings and presents some ideas for the future. [04/2015, p.50]

Relax - this Total War game is a return to form for Creative Assembly, with a very engaging setting. [Apr 2015, p.64]

New players will struggle at first but for those willing to invest the time, Total War: Attila’s deep pockets repay that investment with a varied and deep campaign and a plethora of additional content.

Total War Attila is a complex and challenging strategy game. It's a minor evolution of Rome II, but the campaign is rich and offers good new features. Just be careful as always : you'll need a powerful PC to play it properly.

It is, across the board, an improvement on Rome II, despite some issues that have been carried over.

With a little more focus to its early stages, these might have been forgiven; as it is, as fine a game as Attila might be, it stands more as a refinement than a revolution for the series.

Total War: Attila brings an under-explored time period to bare to create a great setting and system of mechanics for a strategy game based more on tearing down your enemies than building up your own empire, but it's still plagued with some issues inherent to the Total War franchise.

While Attila has most of the issues that accompanied Rome 2, it manages to stand on its own with some nice all around improvements and a strong, exciting campaign story in a brand new historical era for the Total War series.

Despite the long turns and multitude of menus, Total War: Attila succeeds because it gets you invested in your armies and the period of time.

Well done, Creative Assembly. Attila is the game that Rome 2 should have been. It still has its flaws but this fifth century survival strategy is quite entertaining.

Total War: Attila doesn’t radically shift things in the franchise, and the new gameplay additions are most welcome. Siege escalation and razing are great to have as options, and the ability to play the campaign from distinctly different perspectives and playstyles gives you a reason to come back for more.

Total War: Attila has itself firmly set on bringing a great representation of the Total War gameplay. This is the best point to begin playing if newcomers are interested in sampling their first Total War, while fans can feel better knowing what to expect with a working title at launch.

Total War: Attila is as painstakingly difficult as it is rewarding.

Total War: Attila isn't a revolutionary game; it's like an upgraded version of Total War: Rome II. Nevertheless, the collapse of Rome is a very interesting time period and Attila has little core difference. (nomadic life, epidemic etc.)

Only a minor evolution of Rome II, and with many of the same bugbears, but the stunning visuals and deep strategy bring a fascinating period of history fully to life.

There’s so much going on here that it can be overwhelming at times – a problem not helped by the cumbersome UI – but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more accurate depiction of what it’s like to wage war.

Even though it doesn’t innovate much from its predecessors, it stays true the core mechanics that has made the Total War series some of the best strategy games to date.

Attila has much in common with his predecessor - both regarding their pros and cons. At the same time he is able to cause completely new feelings of bloodlust, melancholy and historical fascination. But above all Atilla is a very entertaining game with a good core and great extras so you are able to forgive its few issues.

Atilla is the same for Rome II, as Napoleon was for Empire - a very interesting and playable expansion. But is Total War: Attila interesting for fans of the entire series? Definitely! It's a game aimed at Medieval II enthusiasts. You get diverse factions, a correct strategy map and a great nation management system based on a tech tree and family tree. It's not perfect but it is very good.

Total War: Attila is more a Rome II.5 than a completely new chapter in the saga, but it is also a game that solves many of the problems of its predecessor.

By combining an improved UI with deeper strategic gameplay, Total War: Attila increments on Creative Assembly’s formula to deliver a strategy game (almost) worthy of its namesake.

Attila isn’t as revolutionary as its name suggests, but at the same time it's an impressive strategy game.

Perhaps it’s best to think of it this way: If the occasional AI glitch or incoming onslaught of paid DLC gives you unbearable or unwanted flashbacks to Rome II, then you may want to avoid Attila altogether. But for everyone else, you’d be remiss to deprive yourself of a rich, captivating experience that, though not quite perfect now, will likely achieve true greatness via updates well before its successor arrives.

Total War: Attila is the return to form that the series desperately needed.

All things considered, this is a solid Total War game that, while being far from revolutionary and requiring just a little bit more polish before official release, will be far better than Total War Rome 2 can ever hope to be.

Creative Assembly's award-winning strategy now comes in a brand new flavor, and it bears all the hallmarks of a franchise rejuvenated.

Total War: Attila is challenging, complex and often frustrating but it's also a satisfying simulation of life in a world of unfolding chaos and constant violence.

To say Total War: Attila is complex would be an understatement. At times it can feel like you are studying for a final exam. If you manage to get past the steep learning curve however, Total War: Attila is a rewarding historical strategy game. There’s a wide range of possibilities on the battlefield and conflicts are a marvelous sight to behold. Unfortunately a few technical problems and an insignificant political system hold it back from greatness.

Total War: Attila is a lot like Rome 2, but it adds a few fun new elements like nomadic tribes. The political defense system can be seen as a nice add on as well. Too bad this game makes you wait, a lot.

Overall, Total War: Attila ends up being a pretty enjoyable game.

Total War Attila is a complementary episode, not a major one. And its target is clearly not to change the successful mix from Total War: Rome 2, rather develop it in another direction.

A gritty, satisfying coda. [Apr 2015, p.118]

As one of the premiere strategy series, this feels like an almost budget expansion pack. Whilst there is plenty of game, you’ve got to wonder about the number of unplayable factions.

This game takes many hours to play a campaign, which is a definite plus, but those hours can be quite tedious when cutscene loading and strange hang-ups occur.

Total War: Attila iterates on Total War: Rome II. It represents an interesting diversion for fans of the series, but a lack of of new ideas and polish mean it's unlikely to appeal to a wider audience.

Total War Attila is a beautiful game, although it's not that different from the previous Total War entries. The rag-doll physics look good, but the warship gameplay falls a little flat compared to the rest of this very well made game.

The scale of the battles, the depth of the seemingly innumerable mechanics all point to well-crafted title, but if I were to never play a Total War game again, I’d be perfectly fine with that.

An entertaining, safe and a bit dull conclusion to the Total War-series Roman trilogy. The news that comes in the form of nomadic people and focus on the use of fire is fun but otherwise it's mostly the same as in previous games. Unfortunately it also reflects on the AI, long loading times and a menu system that slows down the experience. Nevertheless it's a reliable investment for loyal fans of the series.

A deep strategy game that may be too complex for newbies and lacks equilibrium on its gameplay for being more than a correct just one more try on the run toward the perfect war game.

Total War: Attila threads the tricky territory between sequel and expansion, and although it benefits from all the improvements made to Total War: Rome II, it’s too similar to its predecessor to stand above it.

Attila is more of the same and a little bit extra, then, not as convincingly realized as the best Total Wars, but strong enough to keep you clicking until the inevitable patches and expansions trickle in.

Creative Assembly needs to put extra effort into the making of the upcoming Total War: Warhammer so as not to lose the last vestiges of the studio’s credibility.

Total War: Attila is definitely one for the long-time fans. It’s a shame that the new mechanics are buried beneath an absurd difficulty curve and an unhelpful tutorial, but with enough patience and practice (lots of it), Attila will reveal itself a nice step forward for the Total War series.

A long-sung series like Total War doesn't need to reinvent its formula each time it charges fifty dollars; but, setting even a well-made sequel in the crumbling legacy of the once-mighty may not have been a good choice.