As a reviewer, I get to try out a lot of games that I might not otherwise get a chance to. The Total War series has always impressed me, and the brief attempts I have made in the past to get into the ROME series proved overwhelming. With our lone resident Total War expert unable to assist, I have attempted to brave the world of Total War: ATTILA. I found myself awestruck with the passion of the developers and the intricate details and immense scope the game offers, but it’s ultimately not for me. Allow me to elaborate a bit.
It’s obvious why this series is so beloved by many players. An interest in the subject matter and the period in history — in this case, around 370AD — is important, and that’s already one point of contention for me. Morever, ATTILA is, to no surprise to anyone familiar with the franchise, loaded with strategy both on and off of the battlefield. Taking your enemies to task on the battlefield and conquering more land is only part of the experience — managing diplomacy, economy, plague outbreaks, and now internal politics and relationships within your government and family (largely new to ATTILA) are all facets of gameplay that you will have to take charge of.
But that’s not to say you’re doing this cold turkey — I was provided with a very helpful PDF guide for understanding elements to the game, including the list of all ten playable factions, their starting points in the world map, and potential strategies for starting the campaign for each. I know it’s not apples to apples, and call me old school, but having ten playable factions is incredible (I’m used to 3-4, ala C&C, etc). There’s a reason why many call this series ‘grand strategy’ instead of typical strategy. While I can’t share said guide (it was helpful, but certainly not necessary to enjoy ATTILA), I would advise anyone to start with The Prologue which will hold your virtual hand in getting you started in the basics. It doesn’t take very long to get through, and the advice and basics you learn will go a long way. Of note, within the Options there are toggles for adjusting how much assistance your Aids will provide you, as well as being able to adjust if they appear in the upper left corner of your HUD in video, or if their tips are text-based only, etc. I left these all enabled in my time playing and never found it to be a nuisance, but veterans of the series might.
Regardless of which of the ten factions you play as — Visigoths, Ostrogoths, the Western or Eastern Roman Empire, Saxons, Alans, Franks, Vandals, Sassanid Empire, or the Huns — the basic goal of conquer and expand remains the primary focus. Sometimes just destroying areas is better than conquering them, something the Huns specialize in. The Huns and Visigoths use raid tactics as a means to their ends, which gives them the flexibility to remain largely nomadic and, against the more structured factions, a serious threat. ATTILA, from what I have experienced and read, puts a lot more emphasis on keeping the players on their toes. Largely due to my inexperience and lack of skill in this series, I never felt “comfortable” as my fledgling empire began to take shape. The world is constantly changing, alliances being formed and broken, and now even climate changes can cause significant shifts in how factions behave and interact across the world map. Indeed, whether it be tending to internal strife and intrigue in the new Family Tree system or just, you know, trying to survive, players can expect to remain very much engaged.
And with that, let’s get to the summary…