Are you looking for a strategy game where you can win epic battles and manipulate your opponents like in Game of Thrones? Then MeinMMO author Ody has a recommendation for you – and it currently costs only 15 € on Steam.
What game are we talking about? We are referring to Total War: Three Kingdoms. The strategy game from Creative Assembly was released in 2019 and combines real-time with turn-based strategy.
You can see a trailer for the game here:
There’s still soup in ancient China
What is the game about? The setting is quickly explained: We find ourselves in ancient China around the year 190 AD. The Chinese Empire of the Han is shaken by a peasant uprising, the Yellow Turban Rebellion, and a tyrant takes control of the imperial court.
From the chaos in the country, warlords rise who pursue their own goals: Some exploit the situation for personal gain, others want to save the empire. Still, others have larger ambitions and want to become the new emperor themselves.
In Total War: Three Kingdoms, you are one of these warlords. On the campaign map that encompasses ancient China, you build your cities and economy, ensure the satisfaction of your population, recruit armies, and conquer the lands of your neighbors. The power plays for the imperial throne create some serious GoT fever.
Strong focus on characters and intrigue
What makes the game so special? Total War: Three Kingdoms heavily emphasizes characters. They are not only versatile and fulfill different roles, but also maintain relationships with each other that affect their satisfaction.
If two of your generals or court officials do not get along, it may not be a good idea to let them work together. However, friendships between two characters grant you bonuses. These relationships also change over time, and characters can even leave their old lords in search of new ones.
In expanding your empire, you can rely on pure violence, as is customary in the Total War series. However, it can sometimes be much more exciting to outsmart competitors. Diplomacy and espionage are significantly more extensive in Three Kingdoms compared to Warhammer or Pharaoh:
- Characters can be infiltrated as spies into other factions and take on positions that will be helpful to you later
- Those who want to be particularly cunning can use Cao Cao to access a variety of plots and instigate proxy wars
Another unique aspect is the two game modes: In the “History” mode, your heroes are powerful lone warriors and can duel other heroes. The “Records” mode offers a classic Total War experience with generals accompanied to battle by a bodyguard. Some more fantastical elements are also removed here.
One of the best Total War games at the lowest price
How much does the game cost? Until February 3, you have the opportunity to secure Total War: Three Kingdoms on Steam at the previous lowest price of only 14.99 €. The DLCs mainly add new starting dates, units, and characters. “The Furious Wild” also makes the Nanman, who live in the southern rainforest, playable and brings their own culture as well as war elephants.
After just over 280 hours, I can still recommend the game, even though it doesn’t always run perfectly technically. Personally, I only had minor visual glitches like missing weapon models, but other players have reported crashes as well.
Moreover, the game could have benefited from additional cultures such as Korea, and all the Chinese names can be confusing at the start. However, this hurdle disappears over time, and you get one of the best Total War experiences of recent years – if not of all time.
There is ongoing debate in the community about what makes a good Total War game and what does not. However, while Three Kingdoms is a very popular game apart from its somewhat notorious exit, another title never quite achieved great success – despite deserving it. More on that here: I logged 300 hours in a game on Steam that hardly anyone played, though it belongs to one of the most popular game series
