ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE
- October 23, 2024
- KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
- 100h median play time
Get on Steam"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.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game offers a nostalgic experience for fans of the original ROTK 8, with updated graphics and improved character interactions.
- The relationship system is more robust, allowing for deeper connections between characters and a variety of gameplay options.
- The Tales system adds a new layer of storytelling, giving players the choice to trigger historical events or explore alternate outcomes.
- The AI is often passive and makes poor strategic decisions, leading to a lack of engaging gameplay.
- The game feels repetitive, with many tasks and events becoming monotonous over time.
- The absence of multiplayer and the removal of certain features from the original game have disappointed long-time fans.
- gameplay52 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the remake retains much of the original's core mechanics while introducing modern conveniences and enhancements, making it smoother and more accessible. However, players have noted that it can feel simplistic and repetitive, particularly in the mid to late game stages, with some mechanics from the original being criticized for their outdated nature. Overall, while the nostalgic elements and new relationship systems add depth, the gameplay may not satisfy those seeking a more strategic or varied experience.
“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 interface and game mechanics feel incredibly simplistic compared to modern games.”
“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.”
- story32 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a well-executed remake of a classic narrative, appealing to fans of the Three Kingdoms era with its engaging storytelling and role-playing elements. However, many players find the quests repetitive and lacking in depth, with limited new content and a reliance on familiar scenarios that can lead to boredom after extended play. While the character interactions and optional story paths are appreciated, the overall experience could benefit from more variety and complexity in the narrative.
“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; 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.”
- graphics16 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
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 not groundbreaking, the graphics are considered a significant improvement, contributing to a more enjoyable gameplay experience.
“Beautiful graphics and music.”
“The graphics are of course better and look great with characters moving their bodies, eyes, smiling, and breathing.”
“The updated graphics look great, but the core gameplay remains as deep and complex as ever.”
“The dialogues are like a PDF slideshow, and while I really like the art style of the main characters, the lesser-known characters are obviously AI-generated.”
“If Koei makes a 13PK remaster version that includes 4K support or graphic improvements, I will buy it.”
“The only thing that needs to be done is to upgrade the past game, just control and graphics, and that's all!”
- music13 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
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 pays homage to the original game. However, some users noted a lack of variety in the music, with certain regions sharing identical tracks. Overall, while the music enhances the experience, it could benefit from more diversity.
“The old music cues are very nice to hear again.”
“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 was pleasantly surprised by the amount of polish that went into it, and even the music pays homage to the original game.”
- grinding9 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for its tediousness and poor balance, particularly in skill training and character progression, which feels slow and unrewarding. Players find the duel and debate systems repetitive and lacking depth, while the process of building relationships and progressing through events requires significant effort. However, some appreciate the domestic management features and the improved friendship mechanics, which offer more variety compared to previous titles.
“Progressing a character is tedious and unrewarding; it takes too long to gain 1 point in any stat, and the duel and debate systems are terrible.”
“Training skills and tactics is primarily done by farming your devoted companions to give you points to spend on them.”
“The dueling is very tedious and repetitive; the option to skip or auto-resolve duels would be much preferred.”
- replayability5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some users praise it for high replay value and the potential for varied experiences, others criticize it for a lack of depth and variety, leading to a somewhat repetitive gameplay experience. The ability to play as different officers offers some variation, but many feel that the similarities among them diminish long-term engagement. Additionally, unpredictable AI can add an element of surprise, enhancing replayability for some players.
“10/10 replayability.”
“Also, the 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 development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has evolved significantly, shifting from a random stat generation system to a more controlled and customizable approach with the introduction of the wisdom system. Players can now strategically choose skills to learn and level up, enhancing their characters' strengths and weaknesses, which adds depth to the gameplay experience. This return to a more interactive character development model has been well-received, with hopes for its continuation in future installments.
“Depending on how thorough you want to be with your character development, that could easily be the biggest part of the game, especially since in the original game, your character had to have randomly generated stats, and you had to beat the game to unlock a more generous version of randomly generated stats.”
“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.”
“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.”
“Depending on how thorough you wanted to be with your character development, that could easily be the biggest part of the game, especially since in the original 8, your character had to have randomly generated stats, and you had to beat the game to unlock a more generous version of randomly generated stats.”
“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.”
- monetization3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization of the game has been widely criticized, with users labeling it as a "cash grab" that exploits nostalgia and feels unfinished. Many express disappointment over the lack of cooperative features, suggesting that the focus is more on profit than on delivering a quality experience.
“I was excited, even if they killed co-op... seems like it's just a quick, unfinished cash grab version of an amazing game.”
“This game is a straight-up cash grab, taking advantage of nostalgia.”
“This is a straight-up cash grab.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is noted for its clever handling of player interactions, often incorporating amusing elements like quirky character portraits, such as a 'huh cat' for a custom officer, which adds a lighthearted and cute touch to the experience.
“The second issue, funny enough, is how it handles the player.”
“I also tried a custom officer with a 'huh cat' portrait; it was both cute and funny.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a wholesome atmosphere, emphasizing a sense of community and connection, as cities that are physically adjacent cannot invade each other, promoting harmony and cooperation among players.
“Wholesome.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
While the game runs well on the Steam Deck, many users express disappointment with its overall stability, citing bugs and a lack of engaging content as significant drawbacks.
“Runs great on Steam Deck.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, providing a smooth experience.”
“I haven't encountered any crashes or bugs, which makes for a stable gameplay experience.”
“It's unfortunate, but somehow Koei took additional time to release a buggy, boring game.”
