A deep strategic dive into ancient China – That’s Gaming

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake places you in the middle of political and military dramas of ancient China. You can choose from more than 50 scenarios, plus six fictional scenarios in which you can rewrite history. You can play as a powerful ruler, a loyal officer, or a strategic genius. The game offers an awful lot of options, and each role feels different. There are nearly 1,000 playable officers, each with their own background, skills and loyalties, providing unprecedented depth and variety to the story.

One of the most fun parts of this game is the Tales system, which allows you to trigger and modify historical events. This allows you to influence the course of history yourself, which is very cool, especially if you have an interest in Chinese history. You can choose to stick to the historical facts or deviate to the fictional scenarios.

At its core, the game is a turn-based game in which you manage cities, command troops and forge alliances. Each month you have a limited number of action points that you can use to develop your cities, negotiate with allies, or devise and plot strategies. Every quarter there is a parliamentary session in which you can plan military campaigns or conduct negotiations.

The game pays close attention to relationships between officers. By forming alliances or building rivalries, you can influence events in the game. The Link Forged system reinforces this by allowing you to form strong bonds that give you advantages in combat or diplomacy. In addition, you can enter into marriages and raise children, who can later join your army. This gives the game a personal touch.

The charm of the game is mostly in the amount of detail and choices available. Each scenario feels unique, thanks in part to the different characters and the various scenarios. It does help if you have a penchant for this kind of history, because then the game really comes into its own and you appreciate it even more. The battles take place on a hex grid, which provides strategic options that you can work out. By forming alliances, you can also carry out joint attacks.

Fortunately, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake A visual upgrade over the original. The characters are nicely designed in an animated style, and the new 3D environments give the game a modern look. Still, the 3D models, especially during battles, sometimes feel a bit outdated and lack the vibrancy that modern games often do. However, the soundtrack is well done; it combines classic and modern elements and fits the game perfectly. In addition, the game is well optimized with a smooth 60 fps experience.

Still, there are some downsides. One of the biggest drawbacks is the repetitiveness, which is strange considering the large number of officers. But many actions, such as developing cities and improving relationships, become monotonous after a while. The minigames for duels and debates are limited; although they are meant for tactical depth, they lack the excitement I had hoped for.

As a history buff, what I sorely missed was the ability to hear authentic Chinese voices. This would have given the game that little bit extra, with English subtitles. This may seem like a small detail to most gamers, but in a historical game, this would add to the authenticity.

The game can also feel quite drawn out. The scenarios are sometimes very long if you want to conquer all of China. Given the large number of scenarios, this can make the game a bit overwhelming at times, and it can be difficult to get started.

Nevertheless, I am excited about Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake. The game brings a classic to modern platforms and offers an in-depth strategic experience not found everywhere these days. This game can keep you busy for hundreds of hours. If you like this type of game and the historical setting, there is much to enjoy. Still, the game can feel repetitive, it is unfortunate that there is no Chinese voice acting option, and it can be very drawn out at times. But I will still go back and try to conquer China, because I would like to become ruler of the Three Kingdoms.