The Romance of the Three kingdoms series is now on its tenth installment, but many gamers in the U.S. still haven’t given this tactical beast a chance, and sadly, are missing out on one of the most incredible epics in history. For those of you who don’t know, the story in the Romance series is based upon the aptly named “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” novel, which was written in the 14^th century by Luo Guanzhong. This tale spans the time period between 168 A.D. and 280 A.D, and features everything from the fall of the Han Dynasty, to the warring states of the Shu, Wei, and Wu Dynasty’s, to the eventual reunification of China by the Jin Dynasty.

If all of this sounds very confusing to you, believe me, you’re not alone. The history of ancient China isn’t something that many people have a convincing grasp on, and rightly so, considering the novel spans about 1,400 pages on average. Anyone who has played KOEI’s other historic offerings such as Dynasty Warriors, or Kessen, will have a slight advantage handling the massive storyline. However, if you’re not one of these people, don’t worry; playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms X could very well give you the lesson in Chinese history that you will need, and eventually desire.

After either creating yourself a character or after choosing any one of the hundreds of real life people, the first thing you will need to do when playing Romance is to decide how you want to start the game. Five classes are available to you at the beginning, which include Free Officer, Vassal, Prefect, Viceroy, and the ultimately, Sovereign. As you might have expected this list goes in ascending order, and so does the responsibility that comes along with each class. Most of you who are beginners to the series will probably want to start out with the Free Officer class, and then eventually move up the ranks once you get the hang of things. As a Free Officer, you’re able to roam freely across China where you can train your skills, take requests from citizens, and even start a rogue army and plunder hapless cities. Eventually, if you become close friends with other Generals or Sovereigns, they will try to enlist you in hopes of uniting China under their flag. Once you decide which force you wish to serve, you will more than likely be made into a Vassal for that particular Ruler. This pretty much means taking orders, improving trade and commerce throughout the city, and eventually participating in battles, where you can showcase all of that hard work and training you did as a Free Officer.

The multiple layers of stat-tracking menus will please almost any hardcore strategy fan

Once you prove yourself as a Vassal, you can be moved up in the ranks to either Prefect, which is the ruler of a certain city, or Viceroy, which is responsible for a certain region, and eventually Sovereign, who has the difficult task of conquering all the other leaders and bringing China to a peaceful resolution. I'll be honest, the duties that come along with Prefect and Viceroy aren’t entirely too complicated, but once you reach the Sovereign status, that’s when the real work kicks in. You are literally obligated to control almost every aspect of all the regions, cities, and armies under your command on weekly bases, which can be extremely complicated for beginners. I actually turned down the chance to be Sovereign during one of my campaigns because I didn’t want the added hassle; it’s seriously that taxing. 

Although this game relies heavily upon micromanagement, luckily for us, the battle system is just as intriguing. Although there are only two different types of battle situations, Army and one-on-one dueling, they are both complex and add tons off variety to gameplay. For starters, after assigning each Vassal a certain number of troops; which can include the likes of Horse, Bow, Infantry, Elephant, Ship, and even exotic animals like Tigers, you will have to make sure you have enough food for the journey (max 60 days), and also decide if you will need reinforcements during the battle. Once you reached your target city, many more options and strategies present themselves. Each battlefield or city you encounter will offer up different hazards and dilemmas that can seriously hurt your army. It’s not uncommon to have to deal with river currents that can literally wash your troops away, fires that can spread throughout entire battlefields, defecting generals, and even a decrease in troop morale, all which can take place during one battle and can mean the difference between winning and losing.

For example, during one of my campaigns I was endlessly hunting the infamous tyrant Cao Cao, and had finally tracked him down at the city of Wu. The problem is that Cao Cao is accompanied by several thousand men at all times and getting to him is harder than it sounds. Luckily, a fire had spread throughout the battlefield, and had actually separated him from the bulk of his troops, therefore leaving him vulnerable to attacks.  I quickly moved in and was able to defeat him after a few minutes of fighting. The best part is, not only did this end the battle, but I was also able to capture, and ultimately execute him, therefore leaving his entire Empire in shambles, and eventually allowing me to reunite China without him standing in my way. These chances very rarely come along, and the great thing is, I could play this game almost endlessly without that ever happening again. Each situation in Romance of the Three Kingdoms can be approached in a variety of different ways, and the chances of the same thing happening again is very rare.

Dueling plays an enormous role in Romance of the Three Kingdoms X

Players can also initiate duels during battle, which can instantly turn the tide of war. If a duel is accepted, the battle screen switches to a new window featuring only the two generals who are involved in the fight. The best way to describe a duel is to compare it to a complicated game of paper, rock, and scissors. For every turn, each player is allowed to choose three different attacks for that particular round, all which can be cancelled out or beaten by other attacks. The more powerful generals, or ones that have extensive experience in dueling, will have a few special moves that can be unleashed after building their “will” meter up, and these attacks can only be cancelled out by other special moves. Winning a duel on the battlefield not only grants you fame, but can also eliminate thousands of troops who are defenseless without their leader. Although this system sounds complicated, it’s actually very easy to use and turns out to be one of the shining points of the battle system.

People familiar with the novel will recognize the events that take place
 throughout some of the scenarios

Fans of the series will be glad to hear that the music in Romance of The Three Kingdoms X just may be the best of the series. It’s pretty hard to come up with original, Chinese-style, orchestrated pieces repeatedly, especially after nine previous installments, but that’s exactly what KOEI has done. The game does feature the occasional yell, or grunt during battle, but for the most part, lacks any real kind of voice-over. This may be a blessing in disguise though, because trying to imitate the real life people from ancient China may have turned out to be horribly devastating to this franchise.

The visuals will no doubt be the hardest part of the game for newcomers to swallow. Fans that have played previous versions in the series will know exactly what to expect, but everyone else will be left wondering why this game has the presentation of a PS1 title. With the exception of the battles, most of the game takes place in various pop-up windows that feature a particular person, or city in the background. This is mainly because a lot of the game takes place during the micromanaging of the cities, and really doesn’t offer any kind of excitement until the huge battles take place. Most strategy fanatics won’t find this to be much of a problem, but people who are used to playing games like Dynasty Warriors and Kessen will feel a little disappointed by the lack of visual punch.

Breaching some of the games tougher cities can literally take hours,
but can ultimately be the deciding factor in winning the battle

Romance of the Three Kingdoms is truly a strategy lover's dream. This game features layers upon layers of menus, all which need catering to towards the end of your reign. The major micromanaging duties may be a little much for less hardened gamers, but I sincerely believe that anyone who gives Romance a try will more than likely fall in love. The story alone is more than worth the price of admission, and the addicting battle sequences only add to the overall package. I'll be the first to admit that it fails to meet the visual expectations we have for today’s games, but there’s just something about Romance of the Three Kingdoms X that makes it hard to put down.

Gameplay: 7.8
The ability to control almost every stat imaginable will please hardcore strategist, but the everyday gamer might find it hard to stomach. However, if people are finally willing to give the tenth installment a chance, the engaging battle sequences and awesome storyline just may be enough to win them over. 

Graphics: 7.3
Sadly, the visual department just might be the deciding factor for some gamers. Although most of the game is played out through various windows and menus, the character models do look good, and the battlefields and cites you wage war in are actually not bad. It just lacks that visual punch that many gamers are expecting from today’s consoles.

Sound: 7.9
A very nice soundtrack that features awesome Chinese orchestrated pieces. The lack of any type of real voice-over brings the experience down a bit, and a few of the tracks repeat themselves a little too often. Other than that, the sound department does its share to pull you into the experience very nicely.  

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Concept: 8.3
The concept in Romance of the Three Kingdoms X is a brilliant one: take one of the greatest novels in history, and allow gamers to relive it in anyway they want to. Hundreds of hours of gameplay exist, and many people will never have the same experience twice. A little more presentation could have served this game well though, and ultimately could have driven a wonderful story to even greater heights.

Overall: 7.9
If you are a fan of the Romance series then this is a necessary purchase for your collection. If you’re not familiar with the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” novel though, you really are missing one of the greatest stories in history, so playing this game could not only serve as a solid strategy title, but also as a history lesson. Don’t let the dated visuals fool you here - this game is as deep and engaging as they come.