Beyond the game content itself, Creative Assembly has added a few new game options. You can finally play the campaign in multiplayer, but only in hotseat mode, a type of play that is almost obsolete in the age of broadband. You can now control all the reinforcing armies on a map, with general stances if you prefer. And the included SDK tools have a battle editor so you can fill out the still not exhaustive list of historic medieval battles.

Most welcome to newcomers is the ability to slow down battles to half speed. Veterans of the series may find this a little silly, since the battles aren’t usually very difficult. But the default speed is pretty quick, so it makes sense to give rookie players the opportunity to mull a little about where they want their cavalry to go before those spearmen turn around and make a little horsemeat.

Kingdoms breathes fresh life into the Total War franchise, just when it needs it most. With a new engine on its way, the glories of this iteration will probably fade as soon as video of Empire: Total War appears. But Kingdoms adds through design, giving you more than the spectacle you’ve become used to. None of the new campaigns are easy, but even casual players will find a setting to love.