First major remake in Koei Tecmo's legendary war series
By Paul Hunter
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is the first major remake in the long-standing war simulation series developed and published by Koei Tecmo, This remake brings fresh life to a classic strategy game originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003. The game is set during the tumultuous Three Kingdoms period in ancient China, a time filled with political intrigue, warfare, and legendary heroes.
The original Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 was praised for its deep strategic gameplay and rich storytelling, drawing inspiration from historical texts like Luo Guanzhong's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." This remake aims to honour that legacy while introducing modern enhancements to attract both new players and long-time fans. With its blend of historical accuracy and deep strategic gameplay, the game offers a unique experience that immerses you in a pivotal era of Chinese history.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake, you will find yourself navigating the complex political landscape of the Three Kingdoms era, where alliances are fragile, and betrayal lurks around every corner.
At the heart of the story are three major factions: Wei, Wu, and Shu. Each faction is led by iconic historical figures, such as Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. These characters are not just names; they are richly developed personalities with unique motivations and ambitions. As you interact with these factions, you will discover their strengths, weaknesses, and the intricate relationships that shape their actions.
One standout feature of the remake is the ability to choose your character's status. You can choose to be a ruler of an entire faction and making all the pivotal decisions, or you can be a governor of a specific province to handle its day-to-day operations, or you can even start out as a free officer with no allegiance, and eventually join a force and rise up the ranks.
There are also roughly 55 historical scenarios to choose from, grouped into eight main scenarios with multiple time periods to choose within each. The scenarios each offer a different perspective on the unfolding events. For instance, if you choose "The Decline of the Late Han," you will witness the rise of multiple small kingdoms amidst chaos. Alternatively, selecting "Post Zhuge Liang's Death" allows you to experience a world dominated by the three main factions, each vying for control. This choice significantly influences the challenges you face and the strategies you employ.
The game's storytelling is further enhanced by its detailed new "Tales" feature. These allow you to experience important historical events and take part in special events featuring your character. Each Tale is meticulously crafted, providing a rich backdrop for building relationships and allowing you to feel the weight of your choices. Tales are completely optional, too, you can choose to start or avoid whichever events you like and it gives you an easy-to-reference list of what to do next to help guide your decisions.
Moreover, the visual presentation of the Tales and events is impressive. The hand drawn character portraits and cutscenes are beautifully rendered, adding to the overall immersion. These visuals complement the narrative, allowing you to connect with the characters on a deeper level. This remake not only honours its predecessor but does a fantastic job elevating the storytelling experience to new heights.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake gameplay lets you experience a rich tapestry of political intrigue, warfare, and character development. Unlike many strategy games, this title places a strong emphasis on the individual characters you control. Each character has unique abilities and traits that can significantly influence your strategy both on the battlefield and off. You can develop your character through various paths, enhancing skills like leadership, combat, and diplomacy, to tailor your characters to your preferred gameplay focus.
The basic game cycle starts with the quarterly Parliament gathering where rulers and governors meet to decide on management policies of cities, as well as major decisions like diplomacy policy. Through diplomancy you can form alliances, negotiate treaties, and even betray other factions. This aspect of gameplay adds a layer of complexity, as your decisions can lead to significant and lasting consequences. You will need to balance your military ambitions with diplomatic relations to succeed.
During Parliament you can also declare battles with neighbouring countries, which initiates the turn-based combat. Engaging ing battle require careful planning and tactical execution, like choosing the right officers to lead the troops, selecting unit type, and unit positioning. You also need to pay attention to the various terrains, each affecting movement and providing terrain advantage or disadvantage. Technology plays a crucial part in battles as well, such as developing fire arrows or using flammable tech to set terrain on fire. Duels also return and is based on a strategic card-based system. All in all, the battle system is quite robust, making each battle feel unique and rewarding.
Once Parliament finishes, the next three months focus on city management including completing requests, speaking with your officers, visiting taverns for lively discussions or even hosting a party for your those you wish to invite. This game has a major focus on relationship building and once your relationship deepens enough "Link Forged" occurs, which provides bonuses for each officer. You can also eventually get married or become sworn siblings, all of which is visually represented in the new relationship chart. Whether you want to focus on building relationships, engaging in strategic diplomacy, developing cities or being a ruthless warlord, there's a huge amount of gameplay paths to take in this game.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake impresses with its stunning new visuals, which have been significantly upgraded from the PS2 original. Each character is meticulously designed, showcasing vibrant colours and poses that reflect their historical significance and personality.
The environments are equally impressive, featuring lush landscapes and intricately designed cities. You will find yourself exploring beautifully rendered battlefields, each with unique terrain and strongholds. Whether you are navigating through bustling towns or strategising on a battlefield, the visuals are a treat to the eyes.
The user interface is also well-designed, making it easy to navigate through menus and access important information. There's a rather lengthy tutorial that introduces you to the most crucial menu areas to help ease newcomers into the experience.
The sound design immerses you in the world of the Three Kingdoms, starting with the background music that is a blend of traditional Chinese instruments and modern orchestration. Each piece of music is carefully crafted to match the mood of the game, whether you are in the midst of a tense battle or engaging in diplomatic negotiations. Battle sound effects are equally impressive, from the clash of swords to the thundering of horse hooves to the shouts of soldiers, they all contribute to the game's immersive experience.
Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Developer: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Genre: Simulation, Turn-Based Strategy
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
A key was provided by the publisher.
By Paul Hunter
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is the first major remake in the long-standing war simulation series developed and published by Koei Tecmo, This remake brings fresh life to a classic strategy game originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2003. The game is set during the tumultuous Three Kingdoms period in ancient China, a time filled with political intrigue, warfare, and legendary heroes.
The original Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 was praised for its deep strategic gameplay and rich storytelling, drawing inspiration from historical texts like Luo Guanzhong's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." This remake aims to honour that legacy while introducing modern enhancements to attract both new players and long-time fans. With its blend of historical accuracy and deep strategic gameplay, the game offers a unique experience that immerses you in a pivotal era of Chinese history.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake, you will find yourself navigating the complex political landscape of the Three Kingdoms era, where alliances are fragile, and betrayal lurks around every corner.
At the heart of the story are three major factions: Wei, Wu, and Shu. Each faction is led by iconic historical figures, such as Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. These characters are not just names; they are richly developed personalities with unique motivations and ambitions. As you interact with these factions, you will discover their strengths, weaknesses, and the intricate relationships that shape their actions.
One standout feature of the remake is the ability to choose your character's status. You can choose to be a ruler of an entire faction and making all the pivotal decisions, or you can be a governor of a specific province to handle its day-to-day operations, or you can even start out as a free officer with no allegiance, and eventually join a force and rise up the ranks.
There are also roughly 55 historical scenarios to choose from, grouped into eight main scenarios with multiple time periods to choose within each. The scenarios each offer a different perspective on the unfolding events. For instance, if you choose "The Decline of the Late Han," you will witness the rise of multiple small kingdoms amidst chaos. Alternatively, selecting "Post Zhuge Liang's Death" allows you to experience a world dominated by the three main factions, each vying for control. This choice significantly influences the challenges you face and the strategies you employ.
The game's storytelling is further enhanced by its detailed new "Tales" feature. These allow you to experience important historical events and take part in special events featuring your character. Each Tale is meticulously crafted, providing a rich backdrop for building relationships and allowing you to feel the weight of your choices. Tales are completely optional, too, you can choose to start or avoid whichever events you like and it gives you an easy-to-reference list of what to do next to help guide your decisions.
Moreover, the visual presentation of the Tales and events is impressive. The hand drawn character portraits and cutscenes are beautifully rendered, adding to the overall immersion. These visuals complement the narrative, allowing you to connect with the characters on a deeper level. This remake not only honours its predecessor but does a fantastic job elevating the storytelling experience to new heights.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake gameplay lets you experience a rich tapestry of political intrigue, warfare, and character development. Unlike many strategy games, this title places a strong emphasis on the individual characters you control. Each character has unique abilities and traits that can significantly influence your strategy both on the battlefield and off. You can develop your character through various paths, enhancing skills like leadership, combat, and diplomacy, to tailor your characters to your preferred gameplay focus.
The basic game cycle starts with the quarterly Parliament gathering where rulers and governors meet to decide on management policies of cities, as well as major decisions like diplomacy policy. Through diplomancy you can form alliances, negotiate treaties, and even betray other factions. This aspect of gameplay adds a layer of complexity, as your decisions can lead to significant and lasting consequences. You will need to balance your military ambitions with diplomatic relations to succeed.
During Parliament you can also declare battles with neighbouring countries, which initiates the turn-based combat. Engaging ing battle require careful planning and tactical execution, like choosing the right officers to lead the troops, selecting unit type, and unit positioning. You also need to pay attention to the various terrains, each affecting movement and providing terrain advantage or disadvantage. Technology plays a crucial part in battles as well, such as developing fire arrows or using flammable tech to set terrain on fire. Duels also return and is based on a strategic card-based system. All in all, the battle system is quite robust, making each battle feel unique and rewarding.
Once Parliament finishes, the next three months focus on city management including completing requests, speaking with your officers, visiting taverns for lively discussions or even hosting a party for your those you wish to invite. This game has a major focus on relationship building and once your relationship deepens enough "Link Forged" occurs, which provides bonuses for each officer. You can also eventually get married or become sworn siblings, all of which is visually represented in the new relationship chart. Whether you want to focus on building relationships, engaging in strategic diplomacy, developing cities or being a ruthless warlord, there's a huge amount of gameplay paths to take in this game.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake impresses with its stunning new visuals, which have been significantly upgraded from the PS2 original. Each character is meticulously designed, showcasing vibrant colours and poses that reflect their historical significance and personality.
The environments are equally impressive, featuring lush landscapes and intricately designed cities. You will find yourself exploring beautifully rendered battlefields, each with unique terrain and strongholds. Whether you are navigating through bustling towns or strategising on a battlefield, the visuals are a treat to the eyes.
The user interface is also well-designed, making it easy to navigate through menus and access important information. There's a rather lengthy tutorial that introduces you to the most crucial menu areas to help ease newcomers into the experience.
The sound design immerses you in the world of the Three Kingdoms, starting with the background music that is a blend of traditional Chinese instruments and modern orchestration. Each piece of music is carefully crafted to match the mood of the game, whether you are in the midst of a tense battle or engaging in diplomatic negotiations. Battle sound effects are equally impressive, from the clash of swords to the thundering of horse hooves to the shouts of soldiers, they all contribute to the game's immersive experience.
The Verdict
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake brings a beloved classic back to life with impressive updates. Koei Tecmo have worked hard to enhance the visuals, sound, and gameplay mechanics, including a ton of new features like the Tales, Link Forged and Trait systems. Whether you're a fan of the series or love historical strategy games, this remake is sure to provide endless hours of fun.Final Score: 8.5/10 - Great
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake details
Platform: PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PCDeveloper: Koei Tecmo
Publisher: Koei Tecmo
Genre: Simulation, Turn-Based Strategy
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
A key was provided by the publisher.