In celebration of the franchise’s 30th anniversary, KOEI TECMO America is bringing Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII to North America. On July 5th it will be available on PC, via Steam, and on PlayStation 4. The game has been available in Japan since January, but those of us not fluent in Japanese have been out of luck until now. Steam has had the Japanese version on sale since it’s release for a whopping $89 with no word on when or if an English version would emerge. Finally, the wait is over.
In April, KOEI TECMO released details about pre-order bonuses. GameStop, Amazon, EB Canada, and Best Buy pre-orders include three additional scenarios including — “The Battle of Chibi”, “Thirteen Heroes”, and “The Campaign Against Lu Bu”. Those pre-ordering from the PlayStation Store will receive “The Campaign Against Lu Bu” scenario only.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is a deep and engaging strategy game set during the turbulent times of 2nd century China. The game will include two modes; Campaign Mode which allows player to jump right into the meat of the game, and Story Mode which will serve as a sort of tutorial to help new players acclimate to the complexities of the game, and trust me, this game is complex.
Players can assume the roles of any of the 700 different characters or create one of their own with which to conquer China. Cities and towns can be built on the campaign map, armies can be raised to fight rival factions, and treaties can be negotiated through talk or through more… direct methods. These can include battles, sieges, naval battles, even one-on-one duels between characters.
Players will also have to choose how they react to the many different personalities in the game. These interactions can build or break bonds between characters and will be key to winning the game. One of the most interesting features of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is it’s ability to connect the player with characters on an emotional level and show a darker side of war that most games rarely attempt to capture.
All of this adds up to what will likely be one of the most compelling and immersive strategy titles to release in a long time. While not everyone’s cup of tea, fans of the genre, the series, or of obscure Chinese history should be in for a treat on July 5th. Check out the game’s official website for more details.
