Total Battle sells itself as a war strategy game set among ancient civilizations, magic kingdoms and great empires, with heroes, monsters, barbarians, wizards and elves along the way. It is busy in the way modern strategy games often are, with plenty of menus and plenty of things to tap. Underneath the noise is a well-built loop that respects a player who prefers the map to the battlefield.
We played a month on the browser version, published by Scorewarrior, with the mobile app on the side. Our approach was deliberately cautious: grow the city, level captains on monsters and crypts, join a clan, and step into player fights only once we understood them. The game supported that path better than we expected.
Captains, crypts and the monster trade
Captains are the heart of the game. They lead your marches to monsters, crypts and resource points on the world map, and they grow in experience from each fight and each crypt they explore. The higher the crypt, the more experience it gives, so a natural rhythm emerges: send captains out, return, upgrade, aim a little higher next time.
This is where Total Battle is at its most satisfying. Choosing which captain leads which march, and which monster squad your army can handle, is a small daily puzzle. Clear a stack of monsters cleanly and you feel clever. Overreach and the losses sting. It is PvE with consequences, and it gives solo-minded players a long, legitimate road forward.
Guardsmen, specialists and engineers
The army splits into families that reward thought. Guardsmen, including spearmen, archers, riders and flying units, carry a bonus against monsters, which makes them the backbone of crypt runs and big hunts. Specialists hit harder against players and are built for PvP. Engineer corps handle siege work. Leadership governs how many human troops you can command, while Dominance covers monster units.
That split means your army composition tells a story about how you play. Our crypt-heavy month built a guardsman-heavy force, and when a neighbour came calling we learned quickly why specialists exist. The game teaches the distinction through results rather than lectures, which we appreciated, though the depth of options can overwhelm in the first few days.
A city that never quite stops asking
Your city is your engine: buildings for resources, research, troops and defence, with walls and towers that matter once you are on other players’ radar. The publisher frames the game around castle defence and tactical manoeuvres, and the city screen backs that up with real choices about where to invest.
The trouble is volume. Total Battle has many systems layered on top of each other, from events to hero progression, and the screen rarely runs out of notifications. A focused player can ignore most of them, but the clutter is the main reason our free footing score sits at six: it constantly shows you faster routes. Patience works, but the game tests it.
Clans without the pressure cooker
Clans in Total Battle gather players from all over the world, and they are useful for gifts, help and coordinated hunts on bigger monsters. The best ones we saw were relaxed and practical rather than militaristic, which suits a game where much of the progress is PvE.
Player war is there for those who want it, and it can be fierce. But you are not forced into it as early as in Tribal Wars or Vikings. That flexibility is what earns Total Battle its fourth place: a game you can play as a quiet monster hunter for weeks, then slowly turn into an empire with a sharper edge.
Seven frosty mornings in Total Battle
- Follow the city build tasks for two days; they unlock captains and the basics of the world map.
- Send captains against low-level monsters you can beat cleanly, and read every result screen.
- Build guardsmen first if you plan to hunt, then add specialists once neighbours notice you.
- Explore crypts as soon as you can; they are the steadiest source of captain experience.
- Join a relaxed clan that coordinates hunts, and ask members which monster squads are worth the march.
What wore us down
- Crowded menus and constant notifications bury the important decisions.
- The interface keeps pointing towards faster routes you can buy.
- Army options are overwhelming for the first few days.
Why we kept logging in
- Captains and crypts give solo players a long, satisfying path forward.
- The guardsmen and specialist split makes army choices meaningful.
- You can delay player war until you are ready for it.
- The world map is always busy with targets worth reading.
The commander Total Battle was made for
Total Battle suits players who enjoy PvE progress and want to set their own pace with player conflict. If you like hunting, levelling captains and planning crypt runs over an evening, and you can tune out busy menus, this fantasy empire will keep you occupied for months.
Where Total Battle lands after a month of play
Underneath the clutter is a thoughtful game. Captains, crypts and the guardsman-specialist split give real choices, and the freedom to grow on monsters before facing players makes it the gentlest war game on our list to enter. Busy menus and a heavy push towards shortcuts hold it back, but patient players will find a long, rewarding campaign here.
