Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 is lovingly remade with much-needed convenience features, making this perhaps the best in the entire series. The worst thing about it is the omission of multiplayer. If you don't mind that, you have a meaty strategy game with over 1,000 playable officers and more scenarios than you can possibly ever want.
"Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake" is a strategy game set in the Three Kingdoms period of China. The early purchase bonus scenario, "Valor Triumphs," follows the power struggle between Gongsun Zan, Lu Bu, and Yuan Shao in the Zhongyuan region. Purchasing the game from Steam also grants a bonus Officer Graphics Set for "Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV". This remake aims to bring a fresh perspective to the classic game with updated visuals and features.
The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original ROTK 8, with updated graphics and a more streamlined gameplay loop.
The new relationship system allows for deeper interactions with characters, enhancing the role-playing aspect of the game.
The Tales system provides players with the option to influence historical events, adding a unique twist to the gameplay.
The AI is often passive and makes poor strategic decisions, leading to a lack of engaging battles and a feeling of stagnation in the game.
Many players feel that the game lacks depth and variety, leading to repetitive gameplay and a sense of monotony.
The absence of multiplayer options and the need to manually trigger events detracts from the overall experience, making it feel less dynamic.
gameplay
105 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
73%
11%
The gameplay retains much of the original's charm while incorporating modern conveniences, resulting in a polished experience that appeals to both nostalgic players and newcomers. However, many reviewers noted that the mechanics can feel simplistic and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late game, with some expressing disappointment over the lack of significant innovation compared to newer titles in the series. The relationship system adds depth, but issues with AI and certain outdated mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment.
“The core gameplay loop is fun, the game feels fairly well polished and I've run into very few bugs, and I expect it'll be my most played Steam Deck game due to its amazing compatibility with the deck.”
“It really takes me back to the original ROTK 8 gameplay, offering a nostalgic experience, while also benefiting from enhanced visual graphics, which is a nice touch.”
“The game has a lot of the good stuff that the original ROTK 8 had, plus many improvements to graphics, UI, gameplay, and other systems. Information is much more accessible and easy to find, and game concepts are clearer, helping you play properly.”
“The AI is trash, the gameplay is incredibly repetitive and boring.”
“The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive, offering little variety or excitement to keep things interesting.”
“So far this game has been a bit disappointing as for some reason they decided to change a lot of the game mechanics to make it more like the newer ROTK games.”
story
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
24%
72%
4%
The game's story is a well-executed remake of a classic narrative, appealing particularly to fans of the Three Kingdoms era, with engaging storytelling and role-playing elements. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive, as quests and scenes often recycle across different cities and eras, leading to a lack of fresh experiences after the initial playthrough. While the addition of interactive choices enhances the narrative, some players express disappointment over the limited new content and the need for more substantial story development.
“Wonderful remake of a timeless story.”
“Love the storytelling and role-playing aspects of this game.”
“If you are a fan of the Three Kingdoms era and enjoy storytelling with strategy elements, this game hits home.”
“Once you've done a few of the town missions offered by tales, you've done them all and you'll find yourself quickly clicking through them to get to the reward.”
“The dev team is either lazy or incompetent, but you always get the same 4-5 quests (tied to the facility) no matter which city or era you are in, and you find yourself doing the same things/scrolling through the same things again and again (200 hours in my case).”
“This needs way more story and interactions in it; it gets so boring after the first playthrough.”
graphics
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
55%
36%
9%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many praising the beautiful art style and updated visuals that enhance the nostalgic experience of the original title. However, some users noted that certain character designs appear AI-generated, leading to an uncanny valley effect. Overall, while the graphics are not groundbreaking, they are considered a significant improvement that complements the gameplay and user interface.
“Beautiful graphics and music.”
“The graphics are of course better and look great with characters moving their bodies, eyes, smiling, and breathing.”
“The game has a lot of the good stuff that the original ROTK 8 had, plus many improvements to graphics, UI, gameplay, and other systems, making information much more accessible and game concepts clearer.”
“The dialogues etc. are a PDF slideshow, and while I really like the art style of the main characters, the lesser-known characters are obviously AI-generated.”
“I was expecting a remake the way it would be made as if a brand new game today, not the same exact old and outdated mechanics and features of the old game for PS2 with new graphics.”
“The only thing that needed to be done was to upgrade the past game, just control and graphics, and that is all!”
music
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
52%
11%
The music in the game has received positive feedback for its beautiful remixes and the option to switch between the original and updated soundtracks, which many players appreciate as a homage to the original game. However, some reviewers noted a lack of variety in the music, with certain regions sharing identical tracks. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, it may not fully satisfy those seeking a broader range of compositions.
“The old music cues are very nice to hear again.”
“I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of polish that went into it, and even the music pays homage to the original game.”
“Can switch between mostly original soundtrack or mostly remake soundtrack.”
“Yet it feels nothing like 8, except maybe the soundtracks.”
“The city view is nice though it’s the same for a set number of cities in one region; basically all cities in a region look identical in city view and share the same music.”
“I can't recommend this game for full price (which is what I paid), but if you can get it on sale, I think it's worth a play, just for the music alone.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for its tediousness and lack of balance, particularly in character progression and duel systems, which feel repetitive and unrewarding. Players find the process of training skills and building relationships to be overly time-consuming, with many wishing for automation options to alleviate the grind. While some appreciate the tangible benefits of friendship-building, the overall experience is marred by excessive transition screens and a slow pace of advancement.
“Progressing a character is tedious and unrewarding (takes too long to gain 1 point in any stat in any manner, training only took 30 AP in ROTK8 and 60 AP in this), the duel and debate systems are terrible (same card or consecutive), combat is alright (hexagonal tiles), events are meh (art varies from nice moving picture cutscene to poor excuse of a budget saver).”
“Plays like a mix of 13 (RPG elements) with classic style (like RTK 2's map painting upon city capture). Biggest complaint is I wish I could automate my grinding job work when playing as an officer.”
“It is certainly flawed; however, the dueling is very tedious and repetitive. The option to skip/auto resolve duels would be much preferred.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while some players rate it highly for its engaging mechanics and variety, others feel it lacks depth and progression, leading to a repetitive experience. The ability to play as different officers offers some variety, but many find the characters to be too similar, which can diminish long-term engagement. Overall, the game's replay value is bolstered by unique gameplay elements, but it may not sustain interest for all players.
“10/10 replayability.”
“Also, ROTK games' replay value has always been there.”
“This remake feels like it lacks depth and replayability—fun at first, but not enough variety or progression to keep it engaging over time.”
“I can see replayability being an issue because despite you being able to play as any officer, every officer is sort of a cookie-cutter experience.”
“The accidental disastrous AI can actually be a blessing for replayability.”
character development
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
38%
Character development in the game has significantly improved from its original version, shifting from a random stat generation system to a more strategic wisdom system that allows players to choose and level up specific skills. This change enhances player agency, enabling them to customize their characters' strengths and weaknesses, which has been well-received and is hoped to continue in future installments of the series. Overall, character development is now a central and engaging aspect of gameplay.
“Character development is a lot less random with the wisdom system, so now you pick and choose what skills you want to learn or level up once you acquire enough wisdom, instead of randomly learning skills from training in different regions.”
“Now character development is also a huge part of the 8 remake as well, but now you can make your character as weak or strong as you like, for better or worse.”
“It adds so much to character development that I was so sad was missing from future games in the series (the last one that had this much character level interactions was 11). I'm hoping that this approach with ROTK keeps going, so I can look forward to future volumes.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized, with many users labeling it as a "cash grab" that exploits nostalgia while feeling unfinished and lacking in quality. Overall, players express disappointment in how the monetization strategy detracts from the game's potential.
“This game is a straight up cash grab, taking advantage of nostalgia.”
“This is a straight up cash grab.”
“I was excited, even if they killed co-op... seems like it's just a quick unfinished cash grab version of an amazing game.”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the humor in the game to be charming and lighthearted, particularly appreciating the quirky character designs, such as the 'huh cat' portrait. The game's handling of player interactions also adds a layer of comedic appeal, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience.
“The second issue, funny enough, is how it handles the player.”
“Also tried custom officer with a 'huh cat' portrait, cute and funny.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a wholesome atmosphere, emphasizing a sense of community and peace, as cities that are physically adjacent cannot invade one another, fostering a non-competitive and harmonious environment.
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Overall, while the game runs well on the Steam Deck, many users express disappointment with its stability, citing bugs and issues that detract from the experience.
“Runs great on Steam Deck.”
“It's unfortunate, but somehow Koei took additional time to release a buggy, boring game.”