Underplayed Gems

Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII (2001)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII cover
Developer
Koei
Platforms
PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2
Genres
Role-playing (RPG), Strategy, Turn-based strategy (TBS), Tactical
Rating
4.0 of 5, 5 player ratings

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How it feels

A slow, deliberate exercise in political maneuvering and military planning across a sprawling historical China, rewarding patience and careful long-term thinking over quick reflexes.

methodicalhistoricalcomplexslow-pacedstrategicdeepcerebralgrand-scale

About

KOEI beckons PS2 strategy gamers to return to second-century China with this eighth full release in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. Following the style of the series, this edition is set amongst the confusion and chaos at the end of the Han dynasty. As in earlier games, the ultimate goal is to reunite the sundered nation, and players can take the roles of diverse characters as they work to do so. Strategy gamers can take control of up to eight different characters in a single game. Over 700 characters are available, 100 of which are customizable originals. Other new features include the chance for more than four forces to meet on the same battlefield and the ability to set the game's starting point to any time during the 50-year period between the Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 A.D. and the death of Zhuge Liang in 234 A.D. Work your way through 54 scenarios and one fictional story featuring every officer in the game Use commands such as "Marriage" and "Sworn Brother" to alter the relationships of your empire Create an army by selecting rulers, warlords, viceroys, free officers, and bands

Screenshots

Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII screenshot 1Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII screenshot 2

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This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.