ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS 8 REMAKE
- October 23, 2024
- KOEI TECMO GAMES CO., LTD.
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 gameplay mechanics.
- The relationship system is more robust, allowing for deeper interactions and character development, including the ability to marry multiple characters.
- The Tales system provides players with the option to influence historical events, adding a layer of replayability and personalization to the gameplay.
- The AI is often passive and makes poor strategic decisions, leading to a lack of engaging battles and a feeling of emptiness in the game world.
- Many players find the game repetitive, with a heavy reliance on text and dialogue that can become tedious over time.
- The absence of multiplayer options and the simplification of certain mechanics from the original game have disappointed long-time fans.
- gameplay53 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game is a blend of nostalgia and modern convenience, retaining much of the original mechanics while introducing new features like a relationship system that enhances strategic depth. However, many players find the gameplay repetitive and simplistic compared to contemporary titles, with some outdated mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the core gameplay loop remains enjoyable for fans, particularly those who appreciate the historical context and character interactions.
“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.”
“I was expecting a remake that would be made as if it were 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 AI is trash, the gameplay is incredibly repetitive and boring.”
“The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive, offering little variety or excitement to keep things interesting.”
- story33 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is a well-executed remake of a classic narrative, particularly appealing to fans of the Three Kingdoms era, with engaging storytelling and role-playing elements. However, many players find the quests repetitive and lacking in variety, leading to a sense of monotony after extended play. While the main storyline and character interactions are appreciated, there is a desire for more depth and new paths to explore, as the game often feels like a rehash of familiar content.
“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.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful art style and enhanced visuals compared to the original. While some players appreciate the nostalgic feel and updated character designs, others criticize the use of AI-generated elements and the lack of significant gameplay improvements. Overall, the graphics are considered a step up from the original, but not groundbreaking, with a strong emphasis on maintaining the series' aesthetic.
“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.”
“I was expecting a remake that would be made as if it were 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 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.”
“The only thing that needed to be done was an upgrade of the past game, just control and graphics, and that is all!”
- music14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received praise for its beautiful remixes and the option to switch between the original and updated soundtracks, which many players appreciate as a nod to the original game. However, some users feel that the variety of music is lacking, with certain regions sharing identical tracks. Overall, while the music is a highlight for many, opinions vary on its depth and diversity.
“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.”
“The old music cues are very nice to hear again.”
“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.”
- grinding10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to excessive transition screens and a slow progression system that makes character development feel unrewarding. The duel and debate mechanics are criticized for their repetitiveness, while the need to farm companions for skill points adds to the grind. However, some players appreciate the improvements in friendship-building mechanics, which offer more variety compared to previous titles.
“The usual dialogues require too many transition screens, which make it tedious to click over and over again.”
“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.”
“It is certainly flawed; the dueling is very tedious and repetitive, and the option to skip or auto-resolve duels would be much preferred.”
- replayability6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players enjoy the smooth gameplay and the ability to pursue multiple character relationships, others feel that the lack of depth and variety limits long-term engagement. The presence of cookie-cutter experiences for different officers and unpredictable AI can enhance replayability for some, but it may not be enough to sustain interest for all players.
“Smooth gameplay with a decent replay value, and an excuse to marry 3 waifus (I'm going for Sun Shangxiang, Dong Bai, Ma Yunlu, and Guan Yinping over and over again).”
“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 development4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has evolved significantly, allowing players to customize their characters' strengths and weaknesses more deliberately compared to the original version, which relied on random stat generation. The introduction of a wisdom system enhances this aspect by enabling players to select specific skills to learn and level up, adding depth to character interactions and progression. This return to a more interactive character development system 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 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.”
“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 and perceive the game's focus on profit over quality.
“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
Reviews highlight the game's humor as a notable aspect, with players appreciating its quirky character designs, such as the "huh cat" portrait, and the amusing interactions it creates with the player. Overall, the humor adds a lighthearted touch to the gameplay 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
Overall, while the game runs well on the Steam Deck, many users have reported it to be buggy and lacking in engaging content, indicating a mixed experience regarding stability.
“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.”
