Total War: Attila, Destruction in the Dark Ages

The ninth installment of Total War takes us to the dawn of the Dark Ages. Turn based real-time tactics are the name of the game as players control factions like the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Saxons, and Franks and battle against oppressive Hun forces. With Attila in command of the opposing forces, there’s a long journey ahead as you attempt to hold back the tide of his numerous hordes.

Total War games often provide players with reasonably fair starting conditions against enemies, but this is not the case in Attila. You square off with an immensely powerful, unrelenting foe putting you in a position of survival, not a war of parity. While players begin the campaign with a ton of territory, they are beset on all sides right at the onset.

You have access to many familiar tools in your quest to rally your armies, including tech progression, politics, and civic management. But in Attila, fire can be a major factor in combat and siege scenarios, spreading from unit to unit and wreaking havoc on morale as it terrifies troops. If enough fire is laid down on the battlefield, troops may even become uncontrollable.

Expect to see plenty of fire as you explore the new siege-escalation mechanic, which demonstrates the attrition that would happen during an actual siege. The longer a siege continues without a battle on the campaign map, the more will be destroyed when the fight actually goes down, simulating your siege weapons and sappers wearing down the defenses behind the scenes. Siege escalation can destroy buildings, expose weak points to exploit, and start crippling infernos.

Another new feature in Attila is scorched earth policy and the “raze” option. This method completely destroys a region and all buildings in it. Why would you consider this option? You’re going to be controlling a rather expansive empire in Attila, and the time may come where you are simply not able to manage and keep control of everything. The best choice in a situation may be just consolidating your strength and burning a city to ashes to deny your opponents from taking control. In addition, razing a settlement provides you with a one-shot glut of instant resources to help offset the loss of potential long-term gains. While razed settlements can be brought back to livable conditions, there’s a huge monetary and time investment to do so.

With new mechanics coming to the forefront of the never ending war, Attila is shaping up to be a robust peek into the dark ages of warfare. I’m looking forward to razing settlements, starting fires, and laying siege.