Total War: WARHAMMER

I’d play Total War: WARHAMMER at a walking pace, because the campaign keeps stopping for decisions and then the battles suddenly ask you to manage a whole army. I wouldn’t start a run with a Greenskin army trying to get across the map in one piece.

Gameplay

The turn based campaign is the part I think fits exercise best, since you can take your time choosing where to go and what to do, and the game doesn’t keep demanding that your hands move while you’re thinking. You’re leading a Legendary Lord and trying to manage your chosen race’s fight against Chaos, so there’s plenty to keep your attention between the battles. Some turns will be quick, and some will have me staring at the map while the treadmill carries on without me. That’s okay.

Then you get to a battle and the pace changes. You’re placing units, moving them around, and trying to respond as lines of soldiers crash into each other, with spells and big monsters making the whole thing feel more like a fantasy battle than a history lesson. I like that there’s a lot to watch, but keeping track of an entire army takes more focus than I want from a workout game. I’d probably pause often and make decisions while standing still, which is a little less exercise than I had planned.

The different races give you a reason to change how you approach things, and I think that’s where the game gets a lot of its appeal. The Dwarfs and the Greenskins don’t feel like the same army with a different coat of paint, and having a Legendary Lord in the middle of it gives the battle a person to follow when the screen is full of troops. I don’t know how much I’d want to learn all the details while jogging, though. I’d feel like I was trying to read a map while somebody kept asking me where the map was.

There’s also a nice rhythm to switching between the campaign and the real time battles, because you get a stretch of calm planning and then a stretch where everything is happening at once. The issue is that I’d be doing more thinking than moving during the campaign, and more clicking than moving during battles. That can be a good way to play a strategy game, but it isn’t the thing I want when I’m trying to run. I’d save this for a walk or an easy ride.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

I’d set the treadmill to a walking pace and treat battles like little breaks where I can pause, get my bearings, and give orders. You can pause a single player battle to think, which helps a lot, but it doesn’t make the army controls simple. There are lots of units to keep track of, and selecting the right one with a mouse while your arm is bouncing along is the sort of small problem that gets old fast.

This PC game is built around a mouse and keyboard, so I wouldn’t plan on playing it with a controller. That matters more here than in a game where you can steer one character around, because you’re clicking on specific units and parts of the battlefield, and the map is doing a lot of work. A stable setup on a stationary bike would make the controls easier to manage, but you’d still be reaching for a mouse and keyboard instead of relaxing your hands on a controller. Not ideal.

The campaign is more forgiving for a workout because you can stop and think before making a move. I’d use those turns to keep a steady pace, then pause the battle when the fight gets busy instead of trying to issue orders while running. If you want to run hard and stay focused on the game, I think the switching back and forth would be annoying. You’d probably spend more time deciding whether to keep moving than enjoying the army.

There’s enough going on to hold your attention, but the controls make this a setup game, not something I’d casually pick up while already on the treadmill. I’d try it on a bike first if I had a desk or tray that kept the mouse steady, and I’d skip a fast run. The game can wait. My feet are less patient.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements are fairly modest, and the listed Intel HD4000 integrated graphics support means you don’t need a new gaming computer just to try it, though integrated graphics need more memory. I’d check the graphics hardware first, since the game asks for DirectX 11 and the stated integrated graphics target is 720p. It may not look fancy on an older computer, but the minimum isn’t asking for a huge machine.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Total War: WARHAMMER makes more sense for a steady walk or a carefully arranged bike setup than for a run, and I’d recommend it to someone who likes strategy enough to pause and plan. If you want quick, simple controls while you exercise, this probably isn’t the one.

Overall Score: 2 out of 3