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A Total War Saga: Troy
By David Chapman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
The myth of the Trojan War gets a dose of reality.
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A Total War Saga: Troy
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What’s It About?
The premise behind A TOTAL WAR SAGA: TROY is "What if the stories of myth were based on reality?" The game revisits the tale of the 20-year war between the kingdoms of Troy and Mycenaean Greece as it's told in Homer's Iliad, but reimagines it as events that might actually have taken place. Creatures of myth are replaced with real-world units that could have served as the basis for Homer's romanticized stories. For instance, instead of sirens luring sailors to their doom with an irresistible song sung at the rocky shores, it's a troop of sultry women seducing hapless soldiers and leading them into a nearby ambush. The half-man, half-beast Minotaur is no less frightening as an ax-wielding brute of a man wearing the fur and head of a bull. You'll choose the hero to lead your armies, from the seemingly invincible Achilles to the prideful King of Mycenae, Agamemnon, to Paris, the Prince of Troy, whose actions and obsessions instigated the Trojan War to begin with. Each leader and faction has its own strengths and weaknesses, and their ultimate fate, as well as the fate of Ancient Greece, lies in your decisions. Will Troy fall once more and fade into little more than stories passed from generations, or could the kingdom survive and thrive, changing the face of the Bronze Age forever?
Is It Any Good?
For more than two decades, the Total War series has reached deep into the history books to re-create the experience of diplomacy and warfare throughout the ages. A Total War Saga: Troy mixes things up a bit, digging deeper into the past than ever before and taking on the legendary Trojan War. What's even more interesting is how the game strips a lot of the mythology and romanticized aspects of the storied event in favor of a conflict that's more grounded in reality. While this means you won't see flocks of winged harpies fighting against a serpent-like gorgon and her stone-cold stare, you do get to see a squad of agile and deadly spearwomen cower before the gaze of a dark priestess and her strange curses. It's a unique vision of the past that keeps the fighting believable while also revealing how mythological tales could have recast them as creatures of fantasy.
If you've played any of the previous Total War games, things should feel familiar here. The game still has the grandiose battles with swarms of armies charging each other on the field. There's also the precarious balance between managing resources to fuel your troops and working side deals for the sake of diplomacy. And while this is all something fans should enjoy, balance issues and weird AI behaviors make the game feel like a big step back in the evolution of the series. One minute, AI-controlled units seem to be tactical geniuses, flanking and laying waste to the enemy with precision. The next minute, that same group will blindly charge straight at the enemy, outnumbered and outmatched in a suicide run that'll leave players wondering what just happened. Outside of the fighting, the gameplay is constantly interrupted by leaders of other regions sending lopsided and ridiculous requests. It feels almost like the pesky neighbor who always knocks on your door for just one more cup of sugar. Unfortunately, it's the gameplay issues like these that ultimately tarnish the luster of this Bronze Age chronicle.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about mythology versus reality. How did mythological stories help to guide ancient cultures, and what are some of the ways those cultures might have used myth to explain real events?
What is the importance of learning about ancient history? What lessons can we learn today from events in the past, and what are some ways that innovations from the past still affect the modern world?
Game Details
- Platforms: Windows , Mac , Linux
- Subjects: Social Studies : cultural understanding, history
- Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : strategy, thinking critically
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Sega of America
- Release date: August 13, 2020
- Genre: Strategy
- Topics: Adventures , Book Characters , History , Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: T for Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Violence
- Last updated: June 30, 2022
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