A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia

Being a die-hard historical total war fan since Rome 1 back in the early 2000s with next to no love for the Warhammer series, I have been disappointed for a long time since Attila Total War. That said, this one is a nice refresh to the series that I actually enjoyed and felt like I had returned to the nostalgic days of decent historical total war. Music, graphics, interesting story concept and game-play are all done right with this one. Only real down side is that once finished - there is little reason to return. It's a short total war with little room to explore other game-play styles as after the playtime mentioned in this review, I was pretty much finished.
+ Historical Total War days!
+ Music and game-play are refreshing!
+ The Last Kingdom anyone!?
- Repetitive campaigns
- Could not find Uhtred of Bebbanburg

This game is incredibly underrated, i cant grasp why reviewers have given this a bad wrap. I can only assume everyone was expecting some grand huge map like previous titles, but that is not what this game is meant to be. The map is smaller, there is less abundance of units and the replayability is lacking when compared tot he previous titles, but .....
Perfectly suited to Coop with a friend, extremely stable, never once had a desync, and considering the newest title, warhammer III is literally unplayable in multiplayer, i found this very refreshing. The building options in towns are wonderfully fleshed out, tons of options. Diplomacy seemed a lot more realistic, for the first time ever in a total war game, the losing side actually offers to become a vassal, rather than be obliterated. They got rid of the forced march stance, which always seemed dumb to me as it always leads to a 'gotchya' moment eventually. No more super overpowered solo warriors or kings, which i found so unrealistic in previous titles. No more overabundance of spells and abilities, becuase lets face it once you have 20 abilities or spells to use in battle, timing the usage of them becomes a chore.
I much prefer the path this game took compared to 3 kingdoms, warhammer, troy and rome. I do hope they bring out a remake of medieval with the entire map of Europe, using this system, because its much more fun and realistic. Graphics were nice and realistic, and the combat crisp and responsive, definatly worth getting, and a joy to play with a friend. Dont let this one sneak past you just becuase of the reviewers.

Launch and year 1 issues aside.
Thrones of Britannia in its current state, is fully functioning and has had numerous quality-of-life overhauls which resulted in another strong entry in the Total War Historical Saga games, albeit one of smaller scale.
The new campaign politics aiming to have players manage their feudal society is a bit intimidating at first, almost like Crusader Kings. You are King, with heirs and vassals to manage; this comes with a whole host of new ways to approach diplomacy and managing your kingdom as you are responsible for who governs your territories and even choosing who you grant, or strip estates/land/roles from. This is AWESOME!
The ui is not initially intuitive and can be confusing to navigate at first which is the reason I believe, many were turned off by the game early on. It can be quite satisfying later on, as the art-style and design choices that reflect the period with slightly modern touches actually helps create an immersive experience.
Battles mechanics feel great, especially sieges. This is the most personal depiction of siege combat I have felt in any Total War and found ordering my troops through what is clearly a MESSY battle (as sieges would be) and fighting at the gates, walls, streets - it truly felt cinematic and intense.
If you wanted to play the grand strategy, total war version of Assassins Creed: Valhalla - this is basically it.
As a Total War Veteran, you could probably finish a campaign in a weekend.
Your biggest barrier to entry would be if the time-period even interests you, and if you can get past the smaller-scale territorial conquests, limited unit roster (levies and retinues are the bulk of your troops), and smaller but more detailed political management.
As a Total War Newbie, this is a great place to start if the time-period fascinates you but may not be as accessible for its dense political gameplay and kingdom management. If you're coming from Crusader Kings though, you needn't worry.

Playing in 2024 and its my favorite Total War since Shogun 2. Great art direction, awesome and massive siege battles and captivating historical period.

I passed up on this game because of the negative reviews. That was my loss.
If you like your Total War game to have:
Over-powered agents
One man army single entity commanders
Over-powered unit special abilities
Absurd composition of AI armies
Repetitive battles because the AI is able to spawn new armies turn after turn
Battles, the outcome of which is primarily dependent on the rate you can point and click a mouse button

Then this is NOT the game for you.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for a historic Total War title, that has none of the features above, has probably the best siege battles in the series, has a recruitment mechanic that results in diverse and balanced AI armies. Then this may be the game you are looking for. Pick it up in the sale for the price of two coffees.

Fantastic game. If you like the period, Vkings, Last Kingdom etc you should buy, don't listen to the haters.

Your own saga...

I was playing as Alfred and his Wessex when the king of neighboring Mercia suddenly died. The game gave me two options: either stay out of the succession dispute or stake my somewhat dubious claim to the royal crown. I took a risk, clicked on the second option, and prepared for an unpleasant war with a powerful kingdom, albeit one king poorer. Instead, nothing seemed to happen, the game didn't react to my choice, and it was only later that I noticed that Mercia had become my vassal state.
In another situation, as a Viking king from Dublin, I sent a raiding expedition to the French shores. After a few rounds, a series of choices opened up before me as if cut out of a gamebook or text adventure game. Should my ships go by river or by sea? Should they attack Orleans, or continue on? Should they sack the city, or occupy it? Interesting dilemmas, but undermined by one fundamental problem: the game gave me no information to work with at the time. How big is Orleans' garrison? How many men do we have? What can we gain and lose by attacking? My decisions relied more on guesses about what the game probably thinks than on actual strategic thinking.
Other choices cause some regions to break away from their masters, and many kingdoms can use story (or perhaps more accurately, historical) events to expand their territory. For example, the Welsh Gwined can unite all its tribesmen into a large state unit and set off on an expedition against the advancing Anglo-Saxons. At other times, Vikings from East Anglia and Northumbria will fight for the title of the harshest bearded conqueror.

Very nice Britain, very bad user interface. The historical events system sometimes hits the mark, sometimes goes completely wrong. And you won't find any great originality here either. Good fun for Viking lovers. 60%