KOEI TECMO and famed developer Kou Shibusawa introduced all new battle and political tactics for their much-anticipated strategy game, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 (RTK14). Revealing the return of one of the company’s most iconic franchises, developers showcased the latest strategies frenzied fans will use to conquer the map of ancient China. The classic tactical series launches across the West in Early 2020 for the PlayStation®4 Computer Entertainment System and digitally on Windows PC via Steam®.
In Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14, expansion is based on the acquisition of land. The map of China is comprised of 46 cities and 340 regions, with each region representing a source of income through the collection of tiles. The more land captured, the greater the benefit in resources – including everything from manpower to money. In turn, gamers who gain control of surrounding areas will also be able cut off enemy armies, choking their supply lines to slowly chip away at their resources and food. This new battle for supply lines will become an integral part of the struggle for land and overall strategy for success in RTK14, while at the same time granting gamers the ability to recreate famous historic battles like Zhuge Liang’s northern expeditions.
Furthermore, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 introduces a new government structure to each faction to help broaden the range of possible strategies. By assigning officers in appropriate positions in an organizational chart, factions develop a unique set of effects and commands; and depending on how the government is organized, the same faction can end up having widely different strategies available. RTK14’s government has five divisions: war, logistics, strategy, administration, and HR, and the organization’s chart varies depending on the principal of the leader. Among the six types of principles, examples include Liu Bei’s benevolence, Sun Quan’s secession, and Cao Cao’s supremacy – a principle that is more likely to benefit from a constant state of war.
In addition, each officer can implement certain policies to further improve faction performance. Some policy can strengthen certain battle formations while others enable military reform, resulting in a morale boost to troops. Powerful policies like ‘frenzied troops’ is the equivalent to the effects of all policies in the war division, but only specific officers can implement such policy, helping add to the overall strategy and intrigue of each player’s government and available options.