14 DAY TRIAL // Fall of the Samurai is the next strategy game from developer The Creative Assembly and publisher SEGA and the team behind it has launched a multiplayer beta stage for it ahead of the March 23 launch date for the PC.
The Avatar system is pretty similar to that found in the core Shogun 2: Total War, with more options that can be unlocked when it comes to retainers and customization, and with a re-created strategy map which reflects how Japan has changed in the XIX century.
Finding matches has taken longer than usual in the beta, although this might be caused by the rather small number of involved players rather than by a re-design of the matchmaking system.
Once the battle starts, the game is instantly familiar to everyone who played Total War 2, but the new units and the addition of pretty reliable firearms opens up quite a few new strategies.
The actual rifle-equipped regiments work very close to what Total War veterans know from Empire, and the entire feeling of playing Fall of the Samurai in the tactical screen is close to what the XIX century-based game offered.
Firearms seem slower here and the samurai are fast enough to close down the distance and make melee-oriented army builds relevant, but players need to be very careful about how they position their troops before the battle lines clash and how they use their reserves.
Cavalry is very important, although expensive, and can be used to lure troops out of position and keep firearm regiments in check as long as one can accept the losses they will be taking.
Quite a bit of an engagement’s outcome is linked to how the player manages to mix retainers and troops, combining them to emphasize their best abilities while minimizing vulnerabilities, but The Creative Assembly has managed to create a balanced experience where no army build seems impossible to defeat.