A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI

About A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with historical and violence themes. It was developed by Feral Interactive (Linux) and was released on March 22, 2012. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI features a dramatic clash of traditional Samurai culture with the explosive power of modern weaponry. Now including all DLC faction packs, build up your armies with the Saga, Obama, Tsu and Sendai factions. About Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAISet 400 years after the events of Total War: SHOGUN 2, guide ancient Japan into the modern age, as the arrival of …

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI screenshot

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Reviews

64%Audience ScoreBased on 1,043 reviews

gameplay24 positive mentions

monetization13 negative mentions

Excellent expansion with a fresh 19th-century setting in Japan, blending traditional samurai and modern gunpowder units.
Highly praised naval combat upgrades including naval bombardments and ironclad ships, adding tactical depth.
Well-balanced campaigns with challenging AI and an immersive atmosphere; considered by many as the best Total War game/DLC.
Replayability with multiple factions and meaningful strategic choices between modernization and tradition.
Great audio-visual presentation with fitting music and detailed units, enhancing the historic ambiance.

The campaign AI and unit pathfinding have issues, especially in siege and naval battles where units often freeze or behave erratically.
Controversial rebranding from an expansion/DLC to a standalone 'Saga' title led to price increase and consumer frustration.
The narrow faction variety and similarity between units can reduce replayability and variety compared to the base game.
Naval combat AI can be sluggish or exploitative, making some campaign aspects tedious or overly difficult.
Some users cite bugs, crashes and technical issues that affect stability and playability, compounded by lack of updates or fixes.
The pricing and business practices by developers/publishers (Creative Assembly and SEGA) have been criticized as greedy, with forced re-purchases and removal from original DLC lists.

gameplay
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34% positive mentions, 60% neutral mentions, 6% negative mentions
The gameplay in this game is widely praised for its satisfying integration of new units, modernization mechanics, and deep strategic layers that blend traditional Total War elements with 19th-century industrial warfare. Naval combat, gunpowder warfare, and the thematic tension between tradition and modernization contribute to a compelling, immersive experience, though some players note issues with late-game balance and faction management. Overall, it is considered one of the most mechanically innovative and engaging entries in the series, offering varied campaigns, meaningful narrative-driven mechanics, and smooth gameplay both in single-player and multiplayer.
- “The game masterfully captures this cultural and technological upheaval, offering a deep strategic experience that blends traditional Total War gameplay with the unprecedented complexities of industrial warfare.”
- “Mastery of the seas is often the key to controlling trade, defending coastal provinces, and launching amphibious invasions, adding a new layer of strategic depth that feels both historically accurate and mechanically satisfying.”
- “Fall of the Samurai is a masterful evolution of the Total War formula—arguably one of the most cinematic, immersive, and mechanically sophisticated entries in the series.”
- “I do hate the navy mechanic as I never seem to have enough money to maintain a decent navy, especially in late game when 70 percent of the game's factions are at war with me.”
- “Cool visuals, but campaign gameplay sucks, everyone declares war on you and come to bombard all your cities, nothing you can do but slowly bleed out.”
- “Poor balance and auto-battle mechanics.”
graphics
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 41% neutral mentions, 9% negative mentions
The graphics in Total War games, particularly Shogun 2 and Fall of the Samurai, are widely praised for their stunning, painterly art style that vividly captures historical settings with rich detail and vibrant colors. While some note a washed-out or less realistic visual style, many appreciate the timeless, distinctive aesthetic that enhances the atmosphere and gameplay experience. Despite minor criticisms regarding modernization and graphical upgrades, the visuals are considered among the best in the series and have aged well.
- “The campaign map remains stunning; that painterly, Japanese cartoon aesthetic of Shogun 2 returns, depicting a vibrant and detailed version of 19th century Japan.”
- “With the gore DLC and the best graphics, the battles look extremely real.”
- “It has quite a comparable amount of new content and mechanics as the base Shogun 2 (completely redesigned campaign map in terms of provinces distribution, as well as artistic/graphical style and more combat variety coming from clash of swords and rifles), only it is focused on a lot shorter and specific time period.”
- “A game with washed-out visuals and unrealistic designs.”
- “The visuals are mediocre and just look washed out.”
- “Although the original RomeTW was much better than the so-called remastered with exception of graphics.”
music
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33% positive mentions, 53% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its immersive and memorable blend of traditional Japanese instruments with Western military themes, effectively complementing the cultural and historical setting. While some note occasional underwhelming moments or audio quirks on the campaign map, overall the soundtrack adds powerful emotional resonance and enhances the battle experience. Many users consider the music a standout aspect that fits the game's atmosphere perfectly.
- “The soundtrack is immersive, blending traditional Japanese music with Western military themes to reflect the cultural crossroads at the heart of the conflict.”
- “Music is really fitting for the setting, with traditional Japanese music cues going along well with the sound of rifles, cannons, and clashing steel.”
- “The music and sounds are incredible.”
- “The sound on the campaign map is scratchy and the music is underwhelming.”
- “The music as well is inspired from what I would think would be older Japanese instruments and music but at some heights in battles I swear I hear a bit of 'Akira', the anime movie, style battle music at times... or I could be imagining that because they both come from a similar musical history.”
- “Whats the music called in the trailer on Steam?”
monetization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Users overwhelmingly view the monetization of this game as a blatant cash grab, criticizing elevated prices, re-releases, and forced upgrades that prioritize profit over player value. Many express frustration over perceived greed and a lack of respect for loyal fans.
- “Hah, I just noticed these greedy clowns re-released this otherwise favorite decade-old game as a shameless cash grab.”
- “This is Shogun 2 but with a DLC and a raised price; this is a good game but a cheap cash grab from scumbag money-hungry game producers.”
- “But now clearly you don't care about making decent games or your customers; you only care about cash grabs and KPIs.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56% positive mentions, 11% neutral mentions, 33% negative mentions
The game offers solid to excellent replayability, enhanced by its depth, historical richness, and numerous DLC expansions that provide varied campaign experiences. While some criticize the limited number of factions and similarity between them, extensive mods and expansions significantly extend its replay value. Overall, it remains highly engaging and replayable even years after release.
- “However, these are relatively minor criticisms when weighed against the depth, replayability, and historical richness the game offers.”
- “Great replayability and still looking good for an eleven year old game.”
- “The DLC expansion packs add tons of replay value with a campaign based on the historical and exciting rise of samurais and another with a campaign on the sad but action packed real world modernization of feudal Japan that led to the fall of the samurais.”
- “Probably the highest peak of Total War history and goes on pretty cheap during sales, yet flawed and reliant on some mods to increase replayability, not to mention the DLC factions.”
- “The only downside is that all factions are nearly identical and you only have 10 factions to choose from, so the game isn't really replayable with unique experiences and agent actions are extremely expensive.”
- “Solid depth for a 10 year old title, decent replayability; basically a better Napoleon Total War.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50% positive mentions, 50% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game is widely praised for its rich and immersive atmosphere, enhanced by authentic historical details, voice acting, and ambient sounds that intensify battles and diplomacy. It offers a gripping and strategically rewarding experience, standing out as one of the most atmospheric titles in the franchise. While certain battle types like sieges may falter, the overall ambiance and tactical depth remain exceptional.
- “It’s easily one of the best titles in the franchise rich in atmosphere, tactical depth, and historical flavour even if it’s built upon the bones of Shogun 2.”
- “Voice acting and ambient sound effects further enhance the atmosphere, especially during tense moments in battle or diplomatic negotiations.”
- “Whether you're a veteran of the franchise or a newcomer intrigued by Japan’s modernization, Fall of the Samurai delivers a gripping, atmospheric, and strategically rewarding campaign that remains one of the crown jewels of the series.”
story
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38% positive mentions, 24% neutral mentions, 38% negative mentions
The story aspect is praised for its powerful themes of change, loss, and progress, and integration with gameplay mechanics, politics, and economy. While the campaign's narrative is sometimes seen as lacking depth, new story-driven modes and content add variety. However, certain glitches and AI issues can detract from the overall experience.
- “It tells a powerful story through gameplay mechanics that emphasize change, loss, and progress.”
- “Overall, the diplomacy, story, politics and economy is great, and the warfare and battles are good.”
- “It's fun to play out both styles and there are great additions like naval bombardment, a story-driven battle mode, and the avatar conquest in multiplayer to give you plenty of content to play with.”
- “There is a pretty persistent glitch when the port you use to trade with foreign powers is attacked or destroyed or the region is lost, you can permanently lose the ability to trade with foreign powers.”
- “The only solution is to destroy all available trading ports and rebuild them from scratch.”
- “The campaign has no story, much like the Rise of the Samurai.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
The stability of the game is mixed, with earlier titles like Shogun 2 praised for fewer bugs and smoother performance, while others face persistent glitches such as unpatched DLC issues and buggy unit behaviors. Common problems include units failing to attack, erratic artillery actions, and occasional AI bugs, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Look into its issues before installing, like the DLC glitches. If it's bought before the actual Shogun 2, there is a glitch that hasn't been patched in over 10 years.”
- “God, the units are incredibly buggy. Examples include units in range not shooting at the enemy for no reason while the enemy shoots magically, artillery that mounts and unmounts randomly and gets stuck on the shooting icon, and units that keep replacing themselves for no reason.”
- “Campaign is fun although the AI can be buggy at times.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 60% negative mentions
The game is well-optimized, running smoothly with polished performance and balanced gameplay, marking a notable improvement in artillery mechanics compared to previous titles. However, some players feel the $30 price is steep given the game's age and lack of major upgrades or remastering.
- “It runs smoothly, it's well polished and balanced.”
- “But $30 for a nine-year-old game, without major modifications or improvements to performance, gameplay, and graphical detail as a remaster or something?”
- “For those who don't know, this game is originally a standalone expansion to Shogun 2, which people liked. Later on, they made Thrones of Britannia, an unoptimized and barebones game almost nobody liked and was quickly abandoned.”
- “Creative Assembly finally got artillery right, after mediocre performance from the big guns in Empire and Napoleon.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The game evokes strong emotions through impactful moments, such as witnessing samurai bravely facing danger, enhanced by striking visuals and powerful music and voice acting. However, some users express frustration with remakes or updates of classic titles.
- “Watching your outdated samurai bravely charge into enemy rifle fire is emotionally impactful—and strategically disastrous if misused.”
- “The visuals are striking for their time, and the audio design—especially the music and voice acting—adds powerful emotional resonance.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The humor in the DLC is seen as lacking compared to previous entries in the series, with no notable funny moments like those in earlier games. Additionally, some users find the pricing of older games humorously overpriced. Overall, humor is considered weak and not a strong point of the content.
- “This positive comment of the DLC purely concerns its better stability and no terribly designed RealmDivide mode related to the trash previous original base and its funny Joker rots file, but it does not meet the fine series of saga; instead, it's just the bottom enough piecework.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions
Grinding in the game is widely criticized as tedious and time-consuming, detracting from the overall experience and feeling out of place, especially for a title like Shogun 2.
- “While I like many things in this game, it doesn't value my time and is a tedious slog for 95% of the time.”
- “It is a tedious mess that has no business being associated with Shogun 2.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
0% positive mentions, 100% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions
The character development shows some variation, offering a slightly different experience in gameplay. However, changes are subtle and not significantly distinct.

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Play Times

576h Median play time

480h Average play time

460-685h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is a tactical turn-based strategy game with historical and violence themes. Common tags for A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI include turn-based, classic, ninja, soundtrack, war and others.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 480 hours playing A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI was released on March 22, 2012.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI was developed by Feral Interactive (Linux).

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI for its gameplay but disliked it for its monetization.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI is a single player game with multiplayer and local co-op support.

Similar games include Total War: Shogun 2, Total War: Rome II, Napoleon: Total War, Total War: THREE KINGDOMS, Empire: Total War and others.

A Total War Saga: FALL OF THE SAMURAI

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Reviews

gameplay

graphics

music

monetization

replayability

atmosphere

story

stability

optimization

emotional

humor

grinding

character development

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