Still, those examples let you input new commands whenever the game is paused. This also has a significant effect of taking you away from the action.įans of Koei Tecmo’s games may even remember pausable real-time strategy features in other RTK titles or those in Nobunaga’s Ambition: Sphere of Influence. After each phase ends, you’re then taken to a screen that gives you a summary of the previous turn. Once you hit “play,” all your orders, including battlefield skills and duels, are then automated and fire seemingly at random. The most you can do during the tactical phase is assign waypoints and targets. Imagine a paused tactical phase where you move half a dozen armies one by one and have to anticipate where they’d end up, how they’d reposition, or if they’d somehow get stuck. It’s somewhat akin to Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX‘s system, except worse. This is poorly implemented in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV‘s grand strategy presentation where all the action takes place on a massive campaign map. Pause-and-play that makes you want to pass insteadįirstly, there’s the “pause-and-play” concept. That’s because Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV‘s mechanics just don’t mesh well together. However, if you’re someone who does like the empire management aspect, you’ll feel the same sense of despondency. Those who loved the RPG concepts may be disappointed by this iteration. You play as the ruler of a faction, not as a vagabond or a retainer looking to make a name for yourself. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is somewhat similar to those aforementioned titles. As such, I mostly gravitated towards the older installments as well as the sixth, ninth, and eleventh games in the series RTK 11 happens to be my favorite as well. Others, meanwhile, like the macro, empire-building mechanics. Some prefer the RPG-esque concepts that focus on character development and building relationships. There are two kinds of Romance of the Three Kingdoms players. The remaining “general” and “attainment” events were purely generic “develop a city” or “defeat your rival” affairs. Even other notable rulers such as Ma Teng, Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Liu Biao got shafted. Not a single one was tailor-fit for Lu Bu be it historical or ahistorical events. To my surprise, all the events in the “Warlords” scenario focused on the exploits of the leaders of the Three Kingdoms (Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Ce/Sun Quan). The novel details many of his exploits such as attempting to arrange a marriage between his faction’s and Yuan Shu’s, allying with Liu Bei only to betray him in the end, being cruel to his subordinates, the flooding of Xiapi, his pleas for mercy as he was about to be executed, and Cao Cao’s recruitment of the brave Zhang Liao. Historically, Lu Bu was part of a three-way battle for Yan Province his rivals were Cao Cao and Liu Bei. While seeing their respective requirements/event triggers and dialogue can be a welcome sight, many of these events are for the main faction leaders.įor instance, I played the 194 CE scenario (“Warlords”) as Lu Bu, known as the mightiest warrior in China at the time. Sadly, these cinematics seem to be missing when it comes to fictional scenarios (such as one that pits the descendants of Cao Cao against each other).Īs for events, there are quite a number of these throughout Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV’s campaigns. Historical scenarios are accompanied by a short cinematic giving you a backdrop of the current situation. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV still has numerous scenarios for you to pick starting from the battles between the Han Dynasty and the Yellow Turbans to the rise of Sima Yi and the foundations of the Jin Dynasty. Set during the waning years of the Han Dynasty, it tells the tale of rival warlords, heroic feats, amazing duels, dastardly plots, mysticism, and larger-than-life characters. This sweeping epic combines fantastical elements and history and is likewise considered as one of the pillars of Chinese literature. Koei Tecmo’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms is based on one of Luo Guanzhong’s works, Sanguo Yanyi. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV: The story so far Note: For more information about the game’s mechanics, head over to our Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV guides and features hub. Let’s delve into detail in our official review. It just might be one of the most disappointing RTK titles I’ve played. Unfortunately, this tired formula, combined with nonsensical mechanics and notable omissions, has become a detriment to Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV, the latest installment of the series. While it’s true that the company relies on an age-old formula, the franchise remains popular due to its depiction of Chinese history. I’ve been playing Koei Tecmo’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms ( RTK) offerings since the SNES days.
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