Based on the wonderfully named novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Total War: Three Kingdoms follows the premise of the text in that it is part historical, part fantasy and part myth.
The game is set in a version of China in around 190AD in which three main power blocs are vying for supremacy over the whole nation.
About the Game
The novel is complicated, with hundreds of characters and an equal number of side stories, and this has proved to be fertile ground for the designers, who...
Based on the wonderfully named novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Total War: Three Kingdoms follows the premise of the text in that it is part historical, part fantasy and part myth.
The game is set in a version of China in around 190AD in which three main power blocs are vying for supremacy over the whole nation.
About the Game
The novel is complicated, with hundreds of characters and an equal number of side stories, and this has proved to be fertile ground for the designers, who have used the text as the basis for this, the latest Total War offering.
Play your way to be emperor of all of China by battling enemies, making coalitions and alliances to gain power or resources when needed, and otherwise enjoying side quests and espionage missions, all the while boosting your streams of income.
Your soldiers are tireless and can endlessly operate on the battlefield, while the larger than life generals play out their complicated and intricate lives against a background of battles, alliances and legendary weapons.
But, the turn-based game is not all about battles. There is an espionage menu, a court hierarchy to work through, diplomacy to practice and much more. For example, constructing various buildings raises you through the ranks, giving you more income and power.
The graphics are stunning, taking you into the heart of each scenario, whether it is a raging battle or a connecting scene, filling in the information you need to complete the next points of play.
Diplomatic deals are simplified thanks to buttons that explicitly state how much would be needed for your rival to side with you on a particular issue. This is just as well as other systems have been substantially expanded.
Diplomatic relations are important in China, and the game has adhered to this tenet. Coalitions between multiple other parties (player or AI) are another tenet of the game, adding intrigue to the play. Everyone in a coalition gets a vote on other members, so sometimes a player’s coalition makes the decision before he or she gets to have their say!
Each character has a satisfaction score which drops should they not be used appropriately or promoted quickly enough. Promotions, especially those at court, cannot be handed out willy-nilly as other generals will quickly become jealous and begin to work against you.
There are three types of income to be maintained and increased. Once you have mastered the different types of income, the game – and you! – will be enriched because of it.
There is even an entire menu dedicated to espionage so you can set your spy network to wreak havoc in the cities.
Ways to Play
Records Mode
If you are looking for a more traditional games feel, you will want to disable some of the opening options. Playing on Records Mode is a good way to enhance battle capability of the game as it offers a stripped-down storyline and more in the way of traditional gameplay.
Romance Mode
Using this mode means that all the sweeping opening and connecting sequences are played out in full, so you get the full ‘story’ experience of the narrative, even as you play and battle your way through the levels. The overall result of playing the game in Romance Mode means that it feels more like you have experienced an epic movie, rather than played a game.
Other
Many systems are autonomous so you can, for example, set your spies loose in a particular city, and let them work, only coming back to check on them periodically. The same applies to the construction levels, where work can be set in motion and left to work through by itself. This frees you up for battles, alliances and coalitions!
Endgame
The way you play the game will depend on which mode you choose, with Romance Mode sweeping you to one of several forgone conclusions while Records Mode allows you to rack up big scores as quickly as possible.
Total War: Three Kingdoms is available for purchase on Instant Gaming for a fraction of its retail price. You will receive an official key and be able to play the game in seconds. Play smart. Pay less.
Configurations
minimum*
OS *: Windows 7 64 Bit
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 3.00Ghz
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 650 Ti 1GB|HD 7850 1GB|Intel UHD Graphics 620
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 60 GB available space
Additional Notes: 6GB Memory if using integrated GPU
This is the game that fully brought me into the total war franchise. Since then, I have played hundereds of hours of this game and always enjoy it. Even after playing many other total war games, this is still my favoite one.
The diplomatie and spying systems are incredible and very ingaging, the battles are of epic proportion, the emphisis has been put on the leaders and characters to make them unique (plus the duels are awsom), the music is awsome and immersive, the map is huge and beautiful...
One thing I like very much is the atention to detail (soldiers planting the flags before fighting or realesing flying lanterns in night battles for example).
So far, I have played Total war thrones of Britania, Rome 2, Napoleon and athila and Three kingdoms is my favorit by far. I'm planning on playing Warhammer 3 and maybe two after I've played that one for a bit. We'll see if it stays as my top 1 after these two, but it would be a high bar to reach.
best diplomatic system so far in a Total War game
importance of generals and their amazing duels
breath taking visuals and graphics
not many different units to choose from
CA abandoned support of this game too soon
2022-09-14T20:32:48-0400
This is the game that fully brought me to the total war franchose. Since I have played hundereds of hours of this game and always enjoy it. Even after playing other total wars, this is still my favoite one.
best diplomatic system so far in a Total War game
importance of generals and their amazing duels
breath taking visuals and graphics
not many different units to choose from
CA abandoned support of this game too soon
2022-09-14T20:22:44-0400
[88 hours play atm] Three kingdoms takes Total War to the next level is some aspects, while it does not succeed on everything it is definitely worth buying.
It took me a total of 48 hours to conquer China with an absolute military victory.
Three Kingdoms brings another iteration in diplomacy, and it is really appreciated, this time they got it right lads, you can see what the other party wants and how much of it they want, making diplomacy and relations with other factions essential if you want to succeed on your conquest.
Heroes are a nice addition, although some times they are extremely resilient (especially on legendary) they are very satisfactory to play with; their huge tree of abilities and the 4 different types of heroes bring something to the mix that is unique and fresh. This TW is very focused on relations and your champions.
Buildings and cities are also very tactical, providing a huuuuge tree of buildings from the very beginning, you have to take in account what are your available resources, what are the provinces ups and downs and how to take max profit from it. (Although military buildings have 0 to none use in this one)
Technologies are now reforms and they appear on a tree, which I may add, is super beautiful and blossoms in the direction of your chosen reform. Unlocking units are also included in this tree.
Agents are now gone and they are substituted by Champions and Spies. You can hire spies and build undercover networks in enemy factions and becoming a general or even being hired as a noble in their court, they are very useful for military actions. Characters (Champions) can also do actions such as assignments or being administrator, which provide bonuses to your provinces or debuffs to enemy provinces.
Combat is really good, only complaint is the archer AI, which is pretty buggy in close range, other than that everything works perfectly and manually aiming trebuchets is the most gratifying thing I have ever done on a total war.
I don't think I am leaving anything out, all in all it is a very complex game that will require you to learn a lot during the first turns, if you are an all time fan of TW you should buy it.
Mindblowing art
Champions
Diplomacy is no longer random and it works neat
A lot of factions to play in base game
Relations with characters and factions have an actual purpose
Archer AI
Not beginner friendly
Micromanagement becomes tedious when your faction is big
No agents
2020-06-23T03:40:04-0400
Lot of hours in this game since getting it. Now my favourite total war game, maybe even favourite strategy game. Diplomatic system is great and the content is rich. Battles are fun. Fantastic character representations
good diplomatic systems
auto delegation boat battles suck
2019-10-17T21:11:16-0400
I would not say that this is the best total war released because it's not. It's not bad, but it could be better. I like it, the new Romance mode is fun, but the game itself lacks content, so it becomes boring after a short while compared to the other total war titles. I love the new diplomatic system, it's amazing, and the new "Research" tree is great as well. :) But it really needs more content!
Graphics
Gameplay
Romance mode & Record mode
Lack of content
2019-08-03T06:45:26-0400
I kind of bought this game only because it's a Total War game and I wanted to check in how good the series currently is. I expected nearly nothing except a extreme DLC policy (it is better than other games currently but its never too late for DLCs we know).
When I played it for a couple of hours i really got into it and started liking the game, the battles are amazing, graphics are good, I personally feel like Shogun 2 was more authentic in battles and other games had a better economy game on the campaign map but all in all it's a good game and i enjoy playing it
good graphics
nice unit design, different units play different
innovative Army design with more Hero based play style
You may choose weather you want Hero or Army based gameplay
auto battle for siege looses less man than any player can manage
Cities in trading are cheap
2019-06-26T07:50:11-0400
Le jeu est peut etre simpa mais quand vous ne recever pas le dlc de pré commande disponible pendant encore une semaine apres la sortie alors que vos amis oui ca vous laisse la bonne impression de s'être fait entubé et de ne plus jamais utilisé ce site.
No dlc when my friend got one. Fool me once shame on you... there wont be a second time for sure.
Pas de dlc/no dlc
2019-05-29T17:53:45-0400
I really like strategic games, but this total war has always been my best strategy game. There were also weaker parts, but the first and second part of the warhammer was a big deal, until it came to three kingdoms total war! This is best for every strategy game. The outstanding role of martial arts, politics, economy, and heroes all works great. You have to think about tactics, which is great. It's a real challenge, because it's hard, but it makes the game play even with a friend. Very good fun with a friend. I can only recommend the game!
Nice graphics
realistic game
very exciting story and characters
very exciting game, but playing with a friend is even better
Best Strategy Game
2019-05-26T12:35:26-0400
A surprisingly solid game in the Total war series. Usually, new Total wars are plagued with bugs but not this time. After two games I am yet to encounter a single problem. The diplomacy is improved, combat is... nothing awesome, but it works. The generals are quite unique in Romance mode.
Polished
2019-05-26T09:06:36-0400
Encore, un très bon jeu total war à se mettre sous la main ! Je n'en suis qu'à mes premières heures sur cette nouvelle version, mais cela reste un plaisir de jouer à du total war !! Hâte de voir ce que le jeu donne après plusieurs heures !!
2019-05-25T01:54:58-0400
love total war games and love instant gaming
have bought many games from here three kingdoms didn't come with the DLC but the quick response from the support team made a quick resolve for that can't thank them enough
quick
fast
reliable
2019-05-24T13:19:07-0400
Greatest total war sandbox game ever! CD key came without Yellow Turbans DLC but.. Instant Gaming were kind enough to compesate with a DLC CD Key in couple of hours! Great Support i'll keep buying all my next titles from you :-)
100
2019-05-24T12:12:15-0400
This newest addition to the Total War series is the smoothest running release in the series history. With a multitude of content, and a series amount of style, this entry in the series is an absolute must have, and at the best price!
2019-05-27T09:37:05-0400
Best total war! I really like total war games because it can provide a strategy and story that is not much of a game. Best strategy game for total war. You have to think a lot about it and make every decision. It is more advisable to have a friend than alone, because the game takes a lot of time and you should not spend that time alone. Warhammer liked it too, but it is amazingly good. I can only recommend it to everyone. I love it!
Free DLC!
I wrote for a instant gaming support and sent a DLC code! Thanks! No one should cry for a DLC so that you don't get a writing to be adjacent! The DLC was not offered on our web site. Please be careful reading the description of the product on our website.
Best of strategy game
very nice graphics
Heroes are important
The voice and the world are impressive
2019-05-30T19:12:14-0400
Best reviews
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