This is the closest that CA has ever got to a real breathing social and economic world.
The campaign mode (appropriately titled "Grand Campaign") as always is the main meat of the game with players potentially spending hours on end tinkering with various details such as trade, diplomacy, taxes, construction, research, agriculture and government… the list will limber forever. And this is all before you even step one foot into the military aspect of it all. Needless to say though, the military is the most important as objectives will ultimately demand you to take regions from other nations so playing aggressive may be necessary from the start. Like Rome and Medieval Total War, Empire is split between 2 gameplay options. The campaign takes the form of a turn based strategy where you control troop movement and settlements from above. Head into a battle though, and you are thrown into the action in a full scale real time strategy. The intuitive mechanics work great and make sure the campaign never becomes a chore to plough through. Before you begin a new campaign, there is an option for a short campaign (spanning 50 years with less demanding goals), long campaign or full world domination. Any of the 12 major nations can be chosen with approximately 40 minor nations littering the campaign map. And this is where the vastness of the game really shines. Unlike previous Total War games, Empire's map is separated into three theatres of war; Europe; America and India. In addition to these 3 main theatres there are four small trade theatres (Ivory Coast, East Indies, Madagascar and Brazil) where, if controlled by trade ships of your nation, will bring extra valuable income. These trade theatres are located mainly at sea which highlights the most hyped new feature of the game: Naval Battles.
And for the most part it works well. There are plenty of factors such as speed, turning circle, wind direction to take on board while you attempt to blow the opponents galley into submission. If you feel you have the upper hand there is also an option to try to board your enemy's ship. As the ships collide together and the crew charge from one ship to another, you can witness the full event to each individual crew member…and if you are lucky you may even see the admirals duelling to the death with each other. The experience feels incredibly genuine and there is a constant fluidity in the movement of ships. However as much as I enjoyed ship battles, there is a lingering feeling that it's not as exciting as land battles. When controlling a small fleet there isn't much problem but when you are forced into a large scale naval battle, controlling each individual ship can be a frustrating and confusing experience. Yes, you must employ some tactics to wind up victorious but with land battles you have to pedantically position multiple units to your advantage on the battlefield. As a result, whenever I lose a close naval battle I am always unsure of why I lost and how I could improve; whereas on land battles I can see clearly what I have done wrong and try to prevent it from happening again. Because they do not feel they can improve from their mistakes, this is likely to prompt the player to take the lazy method out by building a large fleet and clicking auto resolve to skip the naval battle and continue from the aftermath. But despite some criticism, as a first attempt at real time naval battles, I am impressed.
In general the main campaign is much more streamlined than Rome and Medieval with taxes and construction far easier to manage. If you are not the serious Total War gamer then you may want to set the option to auto manage. Research is also easily managed, the more schools you have the more technology you can research. The technology tree is massive but the effects of each are clearly described so you can decide for yourself which one would be useful for your current circumstance. And this is what makes the Total War game engine so robust. The sheer number of possibilities you have is mind numbing and no two campaign, battle or siege will be the same. There is a different story to tell each time. The burden is on the player alone on how they want to manage their nation. But Empire's strength is also its liability. The AI is often unable to cope with the number of possibilities on the campaign map and can be seen making outlandish decisions. During the actual battles AI movement is generally good. It will know to charge at your artillery if left unprotected, it will know to flank your men with cavalry which makes for more of a challenge compared to previous games but sometimes the battle AI can be seen standing still while you charge at them with bayonets as if nothing is happening. This inconsistency really marks Empire down but Creative Assembly will almost definitely patch these issues. Another problem in the campaign is the lack of useful information in the map. For example it doesn't give you enough information on the use of gentlemen and agents while when a nation declines your trade offer you are not given a reason why. It suffers similarly to naval battles in the sense that, if things take a turn for the worse for your nation, sometimes you have no idea the reason why it is happening. But the realism, longetivity and complete variety of the campaign definitely make up for the minor hitches and will certainly keep you as compelled as ever, even after hours of playing.
There are no words to describe Empire Total War's graphics other than stunning. Put the detail on high setting and the landscape opens up beautifully in front of your very eyes. You certainly will feel like you are alive on the battlefield. It's the small things that really enhance the Total War experience. For example, as you march towards your enemy, drummers lead each regiment with a steady rhythmic beat spurring the rest of the troops on. As cannons and mortars fire away, everything seems to shake at immense power of the artillery. As you progress through the battle the deafening crashes of cannon fire continue to shower upon your men. As you watch your men fire a volley of muskets at the charging enemy, you see each individual desperately reloading in order to get one final shot off at the opponent. It really is exhilarating stuff. Unit detail is very clear as you zoom into each soldier. When troops are locked into hand to hand combat, the animations of soldiers duking it out are terrific and even death animations look pretty satisfying. The soundtrack also plays a significant part in creating atmosphere. During the campaign the music is subtle yet relevant to the era but as you enter a battle, volume is increased and a lovely cultural style of music is enjoyed alongside the battle.
Land battles are the dominant feature of the game with the emphasis switched from siege warfare to open battlefields. The extended use of ranged weapons now put greater importance in troop positioning and formation discipline. Controls are the familiar Total War setup with manoeuvring units proving to be second nature after practice. It seems that this aspect of the game is extremely polished with complete freedom given to the player. Terrain needs to be accounted in further detail and the technologies you research will play a pivotal role in victory for your army. For example a nation that has researched 'Square Formation' will be able to prevent massive damage from cavalry charges while 'Fire By Rank' will allow troops to fire more rounds off at the enemy. Buildings and farmhouses can also be used as cover introducing more tactical approaches although the downside means they will be an easier target for artillery fire. It's this rock, paper and scissor approach that shows the brilliance of the Total War engine. Except the approach is not a linear series, far from it in fact. It is more of a web rather than a chain with all the units having their own unique strengths and weaknesses. And its up to the player to know these traits and exploit the opponents soft spots, that is the beauty of Total War. Light infantry can deploy stakes to stop cavalry passing through. The options sky the limit. Despite an increased focus on ranged combat, melee is still somewhat crucial in finishing off a weakened line. Whatever your fighting style Empire caters and rewards the bold and encourages players to really think about each and every move. One mistake and the tide could very well turn against you.
Online as always is included in the package but for the first time Gamespy have taken a step back with server hosting and now Empire online servers are now hosted by Steam. Straight away there is a noticeable improvement in stability from Medieval and Rome. Games are much easier to join and CD Keys make a welcome departure in favour of your Steam account. Player rankings also add an extra edge of competition however gameplay options are limited to only single battles. There is a selection of historical battles to reenact with others along with the usual options for land, siege and naval battles. A multiplayer campaign option is in its current beta stages but for now Empire Total War has been stripped to its bare bones.
Empire Total War is alarmingly big. And not in a bad way. The fact that you could be spending hours on the campaign without it feeling boring or repetitive is a fantastic accomplishment. The nature of events is unpredictable which is really one of Empire's great strengths. The land battles are as consistent as ever, moreover Creative Assembly's first foray into naval battles has proved a moderate success as well. And now Empire is as accessible as ever. The auto manage option, improved diplomatic and trade interface will attract newcomers to the series. The edges are still rough with bugs and AI issues scolding what is an otherwise extremely accomplished game. The sheer scope and amount of content will surely make up for the slight flaws. This is the closest that CA has ever got to a real breathing social and economic world. Graphics and music never cease to amaze me and the brilliant thing is: Before Empire Total War I had no interest in the 18th century time period. After playing the game I want to find out more about the era and the nations involved. That is an achievement in itself. So if you can withstand some of the flaws and persevere, you will be rewarded with one of the deepest, most enthralling strategic games ever.