Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is an historical strategy game rich in detail
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is an historical strategy game rich in detail, featuring a story that takes place in the run-up to the unification of 2nd Century China. Koei Tecmo has gone all out in creating a hugely immersive title that has you building armies, watching over cities and becoming the leader of a great empire.
I was fortunate enough to play a portion of the game called ‘Hero Mode’, which does a great deal to show you the ropes through a dense tutorial and a decent narrative.
If you’ve never played a Romance of the Three Kingdoms title before, you’re going to find the sheer amount of options overwhelming. Thankfully, the Hero Mode helps you get to grips with many of the key mechanics so you’re ready for the heavily detailed campaign upon the game’s July 2016 release.
You start in 184 A.D. with The Peach Garden Three storyline; in order to recruit officers to fight in your war efforts, you’re tasked with completing some menial tasks to get Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to fight for you and restore the Han Dynasty. You’re literally trying to organise a piss up in a brewery by visiting another city to buy some fancy alcohol and get these fine officers on your side. It ushers you in gently and shows you the importance of relationships among officers, showing you how necessary it is to form bonds if you want to overthrow the enemy.
As you play Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII, you’ll see lots of other responsibilities you’ll have and how important maintaining an army is. You’ll get involved in various battles where you’ll send your army to fight against others, and making the right decisions is vital. You’ll deploy your armies across China’s huge 3D map, and having the right commander and the correct commands in place will be key to victory. There is more to it than just fighting, tooL: keeping your army fed and making sure they’re looked after will keep your numbers strong.
Knowing how to control your army is the difference between success and failure. You’ll have different units with different skills, such as long-range attacks, and you choose where to place them in battle. I took my spearmen straight into enemy bases and overthrew enemy forces as my archers provided support from the back. The visuals aren’t the best, and it would be nice to see a more detailed battlefield (such as in Total War), but it’s still exciting to see your forces come up trumps. Terrain also plays a part in whether you’re successful enough and these variables add layers to the combat.
The political plays are just as important as the military ones, with diplomacy key to creating friendships with other cities and leaders. It’s about building an empire and forming bonds with other powerful men. A bribe or a gift of goodwill once in a while will really help to bring a truce between rivals. The Debate mini-game has you take part in a Rock, Paper, Scissors situation where you can have it out with someone who doesn’t see eye to eye with you. Success in these debates lead to you building your intelligence and showing your empire you’re more than just brawn.
Duelling in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is another game of chance, but it will help you assert your dominance against bandits and the like. The higher your WAR rating the more likely you are to be successful in these duels and, providing you use defence as well as offence, you’re more likely to win.
There is so much you’ll need to take in and it’s overwhelming for sure. Learning all the types of warfare and orders takes time, but the Hero Mode is a great way for you to learn. The cinematics in game are the kind you’ve come to love from Koei Tecmo’s other titles like the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games, and the dialogue is wonderfully Japanese. There is something endearing about Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII and it’s an incredibly well-crafted experience. Hero Mode is your gateway into its thrilling gameplay and it works as well as you’d expect from Koei Tecmo’s popular strategy series.
