Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV Reviews
It would not be fair to harp on a series for sticking to a formula that works; however Romance of Three Kingdoms XIV seems to eschew innovations in its own series for stagnant and cumbersome gameplay effectively for no reason other than to remain needlessly dated. While the improved focus on politics is certainly a positive which may elevate the title for some, it will likely hold little more than niche appeal for others who hold little interest in in the personal engagements of the Three Kingdoms period.
The grand historical strategy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms has had a rocky history. At its best, it is a dramatic, frantic, and tense strategy game that can compete with the best. At its worst, it focuses on dull mechanics and banal world conquering. So, where does the fourteenth instalment sit? Grand strategy or dull micro-managing?
Eschewing role-playing aspects, depth, and fan-favorite features in favor of simplified pause-and-play automation, ridiculous map-painting mechanics, and lackluster strategic options, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is one of the most disappointing offerings from Koei Tecmo's popular franchise. It's the Liu Shan, not the Zhuge Liang, of the series.
The best word to describe this? Lacking.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms always had a big issue with its convoluted interface, but XIV – instead of improving it – strips almost every aspect that made both XI, XII and XIII such gems. What is left is a soulless corpse with very few noteworthy aspects. It’s surely a good base to build upon, but not something worth playing right now.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is a territory management simulator where we will take the role of an officer to recreate the different historical settings. Depending on the characteristics of each officer we can create different strategies, which gives an extra plus of possibilities. The game has more than 1000 characters to conquer territories, but controlling so many options can be difficult.
Review in Spanish | Read full review