The world was amazing and well realized, the combat was fairly engaging with a good parry and dodge. Bit combersome controls with so many spells. Eventually though you realize that leveling in the game makes no sense and the rpg elements also make no sense. Also that you can fly over everything which makes already meaningless encounters very skippable. I had my fill after 25 hours, final boss was a nail biter that I would have been mad if i had to do again. Story was okay not particularily memorable.

Stray has exceptional environmental design, and the gameplay really does make you feel like a cat. While the best parts of the game really shine, other parts of the game felt less inspired.

I had a great time exploring Stray's unique cites but was mildly frustrated by the chase scenes and stealth sections. The game is never overly difficult, but these particular sections feel generic and start to get away from what the game does well. For me, it was the difference between Stray being merely good rather than great.

Total War is a large expansive franchise that has tackled multiple time periods, areas, generals, and even fantasy universes like Total War: Warhammer 3. Now it tackles something I like a lot. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a great series of books from China, it’s also the basis of the Dynasty Warrior games. I’ve read the books and played almost every Dynasty Warrior game except 9, so this should be right up my alley.

In some ways it is. The characters are here, the style of writing, and the intrigue all fit together. I just wish the developers gave us more. 14 starting characters are unlocked, however, 29 are DLC only. You only have one Campaign start point with 4 others behind DLC. Hope your favorite character is one of the main leaders or a minor leader at the right time, because Lu Bu, Sun Ce, Meng Huo, and more, are again DLC. So much of this game is asking for more money, which leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

Pick this up if you love Total War. At the end of the day, this is yet another Total War game, and that’s what I expected. You have lovely large battles, huge groups, and famous characters, each with a story that they can follow. I just wish it didn’t feel so obvious that the developer had their hand out for more money from the get-go.

If you want to see more from me: Check out my video on this month of Game Pass games: https://youtu.be/2fKlHHe39kE