Let's start with a small introductory remark intended for the few players who do not yet know the principle of Total War: this new episode takes up the general principle of the series, namely a mix between a turn-based conquest of territory and battles in real time bringing together thousands of men. But this time, it's about conquering China during the Three Kingdoms period, set around the year 200, when various self-proclaimed emperors seek to dominate and reunite a divided territory by force. This unprecedented historical context for a Total War naturally brings a breath of fresh air to the series. It is even particularly exotic for us Westerners, as can be illustrated by the historical battles available in parallel with the campaign. The battle of Xingyang, the conquest of Jiangdong, the siege of Xiapi, the battle of the red cliff, the battle of Changban and the invasion of Jing province are necessarily less familiar to us than the exploits of a Napoleon, for example. We therefore gain in surprise and discovery but, in return, we can quickly feel lost in the midst of multiple names of characters and places that are difficult to identify. Fortunately, the Chinese context also allows developers to offer us a very satisfying aesthetic experience. The Chinese buildings have class, the colors of the strategic map are warm and pleasant and, above all, the interface is elegantly dressed in Chinese fashion. To be convinced of this, just look at the reform screen, which takes the form of a real tree drawn in Indian ink and adorned with new flowers in bright colors each time you unlock an option. additional. The only downside from a graphical point of view: the engine used to display the battles in real time no longer really impresses. Overall, it remains very well made and the soldiers are still extremely numerous, but the environments and textures lack a bit of detail for a 2019 game.
THE TROOPS ARRIVE ON FOOT THROUGH CHINA
To tell the truth, the soldiers are even more numerous than ever, since certain units can gather up to two hundred and forty men. With three generals per army and the possibility for each of them to oversee six units, it's really starting to get a lot of people on the ground. This is not the only novelty brought by Three Kingdoms, which significantly enriches its diplomacy and espionage components. Political marriages, exchanges of territories, diplomatic treaties, commercial exchanges and vassalage are thus among the possible diplomatic agreements. And we can add to this the specificity of the faction led by Cao Cao, the latter being able, thanks to a resource called Credibility, to positively or negatively influence the relations between different factions. This allows for example to trigger a war between two factions, in order to weaken both parties and win more easily in the end. In addition, it is also necessary to take into account permanently the friendship or the enmity of the various generals between them. Favoring those who get along can be important on the battlefield. As for espionage, it now allows you to actually infiltrate an opposing faction, pretending to be a local noble. Three Kingdoms also benefits from the RPG heritage of games dedicated to Warhammer, with the presence of skill points to distribute and accessories to equip (weapons, armor, mounts, supporters, etc.). It is also possible to capture enemy heroes in several ways: during a battle, by uniting the faction through diplomacy, or by capturing their best friends, whom they will tend to follow.
But the most important change of course concerns the possibility (activated by default) of launching battles in Romance mode. In this case, the focus is on the heroes, whose power is so high that they can overcome several groups of soldiers on their own. Fatigue is then less important than in the classic mode (here called History mode) and the major generals can survive injuries that would normally have killed them. Finally, this Romance mode also allows these same generals to engage in a duel in the middle of battle. The base soldiers then continue to fight each other but do not intervene in this single combat. As we can see, the developers have sought the right balance between fantasy and historical realism. And they hit the mark! Combined with the slightly "role-playing" mechanics mentioned above, this Romance mode reinforces the feeling of power and the attachment we have to the heroes. And since it is still possible to favor more classic battles, everyone will be happy. The game still seems more intended for regulars of Total War than for newcomers, because its extreme richness can be intimidating. We've only scratched the surface of the many game mechanics in this test, and there's a lot to take in and digest it all. The novice player therefore quickly risks feeling lost. On the other hand, it should be noted that the series has progressed a lot on the technical level. The game is more fluid than ever and, above all, it comes out in a very good state of finish. Gone are the days when every Total War was plagued with bugs. Three Kingdoms still retains some bad habits in terms of downloadable content, since a paid DLC is available as soon as the game is released. For good or bad, Sega is definitely stronger than you...
