Creative Assembly comes out of his original canons and decides to throw himself in China, directly in one of the most beautiful and romanticized periods ever, that of Three Kingdoms. Will the software house be able not to betray expectations and to propose a title that matches its fantasy predecessors? In this new chapter of the series Total War, we are exactly in 190 AD, a period in which China was ruled by the Han emperor. This is a particularly important historical period because right now the nation is experiencing great rifts with internal wars and rebellions ready to overthrow the throne. The period of the Three Kingdoms was among the most fictional in Chinese history, econ Total War: Three Kingdoms Creative Assembly is inspired by the famous Three Kingdoms novel di Luo Guanzhong and by Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms di Chen Shu. The first novel has imaginative implications, while the second, written in the third century, is a compelling historical text.
In this period full of disagreements, attacks and threats, the adviser and general of the empire finds importance Don Zhuo, who takes advantage of the emperor's death to take control of the capital and elect a representative to the throne as he pleases. From this moment on begins the story of Three Kingdoms. The title according to our opinion masterfully combines the two works, mixing some fantasy touches to the most classic military strategy. The goal was certainly not easy to achieve, but the developers managed to create a good game hut, thanks also to small innovations that, although still not too thorough, have given an extra touch compared to its predecessors.
Total War: Three Kingdoms he managed to take everything that was good from the previous titles, modified the finer details and can be defined among the most beautiful in the history of the series. The developers managed to bring us to that historical period and, to do so, even the menus and writings were designed with the era of Three Kingdoms of China. Even the map, perhaps one of the most beautiful things in the game, manages to surprise us, thanks to the use of bright colors that highlight the natural beauty of this incredible nation. Scrolling along the map we will meet huge mountains, forests, rivers and vegetation absolutely to be zoomed in to admire the splendid details. Even the changing of the seasons offers a unique spectacle, because not only the colors but also the territories and battlefields will change.
Politics first of all
The first big difference between Total War: Three Kingdoms and its predecessors lies in the fact that (also thanks to the historical period chosen) the gameplay does not revolve around the development of a nation or a civilization, but follows the stories of Characters. In this particular context, many prominent figures have imposed themselves, who later became real legends. Hence the initial proposal of the game: as soon as we start the game, the title will ask us if we want to play in mode Romance, where the heroes will be key points during the game, or by following the Chronicles, then follow the story as closely as possible to what actually happened.
After having played both of them abundantly, we decided to pay particular attention to the hero's way, both because it is one of the novelties to go through, and because it is really nice to take to the battlefield with the unity of our hero (even if it ridicules the results). Regardless of the choice made, this is a where product strategy and politics are more important than muscles. In this title, strategy and politics are points not to be underestimated, because at any time (in some cases even a bit casually) if we do not manage our resources wisely, we will have to quell internal outbreaks that could even oust us.
Managing our cities will not be an easy task, there are many activities to be carried out, even if thanks to the user interface and the menu, after a few game turns the dynamics of the gameplay become clearer. Creative Assembly introduces a new way of administration, because in this new chapter we no longer have to create buildings directly, but we have to govern the various cities. Each city we own will have focal points to develop: only in our main city will we be able to build buildings by competence, in the rest of the cities we can upgrade a building dedicated to a single type (resource production). Some towns will offer us some important strategic bonuses for maintaining our entire system.
To be able to establish ourselves as lords of China, we should not underestimate the political and technological development of our population, which takes place thanks to a pattern drawn on the branches of a cherry tree. Perhaps it is one of the most beautiful parts of the menu to see, as well as important. From this beautiful tree, we will choose the path to unlock during each year. This aspect is also very simplified to us and for this reason we believe it is one of the Total War most user-friendly around. Obviously, a simplified use is not enough to better manage our kingdom, each player will have to make the best choices to unlock some upgrades, always keeping an eye on their level of resources.
Relations and diplomacy
The development of the characters of Total War: Three Kingdoms and their relationships is one of the most important factors on which he has worked hard Creative Assembly. Managing the development of your generals will guarantee you significant upgrades and with them also several problems. In the China of well-known personalities, there is not one and only state, but city upon city, alliance upon alliance must be conquered. It's not enough to simply level up your characters to guarantee you upgrades in battle, but you will be introduced to different social circles, where you can forge relationships and watch their evolutions over time.
One of the nicest things is right observe how the relationships and behaviors of your subordinates change according to the decisions you make in the game. You will discover how the generals, driven by a bond of friendship, fight together on the battlefield, winning wars and throwing themselves into heroic deeds, thanks to real feelings. If a general were to fall in battle, the others in anger will charge the enemy outpost in order to redeem his death.
Building bonds between characters will also help us keep personal satisfaction at bay within the kingdom. This is one of the biggest problems you will find in your runs: the more you grow, the more generals and soldiers you hire. As the empire grows, prominent positions will always remain the same, so in order to maintain the loyalty of your generals we will have to give them a high salary, or fill them with gifts, items found in the game, weapons, armor and equipment so as to increase the their satisfaction. If you are not good at this, you will see your generals betray you and take their soldiers away with them. Yes, the growth of the militia is also linked to this aspect, by hiring a general you will immediately have his handful of men at your disposal.
Also in Total War: Three Kingdoms the army will grow according to the classes of generals: there are five to be exact, and each with different benefits. These are Comandante, Strategist, vanguard, Sample e Sentinel. Depending on the rank of the generals, the units they can personally recruit vary: for example, strategists are the only ones who can recruit specific trebuchets and high-end archers; also pay attention to the "sympathy" factor, ie which generals like each other or not and consider their classes to build the perfect army. To season everything there is the new possibility of using spie to sneak inside enemy outposts, until they become important to that faction. This part is still underdeveloped, but it still remains one of the most important and fun innovations to be used.
A beautiful territory to explore
This last installment of the series Total War, certainly offers incredible views both in terms of map and combat. The technical effort made by the team is truly remarkable, which has recreated a noteworthy and totally immersive setting. Players will also be able to engage in total warfare, trying to dominate every single city-state, but it will certainly make life more difficult. Admirable are the troops of the generals who when they go to war manage to offer a legendary touch to the clashes, even if in some cases they manage to subvert tragic situations ... and this ridicules their use. Within this Total War: Three Kingdoms there really is everything we need, the boys of Creative Assembly they managed to do a splendid job setting perhaps one of the most complete titles ever.
A few negative notes remain, why artificial intelligence still does not reach the desired levels, some situations are really solved in a trivial way. The innovations introduced work well and can be improved, perhaps the new concept that the software house wants to express is finally finding its own precise path. Regardless this remains a great title that takes us into the most beautiful and intriguing era in Chinese history, so fans of the genre should definitely not miss it.
