The latest iteration of the classic tactical series is once again set during the fall of the Han Dynasty in ancient China; where battles take place in a boundary-free scramble for land. The game’s map showcases the territory captured and the thrill of expansion using a simplified color system – paying homage to the original Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV, released on PC back in 1985. Everything from war to diplomatic affairs will be geared toward managing and gathering land as players attempt to spread their strategies at will across the vast China map.
It would not be fair to harp on a series for sticking to a formula that works; however Romance of Three Kingdoms XIV seems to eschew innovations in its own series for stagnant and cumbersome gameplay effectively for no reason other than to remain needlessly dated. While the improved focus on politics is certainly a positive which may elevate the title...
The grand historical strategy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms has had a rocky history. At its best, it is a dramatic, frantic, and tense strategy game that can compete with the best. At its worst, it focuses on dull mechanics and banal world conquering. So, where does the fourteenth instalment sit? Grand strategy or dull micro-managing?
The best word to describe this? Lacking.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 14 is accessible to casual players, but it sneakily removes the depth Rot3K veterans might expect.
A verbose strategic one, with a farraginosa interface, offering a solid, complex and articulated game structure, but also very "hard" to tame: only for fans.
