A Total War Saga: TROY

61%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,031 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
A Total War Saga: TROY Game Cover
A Total War Saga: Troy is a slightly different Total War game. It's commitment to the period, and all that entails is a lot of fun and well worth a look.
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"A Total War Saga: TROY" is a strategy game set in the Trojan War. Players can choose to control either the Trojans or the Greeks, leading their armies and navies in real-time battles while managing their cities and empires in turn-based strategy. The game features historical figures such as Achilles, Hector, and Odysseus, and adds mythological creatures and events for a unique twist on the historical setting.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Cloud
  • Epic Games
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

61%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,031 reviews
gameplay202 positive mentions
stability24 negative mentions
  • The graphics and art style are stunning, creating an immersive experience.
  • The new resource management system adds depth and strategy to the gameplay.
  • The game offers three different campaign modes (Historical, Truth Behind the Myth, and Mythos), catering to different player preferences.
  • The AI is often unbalanced and can declare war unexpectedly, leading to frustrating gameplay.
  • Unit variety is limited, with many factions feeling similar and lacking distinct identities.
  • The game suffers from bugs and performance issues, including crashes and poor unit responsiveness during battles.
  • gameplay572 mentions

    The gameplay in Total War Saga: Troy is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of traditional Total War mechanics with new elements like a multi-resource economy and unique faction mechanics that enhance replayability. While many players appreciate the depth and variety offered by different factions and their distinct playstyles, others criticize the game for its repetitive nature, clunky controls, and poorly implemented mechanics that can lead to frustrating experiences. Overall, the game is visually impressive and offers a unique take on the Total War formula, but it may not fully satisfy long-time fans of the series.

    • “The mechanics are simple, the learning curve is fast if you're familiar with the Total War basics, and each character faction has truly unique goals and play-styles that make for a lot of (sometimes game-breaking) fun.”
    • “Each faction has its own units, which is a big plus, and each faction has interesting and different gameplay styles.”
    • “Troy offers experimental and new campaign mechanics based around multiple resources, expanded diplomacy, and prayers where we spend resources for faction and army buffs from the gods.”
    • “Furthermore, it has clunky unit controls, horrible UI, unexplained game mechanics, too much reliance on randomness in campaign design, small battle maps that hinder unit mobility/positioning and eliminate a major element of tactics, lack of unit variety, lack of faction variety further worsened with DLC paywalls, cheating AI.”
    • “The game mechanics are too shallow, and it punishes you for expanding.”
    • “By hour 100, the gameplay loop had become as predictable as a Greek tragedy.”
  • graphics326 mentions

    The graphics in Total War: Troy have received widespread praise for their stunning visuals and immersive art style, with many players highlighting the beautifully designed campaign maps and vibrant aesthetics. However, some users noted issues with performance, such as lag and graphical bugs, particularly on lower settings, and a few criticized the cartoonish appearance of certain elements. Overall, while the graphics are considered a high point of the game, there are mixed feelings about their execution and optimization.

    • “A multi-resource economy that perfectly complements the provincial system wrapped together with gorgeously thematic visuals makes for simply one of the most impressive and immersive campaigns in the whole series.”
    • “The game's graphics and sound are beautiful, a very solid Total War entry.”
    • “Total War: Troy has beautiful graphics, runs even on older systems beautifully, it has a wonderful focus on gods, heroes, etc.”
    • “Sloppy overall with graphics settings not saving even after clicking save.”
    • “Very bad game, boring and you can't see anything from the designs and graphics.”
    • “I had a hard time identifying anything on the map given the poor color choices and low quality graphics.”
  • story190 mentions

    The story in "Total War: Troy" is rooted in Homer's epic, "The Iliad," offering players a chance to engage with its rich narrative through various gameplay modes, including historical and mythological perspectives. While many players appreciate the depth of character-driven missions and the atmospheric setting, some criticize the execution as lacking focus and depth, with certain missions feeling counterintuitive or repetitive. Overall, the game provides a unique blend of strategy and storytelling, though opinions vary on its effectiveness in delivering a compelling narrative experience.

    • “The epic campaign missions, which are specific to particular historical characters, are a great way to introduce players to Homer's Iliad.”
    • “I thoroughly love the storyline and doing an epic campaign into the underworld.”
    • “Set during the Bronze Age and based on the Iliad & Odyssey, it brings the rich story from Homer's epics and puts you in charge of one of its heroes.”
    • “This doesn't even feel like a Total War game; it's lost its original soul, and it's structured in a weird way around a story that could have really worked but fails to deliver.”
    • “Given you will be scrabbling around trying to hold on to the territory you have, there is no real chance to go on a quest or, as the Greeks, really even to get to grips with Troy.”
    • “If you like Total War, this is a very huge downgrade; battles seem to take a secondary focus in this game and the 'story of Troy' is more important.”
  • music108 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its beauty, atmospheric quality, and ability to enhance the overall experience. Several comments highlight it as one of the best soundtracks in the franchise, featuring hypnotic themes and immersive ambient sounds that complement the stunning visuals. While some found the soundtrack average or forgettable, the majority agree that it significantly contributes to the game's enchanting atmosphere.

    • “The soundtrack is subtle and I find myself enthralled by some of the hypnotic themes that play in the background while idle.”
    • “Campaign map is astoundingly beautiful and the music is very, very good.”
    • “The music is incredible and the AI seems a bit more challenging (in a good way) than it has been in previous Total War titles.”
    • “- incredibly average soundtrack”
    • “- music - unlike Rome I / Medieval II / Attila - nothing memorable about Troy.”
    • “In conclusion, while Troy was a step in the right direction, a pretty campaign map and soundtrack doesn't solve boring battles and lag!”
  • optimization64 mentions

    Overall, "Troy" is praised for its exceptional optimization, with many players reporting smooth performance and high frame rates, even on older hardware. While some users experienced occasional crashes and stuttering, the majority agree that it is the best-optimized title in the Total War series, featuring beautiful graphics and refined gameplay. However, a few criticisms remain regarding specific gameplay mechanics and the absence of certain combat animations.

    • “Performance-wise, I run an older Alienware Aurora R7 with a GTX 1070 with no hiccups whatsoever.”
    • “Optimization in this game is far beyond anything we have seen in any other Total War game.”
    • “This is also the best optimized Total War game to have come out.”
    • “I love this game, but optimization is horrible and keeps crashing without errors.”
    • “Terrible optimization.”
    • “Unplayable due to some (non-spec related) freezing/stuttering/fps issue that happens randomly every 10-30 seconds. After doing some research on Google, I found that quite a few had the same problem since the Epic Games release and there has still been no fix.”
  • replayability54 mentions

    The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players praising the unique mechanics of homeric factions and the variety offered by DLCs, leading to high replay value. However, many criticize the limited number of vanilla factions and their similarities, which detracts from the overall experience. While some find it infinitely replayable, others feel it lacks the depth and variety seen in previous Total War titles.

    • “A solid saga entry with plenty of replayability.”
    • “The game comes with a variety of Homeric factions that have each unique faction mechanics, which greatly increases the replay value and lets you find your preferred play style.”
    • “All the factions require unique play styles, giving the game tons of replay value.”
    • “The replayability is thus very poor...”
    • “Super fun for the most part but some of the same issues as Thrones of Britannia: similar factions and units make for low replayability.”
    • “Troy suffers mainly from a somewhat railroad diplomacy, as Napoleon did -- at a certain point, you lose replayability when the game pulls you into the same large conflict every time.”
  • stability38 mentions

    The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant glitches and bugs, particularly during battle scenes and in co-op mode. While some users noted that the game runs smoothly and is relatively bug-free compared to previous releases, others expressed frustration over persistent issues that detract from the overall experience. Overall, the stability appears to be a major concern, with a notable divide between those who find it playable and those who deem it a "buggy mess."

    • “Game looks and runs great, super buttery smooth with amazing maps with only one crash so far in 3 hours of play!”
    • “Very complete, runs great, fun mechanics, diplomacy is excellent, every faction plays differently.”
    • “Also runs great on Linux with Steam Proton.”
    • “This rushed, buggy game that has to this day not been fixed has done it for me.”
    • “It has some strange, inexplicable glitches that seem baked into the game, such as enemy armies weaving through your territory on 'forced march' always stopping just beyond reach of your army, though they have no way of knowing your army was there.”
    • “Unfortunately, it is also a yanky, buggy mess in co-op.”
  • grinding34 mentions

    Players consistently find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and exhausting, particularly in town management and late-game campaigns. The repetitive nature of siege battles and the overwhelming number of armies from the AI contribute to a sense of stagnation and frustration, making progress feel slow and unfulfilling. While some enjoy the initial phases and the historical elements, the overall sentiment leans towards the grind becoming a significant drawback.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “A bit grindy sometimes.”
    • “However, once the initial wonder wore off, I quickly found myself entangled in a tedious drag of a campaign, without real sense of urgency at any point.”
    • “I tried really hard to like this game, but the lack of walls on minor settlements plus administration costs of having multiple armies, plus other anti-snowball mechanics just really turns the campaigns into a slow, grindy slog.”
    • “I love the history, but the game becomes tedious and grindy after a short while.”
  • atmosphere32 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its beautiful graphics, immersive campaign map, and fitting soundtrack that enhance the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the attention to detail in the artwork and the cultural elements that create a captivating environment, making it one of the standout features of the game. While the gameplay may become repetitive, the soothing and atmospheric elements keep players engaged.

    • “In fact, Troy is a very atmospheric game with a wonderful campaign map, a lot of beautiful details, surprising faction mechanics, epic quest chains, nice UI design, lovely soundtrack, and graphics.”
    • “The atmosphere is great, the graphics are beautiful, and you have tons of options in terms of gameplay.”
    • “As a die-hard fan of the series, I can say that this game shines bright in terms of smoothness, quality of life improvements, atmosphere in the lighting, music and background sound effects, voice work, animations - the whole nine yards.”
    • “The best thing this game has going for it is the artwork and atmosphere, but the game itself to be 'played' simply gets old - and fast.”
    • “The atmosphere of the battles, again in my opinion, is very good.”
    • “As a die-hard fan of the series, I can say that, in my opinion, this game shines bright in terms of smoothness, quality of life improvements, atmosphere in the lighting, music and background sound effects, voice work, animations - the whole nine yards.”
  • monetization16 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game has been widely criticized as a blatant cash grab, with players reporting overwhelming advertisements for various DLCs and additional content that feels essential to the experience. Many reviewers express frustration over the aggressive marketing tactics and the perception that the game is a soulless re-skin designed primarily to extract money from players. While some DLCs are noted to add meaningful content, the overall sentiment leans heavily towards disappointment in the monetization approach.

    • “Everywhere you look is either a blatant ad (half of the main screen covered with a huge 'buy now,' or subtle ads (load screens talking about mythos features that you don't have) for the mythos DLC ($25 more) or other factions that you already don't have (up to another $20 more).”
    • “Loaded up for the first time, kept getting hit with ads to buy this DLC or that DLC.”
    • “It tries to copy Three Kingdoms but it just feels like a repetitive re-skin with cash grab DLC content.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by the comical animations of units and their exaggerated abilities, which often detract from immersion and lend a lighthearted, almost absurd quality to combat. While some find the situational dialogue entertaining, the overall portrayal of hero units as invincible against overwhelming odds is seen as both amusing and nonsensical.

    • “The hilarious way units walk and run, and even the way they hold their weapons, breaks any immersion. The combat looks sterile and arcady, even mythical units don't have any weight to them.”
    • “Also, while I love the idea of single entity hero units, having these guys capable of tanking 2-3 enemy regiments (hundreds of soldiers) is both hilarious and dumb.”
    • “The situational dialogue is always great to hear, adding a layer of humor that enhances the experience.”
  • character development4 mentions

    The game features impressive character designs that enhance the overall experience, particularly for those interested in the lore of the Iliad. Players are encouraged to explore the game for its rich narrative and character depth.

    • “The heroes have amazing character designs, and if you are interested in the lore of the Iliad, then you should give the game a go.”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Reviewers note that while the game's art direction is commendable, the emotional impact is diminished by the underdeveloped portrayal of female characters compared to their male counterparts. The immersive experience and historical intrigue found in other titles, particularly those related to Chinese history, are notably absent, leaving players wanting more depth and emotional connection.

    • “Every moment of Three Kingdoms made me feel immersed, made me want to learn more about Chinese history and these characters and dynasties.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

77% average critic score

Buy A Total War Saga: TROY

Play time

46hMedian play time
185hAverage play time
15-200hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 32 analyzed playthroughs

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