Finally the Chaos gods have arrived on the battlefield in a Total War: Warhammer video and gosh, their followers are a bit nasty. The new trailer, framed as a battle report, has 18 minutes of fantasy swords, sorcery and fel cannons as the brave boys of the Empire, commanded by the player, try to fend off the far more interesting (and spiky) beasts of Chaos. Everything from low-level marauders to high-tier Chosen, artillery, hellbeasts and ranks-smashing flame towers of magic destruction is shown off. It’s all a bit good, really.
2016 could be the best year ever, with loads of great stuff in our upcoming games rundown.
I think it’s fairly clear who I’m supporting. Pick a side and have a watch:
Phwoar. I’m a big fan of those lads on the gryphons, but mostly I just want to hit people with massive, axe-wielding Chosen now. It’s interesting to see how Total War has adapted to magic, heavier use of artillery weapons and fantastical heroes. It looks a little odd to see one man stride through a pack of enemies, or some units to just be floating through the air, wings flapping. It works, but it certainly feels more like an amalgamation of two parts than one constructed whole.
Honestly though, anything that lets me invade with a combined force of demon dogs and angry cannons staffed by dwarves feeding it souls and meat sacks – well, I’m gonna be a fan. Release is on May 24, the same day as Overwatch, because why spread out the most eagerly anticipated games of the year? Pre-orders are being taken now via Steam, and doing so gets you access to actually play Chaos, not just watch them kill you repeatedly. Otherwise, as mentioned in the video, they’ll be purchasable as DLC for late-arrivals. Part of the reason for the delay was to get reviews out in good time, so expect word from us on its quality before release.