Next installment in the epic strategy game series, introduced by Creative Assembly in 2000. After a series of titles set in different historical periods, the developers decided to take players into one of the most famous fantasy universes, created by the Games Workshop company. In the dark universe of Warhammer, different races constantly fight for power and world domination, unaware of the fact that the real threat comes from a mighty force from the north. The game lets become the leader of one of several races, including humans, orcs, goblins, dwarves, vampires, and others. Disregarding the fantasy elements, the gameplay does not differ significantly from the previous games in the series, with epic real-time battles lying at its core. Between the battles the gameplay switches to a turn-based mode, where on a world map you develop your country, its economy, and establish diplomatic relations with other nations.
Story
In this universe, several different races wage war against each other to take control over the Old World, while keeping at bay the demonic forces of Chaos that invade the realm. There are four playable factions in the game, each one with a powerful leader. Humans from the Empire are led by the emperor Karl Franz, whose aim is to unite the broken forces of Prince-Electors. Grimgor Ironhide leads a cruel army of orcs and goblins. High King Thorgrim commands the dwarves, armed with advanced technology based on gunpowder and steam. Finally, the cunning vampires, leading their undead armies, are under the command of Mannfred von Carstein.
Gameplay
Gameplay is not much different from what we saw in recent Total War games. The turn-based gameplay revolves around managing your territories – gathering resources, expanding cities, developing new technologies, trade, diplomacy, recruiting troops and moving armies, etc. At least, that's how the game looks in the model case (the humans), as each race requires a different approach. For example, while playing as the orcs the infrastructure development fades into the background, and the key aspect of "economy" becomes the so-called Waaagh! – the primal battle cry of the greenskins, which becomes an ersatz resource.
The often you engage in combat and win, the more warriors will flock under your command, however, if you start slacking off and lose most of your battles, your armies will melt like snow in spring (e.g. your warriors will pick up fights with each other out of boredom). Each faction has its agents, who serve an important role on the world map. These are the special units, coming in different sorts. They can move around on their own, develop their skills as they succeed in their tasks, and can also take part in battles.
The battles are the second pillar of Warhammer: Total War. They are very spectacular and fought in real time – the visuals have been significantly improved, in comparison to the previous installments in the series. Not only thanks to the advancement in technology, but also the increased variety of units taking part in battles. Depending on the chosen faction, you can use numerous types of infantry and cavalry, more or less conventional siege weapons, artillery, as well as giant beasts and flying creatures. Another novelty are heroes, who can now take part in battles (the abovementioned agents), with heavy emphasis being put on spellcasters, who can utterly change the situation on the battlefield with their devastating magic.
Game modes
The game is not set in any particular moment in history of the Warhammer universe. The campaign has a sandbox-like structure, and the player shapes the game's story by completing selected missions. Missions can also represent some canonical events that happened in the history of the Old World (e.g. the Storm of Chaos) and often provide your heroes with powerful artifacts or aid your faction in other ways.
