The videogame tutorial comes in many flavours, with the overall goal being an introductory point to present just what it is you’re playing and how you go about playing. For a genre as seemingly well-defined and mechanically structured as the strategy game, one that is steeped in the ways of war, you might think the tutorial is merely a means to let you know how to select a group of units, move them about, and issue attack commands.

And even though a lot of that basic stuff hasn’t changed in, well, decades; a good strategy game tutorial never loses its allure. In fact sometimes it gets better the more you know going in. The act of doing the muscle memory stuff gives you room to focus on names, places, descriptions, and settings. And just what it is that’s different.


What makes for a good tutorial? Well, for the most part it’s keeping the simple ‘left-click to…’ stuff in there as a way to ease you in via familiarity, but tying all of that to a new spin on things via a well-paced bit of storytelling. Mechanics and setting, really. Interactive world-building. And when it comes to the more well-known and established strategy franchises, you could say that Total War has always been about those things.

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And even though a lot of that basic stuff hasn’t changed in, well, decades; a good strategy game tutorial never loses its allure. In fact sometimes it gets better the more you know going in.

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Total War Warhammer III is the third fantasy-set entry and closing chapter in a trilogy that saw a previously historically-focused series dip its toes into the world of orcs, humans, demons, and vampires. The first entry was a revelation, opening the door to a new world, strange creatures, and armies not tied to dusty old history books. The second expanded the concept even further, going as far as creating an all-encompassing Grand Campaign that eventually became one of the most impressive digital tabletops in recent memory.

Creative Assembly has noted that a Grand Campaign style update is on the cards for Total War Warhammer III too.


Really though, this is all a roundabout way of saying that Total War Warhammer III’s Prologue Campaign, its tutorial, is an all-timer. Not only is it Creative Assembly’s best ‘how-to’ for beginners or those new to the series, but it sets up the main campaign brilliantly through an engaging and dramatic narrative. As the centre-piece, the campaign here is an ambitious cinematic story-driven affair that incorporates multiple playable races in a deep and complex journey to enter the realms of Chaos so they can put a stop to a cataclysmic event and claim glory.

The Prologue Campaign sets the scene in a way that a cinematic might have sufficed, but as it’s a lengthy interactive tale in its own right - one that eases you into the particulars of Total War Warhammer III and the franchise as a whole - it’s a brilliant game-within-the-game. It introduces elements both new and old in a way that’s driven by choice and character. In it you take on the role of a Prince of Kislev looking to save the Bear God Ursun from the clutches of Chaos. The stark wintery backdrop then eases you into how the campaign map works, economy, empire expansion, and even political intrigue alongside the series-staple massive real-time battles that escalate in scope.


As the third entry in the series Creative Assembly really embraces the fantasy too, not only are there distinct races with their own mechanics, strength, and weaknesses but their location within the world, their personalities, and their history can be felt everywhere you turn. Lords not only serve as super-tough units on a battlefield but quickly become powerful magic dealers - which in turn means spells and abilities and traits play a major role in how battles turn out.

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As the centre-piece, the campaign here is an ambitious cinematic story-driven affair that incorporates multiple playable races in a deep and complex journey to enter the realms of Chaos so they can put a stop to a cataclysmic event and claim glory.

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And we’re getting a look at a side of Warhammer beyond the foul-mouthed orcs and shiny humans too. From the bear riders of Kislev to the giant Terracotta soldiers from Grand Cathay, to the bright purple flying beasts of the Tzeentch, the sheer diversity and creativity in races, units, and tactical options is staggering.


On that note some of the encounters here both scripted and unscripted are the most intense in the series to date, which is partly due to the story-driven main campaign. Even though there’s a domination-style victory condition for those looking for a more traditional setup, it’s the race to enter the Realms of Chaos to capture four Daemon Prince souls that sets the tone for what is one of the lengthiest Total War campaigns to date. Which also arrives with expanded multiplayer that can support up to eight-players, simultaneous turns, and even specific scenarios designed around the exact number of players grouping up.

Playing as Grand Cathay, the eastern influenced descendants of dragons, the ‘soul goal’ is just the looming threat that sits above defending a fractured homeland from the forces of Chaos looking to breach the Great Wall. There's political infighting, rebellion, greed, corruption, and the arrival of forces from far away regions too. It’s a heady and often chaotic mix of having to juggle so many emerging challenges that once the rifts to the Chaos Realms appear for the first time, you might not even be ready to send your Legendary Lord into one of four distinct zones to face a series of challenging confrontations and battles.


There are times when it all feels a little overwhelming, especially when the corruption that spreads from the various Chaos Rifts begins to affect your lands and cities whilst you’re waging war on one front and also managing a story-driven jaunt into a Chaos Realm full of poison in a strange far-away place. The Blood God’s realm has you fighting to build up favour, and the honour, of duking it out in a special arena. Another sees you trying to find the right portal and pathway to reach the centre. And with all the major races out to acquire souls, it can get pretty tense.

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With the focus on magic, special creatures, and equipping Lords and Heroes with special items, it’s the biggest departure in terms of tone for a Total War we’ve seen to date.

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The grand battles inside the Chaos Realms are huge multi-stage affairs with waves of attackers, moments to build-up defences, and the ability to portal in some reinforcements when things get out of hand. With the focus on magic, special creatures, and equipping Lords and Heroes with special items, it’s the biggest departure in terms of tone for a Total War we’ve seen to date. For the most part it’s great, though the sheer number of things on-screen does make micromanagement across a huge army a little messy when you’re also trying to cast spells.


There is a downside to the campaign, in that due to how involved and focused it is on telling one story, the dynamic nature of the regular Total War stuff isn’t enough to get you jumping straight back in with another race to do it all again. At least not right away. That said, it’s scope and breadth is impressive and the actual campaign map is wonderfully laid out and chock full of amazing detail. Performance issues and optimisations-to-come aside, the sheer spectacle that comes from seeing all of the units going at it is epic. In fact the replay folder storing my saved replays is full of files labelled ‘epic’, ‘intense’, ‘massive’, and so forth.

Best of all, as complex as it gets, thanks to the wonderful in-game wiki and streamlined design for things like managing provinces, siege warfare, and Lords and Heroes, it never feels like a slog. It saves that for the strange and often brilliant foes you come across, like say, Slog the leader of a group of Ogres looking to mess with a Grand Cathay caravan. Deep, complex, and approachable, Total War Warhammer III is an intense, engaging triumph.