

The graphics options seem completely aware of this, giving you the option between "Standard," "Low," and "Lowest". Most textures look decidedly a generation or two past their prime. I wish I could say the same for the map, which is unmistakably dated. The gang's all here, and long-time Three Kingdoms fans won't be disappointed seeing old friends and enemies in all their bombastic, signature glory. The art direction is stylish, readable, and exciting. The benefit of this franchise having been around so long is that dozens and dozens of characters, even minor ones, have beautifully-animated 2D portraits, 3D models (which sadly only show up in duels), and hand-picked traits that fit their personalities and their roles in the novel. Heh, I have to remember this," Liu Bei declares sagely in an early mission.Īt least the storied heroes and villains are well-represented. This trend carries across the entire UI, with many odd word choices leading to confusion, where a clearer alternative was readily available. "Domestics" is not the department that sells blenders, but the submenu for appointing local governors. The English localization is fairly sloppy, which can make certain essential options and information difficult to find. The menus are a bit of an annoyance, too-at least until you learn what everything means.

The factions aren't even that well differentiated other than their spawn locations and starting pool of officers. There is often a clear best candidate for each job, and interesting decisions only arose when I didn't have enough officers to fill all of the offices and had to choose which locales to prioritize. I usually didn't feel like I was making interesting trade-offs in building my court, though. There are a number of national-level minster positions to fill that grant bonuses across the board, as well as local governors and recruiters who can boost how many troops you get each season and help passively capture hexes in areas where you already control the main settlement. Managing your kingdom isn't exactly thrilling, either.
