Review for Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV. Game for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 16/01/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/02/2020
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV (for friends RTK XIV) is probably the most famous turn-based strategy of Koei Tecmo in Asia. In the West it is little known for a very simple reason: it has never been duly localized except through the commitment of specialized modders and lovers of this long-lived series.
The historical context is the same as in Total War: Three Kingdoms by mom Sega, China at the end of the Han dynasty, one of the most important in Chinese history, but the similarities between the two video games end there and don't think this is a copy of the most acclaimed title of The Creative Assembly, the number at the end of the title should already say everything by itself on the question " the chicken or the egg was born first ”. The deeply Asian structure of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV its typically Japanese features could destabilize those more used to the long line of Sega titles but don't be fooled: Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV he has many arrows in his bow and spends them in a functional way without ever exaggerating.
The graphic sector is the classic one of the series and even in this case it will appeal more to those accustomed to the genre of JRPG than to lovers of real strategy. The graphic quality is indisputable but it is very colorful and not very dark, which detaches it from the historical context it deals with. But even in this Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV does not lie and does not want to lie to anyone: is a light, agile game, without delusions of grandeur, but with very deep mechanics. Not only that: if in the titles of the Total War saga, lately, we are dealing with purely mathematical calculations, here the strategy has survived and (damn) its weight feels strong.
One of the most interesting features of this game lies in the possibility of creating your own brand new faction, with family heads and officers invented and created by us. Dozens and dozens of unique portraits will allow us to have a completely new faction and not at all historically reliable, with all due respect to Professor Barbero and all sinologists. The fact remains, however, that this is a very interesting strategy to make the game appreciate even and above all to those who do not know anything about Chinese history. The various officers, historically reliable, in fact, will have great bonuses or malus towards the others precisely because they are based on how the story really went. In order to understand each other: Yuan Shao it's beautiful and very strong but… well, find out for yourself.
The administrative panels will also test those who believe they are accustomed to strategic and management. Managing a city will not be easy: it will be necessary to take into account the number of provisions present in it, the number of troops in garrison and the money necessary for its maintenance, but that's not all. A city will also be the "capital" of a district so it will also have to administer an entire region full of small villages. Our officers will run to our aid, to whom we will be able to delegate the management of everything, but also here attention: not all generals are suitable to carry out the different roles. Each officer will have his own characteristics and a rating in Politics, Leadership, Intelligence, Strength, Diplomacy, etc. Putting a warrior in charge of farming could quickly bankrupt you and starve the people. Creating a powerful faction will prove to be a difficult task but if we are skilled enough we will be able to find allies and above all to weave a dense network of espionage that warns us in advance of possible threats to our sovereignty.
The military module of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV does not differ from the others. Things like choosing your army formation carefully and the types of soldiers will not be a light-hearted choice. Some officers, then, will be able to bring into battle only a specific type of troops and in any case each general will have his particular skills that can give advantage and disadvantage depending on who will be our opponent. Subjecting the other forces in the field, given all the elements mentioned so far, will not be easy at all.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is a highly enjoyable title finally localized (even if only in English) in a European version and with a high percentage of longevity. The fact remains that, although during our test it never showed signs of bugs or other unpleasant drawbacks, it is a not a little complicated game that could soon tire many at the first difficulties. Given its turn-based nature and the amount of actions and panels to monitor, that same longevity that previously seemed like a point in its favor could come back like a boomerang.
► Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is a Strategy-type game developed and published by Koei Tecmo for PC and PlayStation 4, the video game was released on 16/01/2020 The version for PlayStation 4 came out on 28/02/2020
