Review: Romance Of The Three Kingdoms 8 Remake (Switch) - Grand Strategy With A Flair For The Dramatic

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

Running a budding kingdom is hard, but it is made even more difficult by being surrounded on all sides by a host of potential enemies, all vying for land, resources, and power. Few video games have managed to recreate that pressure as well as Koei Tecmo’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, with Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake becoming the most balanced version of one of the best games in that franchise. Somehow, they’ve made the tedium of bureaucracy feel fun and addictive.

Like the rest of the series and the novel that inspired it, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake — which originally launched in Japan on PC in 2001 before arriving in the West a couple of years later on PS2 — follows a heavily romanticised version of Chinese history. The period from around 220 to 280 AD was a time of huge upheaval for the region, with multiple figures competing for control. That conflict gave birth to figures such as Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo, and Cao Cao, all of whom have become immortalised in novels, films, and, most relevant for us, video games.

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

There are two things that developer Kou Shibusawa has always sought to do with the series – give players the ability to dive into the minutia of ruling a growing kingdom, and follow the story behind the battles and history that have captivated readers for centuries. Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake leans more heavily on the story side of things, allowing you to automate and delegate decisions to your AI subordinates, but there is still a decent amount of detail you can sink your teeth into.

Like the original game, this remake is more focused on the narrative; you can create your own custom character and see how far you can make it in the dangerous politics of 3rd Century China, or you can play as one of the 1000 officers already in the system and follow their story through the period. That is an obscene number of options, but they are compounded by the different scenarios you can play through, each focusing on a specific faction at a specific point in time. If you’re looking for a game to play over and over and never get the same experience twice, this is as good an option as you’ll find.

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

As you play, you can level up your stats, unlock new abilities, and build relationships with other characters. Some of those relationships are positive – spouses, sworn siblings, and allies – while others are more negative, but they all serve to drive the story forward. One thing that's important to remember is that you won’t get very far without making a couple of enemies along the way, but that's a big part of what makes Romance of the Three Kingdoms so much fun – the drama.

That drama is a core part of the gameplay. Each cycle plays out over three months, during which you can visit different parts of your growing kingdom, boosting their stats, and raising your armies. As you do, you’ll encounter other officers and recruit them to your cause or deepen your relationship with them. Growing these relationships will unlock new Synergies, which will allow them to help out when you go to work in your cities or on the battlefield as you try to take over someone else’s territory. If you want to dominate China, you’re going to need a little help from your friends.

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

After three months, you will either attend parliament with your lord and receive your assignments for the next season or hold parliament if you’ve risen to a high enough station. From this screen, you can use Strategy Points to send spies to other territories, build alliances, or wage wars against your neighbours. There is always more to do than you have enough points for each season, which means that you have to think very carefully about what you do next. The gameplay cycle is surprisingly addictive; each season only lasts a few minutes, depending on your choices, so you can advance time relatively quickly. You can sink several hours into the game without even realising it.

Wars are probably the easiest way to expand your borders, playing out as a tactical RPG where you lead your armies against an enemy. It is a fairly straightforward mechanic, especially in the early game, but the use of Tactics (special moves that you can unlock with experience points) makes it feel slightly more involved than merely having more soldiers than your opponent.

If there is a failing of Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake, it is that it doesn’t let you dive into the details of running your kingdom as deeply as other entries in the series. The focus here is on the story that you build with your character and the roleplaying elements that it unlocks. That wasn’t necessarily a negative in our book, but it might disappoint fans looking for a more tactical game. The duel system is also frustratingly random, but it can largely be avoided if you don’t enjoy it.

Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

The story elements are built into the Tales that you can trigger as you progress the plot. These Tales might be based on the novel, such as when our character was convinced to murder his ruler because they both loved the same woman, or they might simply be because your stats rose high enough to allow you to attempt a new side quest.

The good news is that all the Tales are optional and you can generally trigger them whenever you want so long as you have all the prerequisites. If you’re not ready for the responsibility of promotion, you can simply ignore it until you are. However, the world does change around you and alliances will rise up even if you don’t act. The result is a game that plays a little bit differently each time. History is malleable here; nothing is set in stone.

That really is the greatest strength of Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake. You could play it for a hundred hours and never feel like you are repeating yourself. Be warned, though; it is not an easy game to win. The AI isn’t exactly clever, especially in battles, but it is active, meaning you can’t rest on your laurels for too long.

Conclusion

If you prefer the story elements of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, then 8 Remake is among the best the franchise has ever produced. This entry doesn’t offer the same level of kingdom management that fans might be expecting, but its focus on the drama and your narrative choices make it a bit more accessible for new players. This is a very solid remake that runs well on the Switch and feels like it unlocks the original’s full potential.