Total War: Medieval II players can enjoy a free update that adds new multiplayer modes

I absolutely adore the Total War series. Capturing territory, being diplomatic, growing a massive army, I love it all, right up until something shiny distracts me from my epic campaign. When I do play, Total War: Medieval II is my favourite. Happily, all owners of the mobile version can now receive the Hotseats and Halberds update for free.

The update is split into the two titular aspects, so let's start with the Hotseat. It is a new multiplayer mode that allows multiple people to compete in a campaign on the same device. Everyone picks their favourite faction to command, then takes turns passing the device around to make moves. 

This may sound similar to the computer versions' Kingdoms mode, because it is, but Hotseat has one crucial difference. You can use this during a Grand Campaign, so you and your friends can enjoy a whole epic journey together. Right up until you turn on each other and ruin friendships to take over France.

If you are a bit too scared of competition, then you can try the Co-op Mode instead. Here, the victory conditions for all player factions are combined, territories are pooled, and everyone works together to win. It's all fluffy, happy hugs. Although you can still attack each other, so, don’t get too comfortable.

For those seeking just absolute chaos, check out the Battle Royale mode. Here you will accumulate points for things such as having the highest population, the most territory, or the good old strongest military. There is also Auto Elimination, so if you aren’t aggressively expanding, you will be wiped out in a matter of turns.

The Halberd's side of the update is a lot more straightforward. After listening to mobile player feedback, the developers have implemented a host of rebalancing changes for late-era units. This should lead to a lot more exciting battles in the later turns. All this adds up to a more exciting game, so check out Total War: Medieval II on the App Store and Google Play to get involved.