Mini Review: Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake (PS5) - A Gorgeous Return to Series' Roots

Koei Tecmo is almost single-handedly keeping the niche historical simulation strategy subgenre alive at this stage, which is fitting, as back in 1985, when the company was just Koei, it was primarily responsible for creating it. Not to be confused with the series' latest, PS4's Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV, the firm is getting into the remake game, breathing new life into the popular PS2 entry for Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake.

If you are unfamiliar with it, Koei Tecmo, a Japanese developer, has been exploring the melodramatic 14th-century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms in video game form for decades. The audio is in Japanese, and there are a ton of cutscenes that can trigger, depending on prior events. Players can experience the turbulence and strife of this period of civil war from an astonishing number of perspectives, from lowly officers to mighty generals, each capable of working their way up to becoming emperor, and it's all quite compelling.

Equal parts visual novel and grand strategy game, battles are relatively rare, but when they do occur, they play out on a turn-based grid, with officers leading massive formations in the field or sieges. The tides of war can be altered with a decisive duel, which individual characters can engage in, requiring button prompts from the player. Learning how to play remains the game's greatest challenge, but endless historical simulation awaits if you can stick out the game's extensive, rather dry tutorial.

Simply put, the character artwork is stunning and the source of many meme templates over the years. Each of the over 1,000 named officers gets their own lovingly drawn portrait, a complex relationship tree connected to others, and a short biography. The character art actively animates this time, which takes a little getting used to, but we ultimately kept it on, as it adds to the ambience.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is a great way to test the waters of Koei Tecmo's long-running historical simulation series. It can be initially overwhelming and a little unwieldy at times, but the remake offers a return to a seminal entry in the series and one of the deepest and most intricate strategy games available on PS5 and PS4 to date.