Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI PC
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 19 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19

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  1. kurosaki75
    Sep 5, 2012
    10
    The universe of Sengoku century is awesome. All history of China // Japan is really attractive and frighten me. I like this world and the Koei work on game like Kessen or Dynasty Warrior. This tactical game is a jewel.
  2. bruneauinfo
    Sep 4, 2012
    9
    I have thoroughly enjoyed Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI. True, it is probably not for the average gamer, or even the avid gamer. However, if you like strategy, and if you're willing to put the effort into completing the tutorials, the game has a great deal to offer - many, many hours of engrossing playtime, for example.

    I've read in several less-than-shining reviews comments about th    e weighty amount of historical references contained in the game. But the truth is, the historical significance of the game is almost completely irrelevant to the actual playing of this game. In fact, there are detailed settings that allow the player to remove all historical relevance completely from the game world. In other words, Koei has given the player a huge roster of characters to pit against each other in a world where the player decides whether or not history has any relevance in their campaigns. And from my experience playing, history is not necessary for the game mechanic to work. It's a game of stats and strategy, more than it is a game of history. The novel that the game was based on is historical fiction after all.

    On the other hand, the 'history / story' is probably one of my favorite parts of the game. Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a great story, it's a lot of fun once you get into it, and it adds role playing depth to the game once you get to know the lore behind even a handful of the characters. However, if you have any imagination at all you'll probably find yourself putting personality into each of the characters without the aid of CGI and expensive voice actors. The later of which would greatly decrease the number of characters in the game, and the depth of the strategy due to the cost.

    Is the game difficult to beat? Of course it s! The history of the Three Kingdoms period showed how difficult it was to unite China after the fall of the Han Dynasty. This wasn't World War 2 after all. It was a conflict that lasted almost a hundred years. The population dropped from over 56 million citizens to just over 16 million by the time it ended. It wouldn't make a lot of sense if the game could be beaten in six hours or less like typical games of today. I've read complaints about the time it takes to complete this game, and in my opinion it's a ridiculous complaint. If you're having a good time playing something, why would you want it to end? Perhaps if you were a game developer, and you wanted gamers to buy your next product? Yeah. Or maybe because your only satisfaction in life comes from the accomplishment of completing a video game. I would personally rather have my money's worth from a game, and ROTK XI has payed for itself many times over.    … Expand
  3. Mogul
    Aug 28, 2012
    8
    This game is one of my favourite turn based strategy games ever. The goal? Conquer China. Simple enough. In pursuing that goal, there is a ton of compelling depth. You get to manage your cities and economy, acquire and manage interesting officers (such as Cao Cao, Lu Bu, and Sun Ce), build an army, deploy your units (each one under command of an officer), fight tactical battles against the forces of your rival leaders, conquer cities and territory, fight officer duels and even have debates! There is a learning curve with this game, and a bit of tediousness (for example, in every long term scenario that you play there will be a point where it's clear you've "won," but it will still take hours and hours to wipe out the remaining forces of your opposition). However, in general, I strongly recommend playing this, simply because I've had so much fun with it.… Expand
  4. Montavious
    Feb 23, 2012
    10
    I have always loved this series. Great strategy game. I don't know what they are thinking not continuing this series since 2008. Instead they rather make a bunch of crappy dynasty warrior games.
  5. gyrate
    Dec 23, 2011
    10
    This is a great game. I've been playing the series since it was on NES. It has a lot of cheese ball stuff in it but it somehow grows on you. The AI will challenge you and it does not relent. It becomes very difficult to manage as you gain territory, as it should.
  6. Coy47
    Jul 28, 2011
    10
    This game provides everything a strategy game should the ability to create your own army, officers and kingdom or use those provided once you get the hang of this game you will be completely hooked!
  7. MagillaGuerrilla
    Sep 12, 2008
    8
    This game is very deep and intricate. There is simply so much to do; manage your cities, hire officers, train military, drill military, fight wars, fight duels, even have debates! Improve your cities, build weapons and boats, manage your economy, keep morale up, and maintain order in your lands! Whew, exhausted yet?

    There is most definitely a learning curve associated with this game    . For those who have the patience to figure it out, you will be rewarded with a stunning level of depth and intricacy, and watching your empire grow is a genuinely satisfying experience.

    For those with the patience to learn/play it, you will find this a very rewarding game, worth a 9 rating. However I'm giving it an 8 because of the fact that honestly, this game will be over most people's heads. This game is not for the casual gamer or the simple-minded. If you're just looking to turn off your brain and pass the time, better to buy a first-person-shooter.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
70 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. PC Zone UK
    59
    It lacks the logical connections that most strategy games have. [Oct 2008, p.62]
  2. Play.tm
    70
    It's blatantly not for everyone, and you need to be conditioned to even begin to enjoy it, but there's certainly something deep and rewarding underneath all the layers of trifling bureaucracy.
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  3. GameFocus
    87
    This game is a must buy for strategy fans. Koei knocked this one out of the park and hopefully Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI will lead to a Romance XII with even greater improvements to the art and gameplay.
    Read full review
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