Graphics suck and are full of visual issues and the gameplay is boring and unsatisfying
I got this game on a severe discount and I saw why people were so disappointed with it. The card art in it was neat though.
The fact this came out seven years after Shogun 2 blows my mind. I really believed it was one of the earlier titles. It is definitely not up to series par. Graphics are grainy, the gameplay is simplified, and there's only a few playable factions.
That said, it is still the same core experience of the other Total War games. They're all basically the same game but with different themes. So if you want the Viking, Anglo-Saxon, or Celtic theme, there you have it.
That said, it is still the same core experience of the other Total War games. They're all basically the same game but with different themes. So if you want the Viking, Anglo-Saxon, or Celtic theme, there you have it.
I really wanted to like this heading in. I knew it had mixed reviews, but as a fan of history and Total War, I hoped to enjoy my time with it. However, the game is a disappointment.
I'm not even disappointed in the gameplay, as the loop is identical to every other TW game. It's the presentation of information to the player that frustrated me. The UI for this game is a huge step backwards from the progress made from Rome 2 > Attila > Warhammer.
Settlements on the campaign map don't display information such as public order, you need to click into them. Provinces in the strategic map don't even show province names at all. The politics page is as clunky as ever, and the new estates window had me so baffled I had to stare at it for 10 minutes before making sense of what I was even looking at.
Britannia is a TW game that doesn't change the formula much. Veterans of the series will understand it immediately. However the game does have a new levy system (slow replenishment + unit caps) which on paper seemed like an excellent and immersive idea, but in execution results in your armies waiting many turns to replenish....which doesn't make for compelling gameplay. It never has in any TW game. Standing around waiting for things is not entertaining.
I enjoy the historical period, and CA's usual attention to detail, I even like the battle maps. I can't remember the last time a river split a map in half in a TW game. The game runs relatively well, which was a relief after the tragically and horribly optimised Attila. But ultimately the game's UI hindered my enjoyment so much I can't see myself returning to this one, unless I have a desperate need to briefly dip my toes into the early medieval era.
I'm not even disappointed in the gameplay, as the loop is identical to every other TW game. It's the presentation of information to the player that frustrated me. The UI for this game is a huge step backwards from the progress made from Rome 2 > Attila > Warhammer.
Settlements on the campaign map don't display information such as public order, you need to click into them. Provinces in the strategic map don't even show province names at all. The politics page is as clunky as ever, and the new estates window had me so baffled I had to stare at it for 10 minutes before making sense of what I was even looking at.
Britannia is a TW game that doesn't change the formula much. Veterans of the series will understand it immediately. However the game does have a new levy system (slow replenishment + unit caps) which on paper seemed like an excellent and immersive idea, but in execution results in your armies waiting many turns to replenish....which doesn't make for compelling gameplay. It never has in any TW game. Standing around waiting for things is not entertaining.
I enjoy the historical period, and CA's usual attention to detail, I even like the battle maps. I can't remember the last time a river split a map in half in a TW game. The game runs relatively well, which was a relief after the tragically and horribly optimised Attila. But ultimately the game's UI hindered my enjoyment so much I can't see myself returning to this one, unless I have a desperate need to briefly dip my toes into the early medieval era.