Overview

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Review

Release Date: 08.12.2003
Platform: PlayStation 2
Developer: KOEI Co., Ltd.
Publisher: KOEI Corporation

Reviewed by Wade Monnig on 11.11.2003

Review Rating: 8/10

User Rating: 8.33/10

Reuniting China – I’ve done it so many times in the previous incarnations of Romance of the Three Kingdoms; I should have an honorary degree in marriage counseling. However, I’m sure many game players have never touched a Romance of the Three Kingdoms game and that the VIII following the main title can be a bit intimidating. Surprisingly, this eighth incarnation of the Romance series is probably the best stepping on point for anyone who has been interested in the series but have been put off by the complexities. It also manages to provide more of a challenge to veterans of the series.

In recent incarnations, the series has been far from stagnant, focusing on improving the Role Playing portion of the Strategy/RPG genre in which it resides. Still, the majority of your time will be spent navigating and making selections in the menu system. The core emphasis is still on Strategy and the only thing likely to be twitching in this game is your eye after setting your mind to the task to creating a functioning empire.

The majority of time in ROTK is spent on the Domestic side of things. They say an army travels on its stomach but it’s the money used to purchase the food that greases the wheels of a war machine. In ROTK VII, Koei gave you the opportunity to be a general or commander. It was a neat idea but it was never fully realized, with little being added to the gameplay to take advantage of this addition. In VIII, much has been added for those wishing to begin their quest as a lower level character. Now, performing tasks, and doing them well, will increase your fame. This, in turn, allows you to earn more skills, increase your abilities and, most importantly, lets you capture the ear of your commander. After a few successful ventures, your liege will begin to accept proposals from you based on your reputation and their merit. This is a nice change from ROTK VII where some proposals seemed to be offhandedly dismissed.

For would-be emperors, domestic development has now been simplified. In previous Romances, it was beneficial to really devote yourself to micromanagement. Now, it is just as important to delegate. Part of this is due to new restrictions on some major activities: you are only allowed to draft troops, engage in battle and execute various ploys once per quarter year. This means more time is spend on the day-to-day running of the towns/providences. This is where the improved allied A.I. really shines. In previous versions, towns would operate in somewhat effectively on their own but, now, they coordinate with other towns via a viceroy that you can appoint or, if you choose, play as. Viceroys are not only in charge of several cities within a kingdom but can appoint prefects and give orders of a domestic fashion the same way rulers did in previous ROTK titles. Instead of just floundering your way around, hoping to gain approval, rulers will now give you an order to what your overall objective should be, such as conquering a province or destroying a specific kingdom.

Other improvements include the ability to play as any of the 800+ characters and control up to eight at a time, effectively creating your own hierarchy. You can also begin your campaign in any year, letting you to place yourself perfectly in the middle of some of the more “interesting” political shenanigans. There is also more to personal relationships than simply building the trust of your friends through visits and gifts: you can form the ultimate union: "Marriage" or go for the more platonic "Sworn Brother" which creates a blood bond between you and another warrior.

Of course, you can’t reunite China without breaking a few eggs or, in this case, cracking a few skulls. This is where the improved combat system comes into place. No longer are your best combatants simply the generals with the best war rating. If you want success on the field, intellectual warriors can be just as valuable. It is also no longer an option to create the ultimate general using simple “book smarts.” Certain skills can be only obtained by learning them in battle. Other skill levels, while able to be boosted via studying, reach a plateau where further improvement is only available though battle. Taking a page from Dynasty Tactics, Battlefield terrain also plays an important role and there are also more tactics and skills to be used throughout combat. On the down side, the battlefield camera doesn’t automatically pan when units are under auto control, causing you to sometimes miss important skirmishes that can sway the battle.

Koei should consider adding interactive training/demo levels to all of their releases. Sure, after eight incarnations of titles like ROTK, most Japanese fans don’t need them but when Koei isn’t preaching to the choir of the converted, it’s a rough road for the uninitiated. The included help files are informative but read more like a dictionary than a helpful tutorial, which is what most players requiring help are more apt to need.

With the continued success of the Dynasty Warriors series, more and more fans have become interested in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era. Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII does what Koei has long been famous for: providing an in-depth simulation/strategy title that will provide dozens and dozens of hours of entertainment. While it doesn’t provide the instant gratification of Dynasty Warriors, the cerebral reward is just as addictive.

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