Total War: Warhammer III review – swords, sorcery and symphonic metal

Windows PC (Game pass, Steam); Creative Assembly/Sega
This sprawling medieval fantasy brings together romantic and classical strategy game design with spectacular results

When Game of Thrones ended, I promised myself I would never again become invested in a sprawling medieval fantasy where humanity makes a desperate last stand against an apocalyptic foe, at the onset of an endless winter. It felt like a safe bet at the time. Then that trailer dropped.

The finale of this grand strategy trilogy, set in the long-running Warhammer fantasy role-playing universe, never quite reaches the cinematic highs of the announcement video, but it comes impressively close; all swords, sorcery and symphonic metal. Too much story would only detract from the strategy sandboxes that define the Total War series anyway, where a Helm's Deep or Battle of the Bastards can emerge spontaneously from any corner of its improv theatre of war. Still, if Warhammer 3 never hits such epochal fantasy plot beats, it provides one beautiful, batshit box of Lego for building your own.