Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny

After the disappointingly easy Romance of Three Kingdoms 2, KOEI revamped the whole engine and introduce many enhancements for the third game in its flagship series. The results are mostly positive, although some might argue that the game is still much easier than the first game. There are many enhancements and new features.

First, RtK 3 places a much stronger emphasis on tactical battles. The game debuts the attractive isometric view of the battlefield, which makes commanding your army more exciting. It also introduces new units such as crossbow, strong crossbow, and cavalry. Size of castles are more realistic in the isometric view, and you can actually place units at various points inside the castle if you are defending against an invasion. Capital Cities such as Luoyang and Xu Chang have bigger castles compared to other towns, spanning almost the entire screen. This makes it more difficult to capture these cities, as the castle can house many more units of the defender.

There are also several new tactics, such as ambush and pitholes if an advisor is present in battle. On the downside, the game is much easier than RtK 1 if you have intelligent advisors (with 95 or above intelligence score). This is because their advices are so accurate that you already have a good chance of winning if you just blindly do what they say. Still, longer and more involved tactical battles help lengthen the game, especially in late stages when you are trying to break down the last strongholds.

Overall, RtK 3 is a fine sequel to a great series. Attractive VGA graphics and great soundtrack help bring medieval China to life. To prevent the game from ending too soon, though, play as a custom character instead and don't ask for advice from your advisors . Thumbs up!

Review By HOTUD