Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV’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.

In addition, RTK14 will adopt the ruler-based system from RTK9 and RTK11 in order to help return classic gameplay to the series. This means that all actions – from domestic, to political, to battle – will now take place on a single map. Greater individuality among characters will also be on display; with officers from the Three Kingdoms, like Liu Bei and Guan Yu, asserting themselves at various situations in order to fully immerse players into the game’s rich history.

But that’s not all, as a new Evolved Artificial Intelligence system is also being implemented to challenge players across repeated playthroughs. With organizations now determined through each ruler’s ideals, different game experiences are now possible via different rulers. Even within the same faction; different policies now bring with them different strategies for expansion, making the wise use of various officers a cornerstone of advanced gameplay.

When playing through Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV, players have the opportunity to battle through seven challenging scenarios including the chaotic war that signaled the opening of the times (the Yellow Turban Rebellion), the fight for dominance between Yaun Shao and Cao Cao (the Battle of Guandu), and the beginning of Zhuge Liang’s northern campaign (Chu Shi Biao). Each scenario not only has a wealth of colorful and fierce forces to choose from, but also includes many scenes that depict the famous events of the period. Event scenes are triggered once players fulfill certain conditions, and showcase events like the first meeting of Liu Bei and Zuge Liang.

In addition, RTK14 includes over 1,000 highly unique and individualistic officers throughout the game, with each officer given specialized character traits. More than 150 character traits are featured, with some being useful in battle, some in administration, and some unique to specific officers in the game. For example: Zhang Fei is one of the strongest Warriors in history and possesses a unique characteristic which keeps him from being affected even if he is surrounded on the battlefield. At the same time, the general is also plagued by a character trait where he cannot ignore a nearby enemy. Together, these are used to emphasize the various aspects of Zhang Fei’s personality.

throughout the map. When public order drops, units of foreign tribes -- from the Qiang to the Wuhuan – will appear and cause trouble. Which tribe appears depends on the area of the map involved in the skirmish, and players must quickly learn to deal with these tribes or they will be liable to lose land. One way to deal with the tribes is through an officer’s character traits. For example: The hero of the Liang province, Ma Teng, features the Qiang trait. This means that the Qiang will not appear in any area he is in. In addition, utilizing this characteristic also means that he is able to force the Qiang to occasionally appear in an enemy’s territory, turning this troublesome foreign tribe into an effective ally.

On top of specific character traits, character specialties are also being introduced into RTK14, including objects associated with specific officers. From the powerful horse ridden by Lu Bu to a book written by Cao Cao, some of these items will raise officer attributes, while other items can be used to raise retainer loyalty, making them important tools when it comes to governing.

Romance of The Three Kingdoms XIV is available for pre-order now. Those who purchase any version of the game within the first two weeks of launch will be able to download the additional scenario ‘Battle of Yiling’ for free.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV is in development for PS4 and PC, scheduled for release on February 28, 2020.