Total War: THREE KINGDOMS

Graphics 5/5

The graphics, animations, and visual effects all look amazing in Total War: THREE KINGDOMS. You’re probably going to find yourself zooming into the battlefield just to enjoy the masterfully crafted combat scenes more often than you expect. Given that the previous Total War games often didn’t have much to show on the graphics front, we are pretty happy with this development.

Gameplay 4/5

Playing Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is definitely an immersive experience. You are going to lead a powerful army and make your way through all the conflicts, intrigues, and alliances that take place on the vast land of China. However, there are some caveats to the gameplay that make the game less enjoyable than it might have been.

The main issue with Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is that the AI isn’t exactly bright. It won’t allow for much flexibility in terms of manipulating your opponents, forming unexpected alliances, or dealing with enemies in ways different from combat. For instance, you can’t make a city starve by cutting off its food and/or water supplies. This seemingly logical thing to do gives you no real results because the city can somehow supply itself with food no matter how hard you try to prevent that. Thus, you can only assert your domination through a direct attack, which is fine but a little disappointing as a single available option.

Controls 5/5

The controls in Total War: THREE KINGDOMS work great, and they are a noticeable improvement over the controls in other Total War games. Controlling your units is easy and intuitive, and you won’t have to wonder where a certain button or label could possibly be like you might have in the previous games. There’s also a very helpful info section that’s easily accessible by pressing F1.

Replay Value 3/5

This is probably the most disappointing aspect of Total War: THREE KINGDOMS. Since all factions somehow end up looking and playing the same, revisiting the game as the leader of a different faction will essentially give you the same gameplay experience with slightly different visuals. That is said, but you can still spend a lot of time playing Total War: THREE KINGDOMS even without revisiting it later.

The Bottom Line

Total War: THREE KINGDOMS is a good strategy game with room for improvement. If you’re a fan of Total War games, you’re definitely going to enjoy this one. Otherwise, it can still serve as a great entry point to the series. Just be sure not to expect wonders from the AI and you won’t be disappointed.