Total War: Empire review - "The most comprehensive strategy mobile game I've ever played"

I jumped at the chance when I was offered an opportunity to review Total War: Empire. Why? I've been hearing about this for a reaaaally long time - my fiancé has been telling me about this awesome (almost) two-decade-old game, and I just couldn't pass it up.

What we're about to dive into today is a review for Total War: Empire, the mobile version, to see if it's just a simple port, or really something more. Spoiler: it's not just a simple port! And by the way, we have a Total War: Rome review if you're interested too!

What's all this fuss about Total War: Empire?

For those not in the know, Total War has been a staple in real-time strategy for a long time now. It started off with Shogun, which was released all the way back in 2000, and it was on PC. In fact, most of the Total War franchise has been for PC. 

There are a few in the series that have received mobile ports, but when it comes to Total War: Empire, this brings more than just a simple port. It comes with a lot of new features and improvements, which give it a more comfortable approach from a portable standpoint. 

Let's start off with the obvious: the visuals

The first thing you see when you start your journey is the UI. This has been designed specifically for touchscreen devices, which doesn't really apply to any other ones in the series. Obviously, right? 

Total War: Empire's UI is actually super intuitive - it makes it simple to manage your settlements, your armies, and pretty much everything you can imagine. It's just brilliant. I would argue that it's not what you'd normally expect for something that's for 2024, because when we take, for instance, Age of Empires Mobile, the UI is completely different. While AoEM feels more contemporary, in Total War: Empire, it stays true to how it's always been - simple and crisp.

You'll notice that there aren't any remastered graphics here, so if you were expecting that, it could come as a disappointment. I personally wasn't sure what to expect, so I went in with a blank slate. That's why I am pretty neutral in that regard.

It requires a lot from your device

Total War: Empire is pretty massive in terms of capacity, and it can require up to 24GB of free storage. I mean, what did you expect? The PC versions require around the same amount too!

As for the system requirements, you do need to have at least Android 12. Here is a list of supported devices in case you're wondering whether or not yours can run it: 

• Google Pixel 3 / 3XL / 4 / 4XL / 6 / 6a / 6 Pro / 7 / 7a / 7 Pro / 8 / 8a / 8 Pro / 9 / 9 Pro / 9 Pro XL
• Google Pixel Tablet
• Honor 90
• Lenovo Tab P11 Pro Gen 2
• Motorola Edge 40 / Edge 40 Neo / Edge 50 Pro
• Motorola Moto G54
• Nothing Phone (1)
• OnePlus 7 / 8 / 8T / 9 / 10 Pro 5G / 11 / 12
• OnePlus Nord 2 5G / Nord 4
• OnePlus Pad / Pad 2
• REDMAGIC 9 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Note10 / Note10+ / Note20 5G
• Samsung Galaxy S10 / S10+ / S10e / S20 / S20+ / S21 5G / S21 Ultra 5G / S22 /
• 2+ / S22 Ultra / S23 / S23+ / S23 Ultra / S24 / S24+ / S24 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 / S7 / S8 / S8+ / S8 Ultra / S9
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 / Z Fold4
• Sony Xperia 1 II / 1 III / 1 IV / 5 II
• Xiaomi 12 / 12T / 13T / 13T Pro
• Xiaomi Mi 11
• Xiaomi Pad 5
• Xiaomi Poco F3 / F5 / F6 / X3 Pro / X6 Pro

I did run it on the REDMAGIC 9 Pro, which meant that it was fully compatible with my device - however, if yours is not on the list, then your phone might not be fully supported. That's a little bit of a disappointment, but hopefully, that won't be the case for many of you.

The gameplay feels like a piece of history you can see and interact with

The OG has been praised for its historical accuracy and factual data, including strategic depth, and this mobile adaptation does just that flawlessly. I couldn't help but force myself to look up facts about various battles, and so far, you can tell that the team did their homework. 

You have to put a lot of thought behind every move, trade, and treaty you sign because everything could turn back to bite you. I have had that happen to me because of a few ambitious steps I tried to skip over, and I can guarantee, it's not fun. From experience, I can tell that you cannot just sleep on your decisions and wait for things to happen, because more often than not, they will not happen in your favour. 

After a lot of thought, time, and failure, I was finally able to assemble a pretty decent army, which did put me ahead for a while. However, that wasn't long-lasting, and for that, I recommend you do your research and carefully select each step you want to take. It's not easy!

What's the takeaway?

I'll start by addressing this part to all new players who might want to give it a try. If you haven't had any previous experience with the Total War series, this will be a challenge. It's fun, don't get me wrong, but it is not easy. I recommend you do a lot of reading while you wait for the resources to download, because everything you learn in the tutorial phase will come in handy. 

The help system is extremely extensive, and everything you need to know about getting started in your campaign sits right there. 

As for the veteran players, since you already have a clear idea of what Total War: Empire is about, I'll just say that compared to the PC version, this one stays true to the original - but it comes with its own features and some missing ones. 

If you just love a good strategy experience, I do recommend you play it, because it is fantastic. It's not like your typical tutorial-based strategies that hold your hand and forgive mistakes. Here, you're given a flag and your task is to stick it - no matter what.