Since its inception in 2000, Creative Assembly's Total War franchise has quickly become one of the largest PC strategy franchises around. The series has explored numerous historical eras, let players live out their warfare dreams, and even dipped its toes into the fantasy genre with Total War: Warhammer. This franchise is not slowing down anytime soon, and fans cannot wait to see where the studio takes it next. While a brand-new Total War would be exciting, maybe it is time for the franchise to explore its past.
As of now, the Total War series has only revisited one classic title through Total War: Rome Remastered. Creative Assembly has made many sequels throughout the years, but it has mostly left its past untouched. Considering the current trend of remakes and remasters in the industry, it would only make sense for the studio to take a trip down memory lane. Total War: Rome Remastered was a fun piece of nostalgia, but now it is time to go all in on the concept.
Total War’s History is Waiting to be Tapped
Over the past 23 years, the Total War franchise has seen around 15 different mainline titles hit store shelves. These titles have represented many different eras and themes, but they shared a core gameplay loop. Total War's blend of turn-based and real-time strategy has kept fans coming back for more and has helped the series sell over 40 million copies. There seems to be a new title almost every single year, which has helped create one of the largest and most varied strategy series around.
With Total War's constant release cycle, the franchise seldom has any time to breathe. A new title will launch, players will get massive amounts of post-launch content, and then the franchise will move onto the next game. It never seems to take a break, and it hardly ever revisits the previous titles. There is just no stopping Total War from forging ahead, but it may be time for Creative Assembly to change its approach.
In 2021, Total War fans were treated to the first full-on remaster of a classic title with Total War: Rome Remastered. This served as a touching tribute to 2004's Rome: Total War and was a great blast from the past. While some elements of the game felt dated compared to modern Total War titles, being able to revisit this classic game with updated visuals was a treat for longtime fans of the franchise. However, the studio has not revealed any remasters since, and that needs to be rectified.
There have been more than a dozen Total War titles over the years, and almost all of them deserve to get a facelift. While some of them have been ported to mobile platforms, nothing compares to a complete remaster. Games like Shogun: Total War, Medieval 2: Total War, Empire: Total War, and Napoleon: Total War could all shine once again with a fresh coat of paint. It would not only be a fantastic nostalgia trip for fans, but also a great way to show newer players just how far this franchise has come.
There is a chance that Creative Assembly or Feral Interactive are currently working on another remaster, but there does not seem to be any hints or rumors suggesting that is the case. It would be a shame if the only remaster Total War fans got was Total War: Rome Remastered. It was a great game for its time, but so were many other classic Total War titles. Hopefully, someone is willing to give these games a new lease on life in the future.
Total War: Rome Remastered is available now on PC.