[Machine-translated from Russian]
With a franchise at hand that makes money on an ongoing basis, there is always a great temptation to milk your "cash cow" dry. However, the Total War franchise is clearly not in danger, as the Creative Assembly studio continues to experiment.

The Warhammer franchise just became an opportunity for developers to avoid a creative impasse, while slightly moving away from the canons. And if the first part suffered from a number of unpleasant miscalculations, then by the second part the side series was transformed into a powerful PC exclusive for fans of strategies and setting in general.

Last week, SEGA and Creative Assembly studios gave the editors of GameMAG.ru the opportunity to review a preview version of Total War: Warhammer III. And we can already say that the developers have turned out to be a reference project.

The plot of Warhammer III revolves around the bear god Ursun,who in his own interests was captivated by the first demon prince Be'lakor,who was once the favorite of the four gods of Chaos. However, a problem arose - when the tortured patron Kislev roars in pain, the barrier between the Chaos Domains and the Old Worldis broken. And several new factions are fighting to challenge Be'lacor.

The main battlefield will be the northern lands, which are known as the Wastelands of Chaos. It is from there that the henchmen of the Dark Gods make raids, which are repelled by two countries - Kislev and the Grand Cathay. The latter was available in the demo version.

As you can see, we are talking about a fantasy version of China, which is ruled by a dynasty of dragon emperors. The leader of the faction will be Miao Ying, who is nicknamed the "Thunder Dragon". As the eldest child in the dynasty, she stands guard over the northern provinces.

The gameplay feature of Cathay will be the Bastion - a huge wall that protects the northern provinces of the empire from the raids of the Chaos. The player will have to follow the defense of three gates, which are the main points of attraction for enemies.

The source of income for the empire is the Ivory Road, along which trade caravans ply. They must be monitored, as dangers may be encountered along the way. For example, restless neighbors or formidable ogres that raid from the east.

But Miao Ying has something to oppose to his opponents. As a member of the ruling dynasty, she is able to turn into the very "Thunder Dragon" on the battlefield.

The girl also has a magic compass that allows you to follow the changing winds of magic and get additional passive power-ups. However, the inhabitants of Katai are trying to achieve harmony in their lives, so even when assembling an army, it is necessary to find a balance between different types of units. Otherwise, you can get debuffs.

However, in the preview version, our editors did not play for Katai. All the attention was drawn to the final faction of Warhammer III, which is headed by the Demon Prince.

Before Ursun was captured by Be'lakor, a noble Kislevit tried to kill the bear. After his death, The God-Killer turned into the image of the Demon Prince, who is eager to finish the unfinished business.

The Demon Prince is a great opportunity to have fun for those players who could not immediately choose an idol among the four Dark Gods. Essentially, God-Killer is a template for role-playing gamers.

How does it work? Creative Assembly offers to fully customize the appearance of the character - from the head and weapon to the tail and wings. The demon prince can be armed with a hammer - or abandon the weapon altogether, equipping it with a giant claw. The Arsenal of The God-Killer is constantly expanding with the gifts of Chaos, with different parts of the body being combined into sets that make the faction leader even more powerful.

The player can serve only Chaos Indivisible - or choose one of the four Dark Lords: Tzincha, Khorn, Nurgle or Slaanesh. To do this, it is necessary to dedicate cities to a specific God of Chaos and make bloody sacrifices in his honor. In exchange for this, the player will quickly receive specific "spare parts", open specific units and buildings.

In the preview, we personally enlisted the support of Nurgl's grandfather, who rewarded the Demon Prince with his plague gifts.

The development of the faction on the global map takes place in the usual way for Total War. Regions consist of several provinces, controlling which, the player receives additional bonuses and the ability to issue orders. Not only the protagonist can control the army, but also the commanders, each of whom has his own inventory, retinue and pumping tree.

In the case of Chaos, leveling commanders takes on a special significance, since in the world of Warhammer, the Dark Gods constantly compete with each other. So, the servants of Nurgla can get a bonus to fight the adepts of Tzinch.

Heroes stand apart. They can't lead armies, but they do have a pumping tree and inventory. If necessary, heroes can be removed from the army so that they act as agents.

The agent is able to conduct sabotage and make attempts - for this purpose, special skill branches are available in the pumping tree. Armies can't destroy them - only other heroes.

The system of diplomacy has also been expanded. Having established contacts with another faction, outposts are allowed to be built in its settlements, which opens up the possibility of hiring allied units.

The main innovations are related to global challenges. Some time after the start of the campaign, portals begin to appear on the map, leading to the worlds of the Dark Gods. And here the player has several options for action.

The first is to complete the main task. The faction must fight the champions of the Chaos gods to get four souls and eventually break into the world of Be'lakora, where Ursun languishes in captivity. The problem is that when moving through the worlds of Chaos, the player not only encounters the minions of Tzinch, Khorn, Slaanesh and Nurgla, but also receives constant damage, gradually losing troops. In order not to lose the army, it is important to look for points of health regeneration and, if necessary, return to the Old World through other portals.

The second way is to use the above portals to your advantage. Through them, you can transfer armies to the rear of the enemy. The problem is that strong squads of chaosites and other factions are constantly breaking through the portals, which can spoil all plans.

Battles on the tactical map have undergone few changes, but the developers focus on diversity. So, there were flying units that can be in ground or "air" positions, which opens up additional room for maneuvers.

A big bet is also made on multiplayer, in which up to eight players will be able not only to fight each other, but also to play together in the main campaign. The bonus is two additional campaigns, which are significantly smaller in size, which allows you to finish the game in just an evening.

Despite the limit of 50 moves, the preview version of Total War: Warhammer III leaves behind a very positive impression that could not spoil even the optimization problems - their developers promise to eliminate the release. This is especially noticeable against the background of the not the most successful A Total War Saga: Troy,which caused bewilderment with its decisions.

Creative Assembly managed to form a solid foundation on the basis of the first part of Warhammer, while at the same time leaving room for creative maneuver. Thanks to this, the Total War series still feels very fresh, which can not but rejoice.

Total War: Warhammer III will be released on February 17, 2022 on PC.