is a

strategy game A strategy game or strategic game is a game (e.g. a board game) in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous, decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome. Almost all strategy games require internal decisio ...

loosely based on the

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty and wa ...

period of China. It is the sequel to '' Kessen'' in name only; both ''Kessen'' and the later sequel '' Kessen III'' are based on events in Japan and China. The gameplay involves playing out major battles as the storyline progresses, with cutscenes between each battle for the development of the events and major characters. Before battle, players are given a choice of strategies to take, although they can manually control all units in the battlefield. All units are controlled by the AI unless the player directly intervenes, and battles between forces are carried out in real-time. While in control of a unit, players are able to use special skills or magic spells to turn the tables, although enemy characters are also able to do so.''Kessen II'', PlayStation 2 & PlayStation 3 (via

PlayStation Network PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smar ...

), Koei, 2001''Kessen II Manual'', KOEI Co. Ltd., 2001, pp.2-34 Unlike

Koei Koei Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978. The company is known for its ''Dynasty Warriors'' games based on the novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'', as well as simulation games based on ...

's other games based on the 14th century novel ''

Romance of the Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD an ...

'' ('' Dynasty Warriors'' and the ''

'' game), the plot of ''Kessen II'' is a heavily fantasized version of the novel. The last of the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

family,

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the H ...

, begins a

rebellion Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

against the kingdom of

Wei Wei or WEI may refer to: States * Wey (state) (衛, 1040–209 BC), Wei in pinyin, but spelled Wey to distinguish from the bigger Wei of the Warring States * Wei (state) (魏, 403–225 BC), one of the seven major states of the Warring States per ...

led by

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate Grand chancellor (China), grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the End of ...

, with much of the game's events being based on the novel with alterations due to the different storylines. A significant change to the story involves a romance between Liu Bei and the character Diao Chan, being a significant factor behind Liu Bei's decision to go to war, and

Himiko , also known as , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler fol ...

, a semi-fictional sorceress (the historical Himiko ruled Wa ncient Japan. In addition to the fantasized theme, ''Kessen II'' departs from its realistic predecessor. Koei introduces elements of magic, especially with the portrayal of notable

strategist A strategist is a person with responsibility for the formulation and implementation of a strategy. Strategy generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. A strategy ...

s such as

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is r ...

and

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 un ...

as sorcerers. In battle, these characters are able to cause

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

s, summon

lightning Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily neutralize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average ...

storms and hurl fireballs.

Characters

The majority of characters are loosely based on characters found in the Chinese epic

Liu Bei's Forces (Shu)

- Leader of the Shu forces and Lord of Xu. Lover of Diao Chan and unwilling ruler. * Mei Sanniang - Long-time female friend of Liu Bei. Described as reckless and a beauty. Her character was created for the game and is a heavily fictionalized combination and interpretation of Lady Mi and

Hu Sanniang Hu Sanniang (literally "Third Sister Hu") is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed " Ten Feet of Blue", she ranks 59th among the 108 Stars of Destiny and 23rd among th ...

. *

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him o ...

- Sworn brother of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Wields the Black Dragon and Liu Bei's greatest warrior. *

Zhang Fei Zhang Fei () (died July or August 221 AD), courtesy name Yide, was a military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu, who were among the earlies ...

- Sworn brother of Liu Bei and Guan Yu. Former bandit who is hot-tempered and overfond of drinking. *

- Initially "unaligned" in the conflict he later becomes Liu Bei's main advisor and warlord. One of the most powerful magicians in the game. * Zhao Yun - Head of the Han Imperial Bodyguard. Joins Liu Bei with the hope of restoring the Han Empire. * Diao Chan - Lover of Liu Bei, kidnapped at the start of the game by Cao Cao because she alone knows where the

Mandate of Heaven The Mandate of Heaven () is a Chinese political philosophy that was used in ancient and imperial China to legitimize the rule of the King or Emperor of China. According to this doctrine, heaven (天, '' Tian'') – which embodies the natur ...

exists. * Li Li, Mei Mei and Luo Luo - Daughters of the Zhang Fei. Mei Mei is killed off-screen at the beginning of the game by Cao Cao's forces. Loosely based on Zhang's historical daughters

Empress Jing'ai Empress Zhang (died July or August 237), personal name unknown, formally known as Empress Jing'ai (lit. "Respectful and Lamentable Empress"), was an empress of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period. She was the eldest daughter of th ...

& Empress Zhang. * Guan Ping - Adopted son of Guan Yu. * Zhou Cang - General of Liu Bei who helps turn the tide against Cao Cao. *

Pang Tong Pang Tong () (179–214), courtesy name Shiyuan, was a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. In his youth, Pang Tong was disregarded because he was plain looking, however Sima Hui highly esteemed him call ...

- Sworn brother of Zhuge Liang. A powerful magician. *

Huang Zhong Huang Zhong (, ) (died 220), courtesy name Hansheng, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Mount Dingjun in 219, in which ...

- Master of the bow and former officer of

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (covering ...

Cai Mao Cai Mao () ( third century), courtesy name Degui, was a military officer serving under the warlords Liu Biao and Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Life Cai Mao came from the elite Cai family in Xiangyang, Nan Commandery (), ...

- Former officer of Cao Cao who gets tricked into joining Liu Bei. *

Ma Su Ma Su (190–228), courtesy name Youchang, was a military general and strategist of the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period of China. Ma Su had conspicuous talent in military theories and was admired by the Shu chancellor Zhuge Liang. ...

- The Hero of Jin, a magician * Sun Li - Sister of Sun Quan, falls in love with Liu Bei and abandons her brother. Based on the historical Lady Sun. * Wei Yan - Native of Jing who joins Liu Bei after the Battle of Fan Zheng. *

Jiang Wei Jiang Wei (202 – 3 March 264), courtesy name Boyue, was a military general of the state of Shu during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Born in Ji County (present-day Gangu County, Gansu), Jiang Wei started his career as a military offic ...

- General who joins Liu Bei at the Battle of Tian Shui. * Xu Shu - Magician serving under Cao Cao who defects to Liu Bei. * Huang Yue-Ying - Eccentric wife of Zhuge Liang. Invents weapons and new equipment for Liu Bei.

Cao Cao's Forces (Wei)

- Leader of the Wei forces. Former officer for the Han Empire who has set out to conquer the world. *

- Powerful sorcerer from a foreign land who serves Cao Cao. Jealous of Diao Chan. *

Xun Yu Xun Yu (163–212), courtesy name Wenruo, was a Chinese military official and politician who served as an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Early life Xun Yu was from Yingchuan Commandery (around p ...

- Female version of the historical Xun Yu. Cao Cao's main warlord and advisor. A powerful magician. * Hu Zhi - One of Cao Cao's strongest generals. Good friends with Himiko. A female version of Xu Chu. *

- A wandering hermit who joins with Cao Cao later in the game to become his advisor and warlord. One of the most powerful magicians in the game. *

Xiahou Yuan Xiahou Yuan () (died 219), courtesy name Miaocai, was a Chinese military general and politician serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is known for his exploits in western China (in parts of present-day ...

- Cao Cao's most powerful general and warrior. Killed by Zhang Fei in a duel in the early parts of the game. * Cheng Yu - Warlord of Cao Cao who is constantly playing the role of " scheming villain". A powerful magician. *

Cao Ren Cao Ren () (168 – 6 May 223), courtesy name Zixiao, was a military general serving during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China under the warlord Cao Cao, who was also his older second cousin. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei – ...

- Powerful general and relative of Cao Cao. * Zhang Liao - Trusted general of Cao Cao. Has a rivalry with Guan Yu since they used to be close friends, but fell out after a duel over a woman. *

Yu Jin Yu Jin (died 221), courtesy name Wenze, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He joined Cao Cao in 192 around the start of the civil wars leading to the collapse of the dyna ...

- General of Cao Cao who is overly flamboyant and portrayed as a joke. Famous for running away. Attracted to Cao Cao for his "manliness" and portrayed as a queer character. *

Guo Jia Guo Jia () (170–207), courtesy name Fengxiao, was an adviser to the warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Throughout his 11 years of service, Guo Jia aided Cao Cao greatly with his brilliance and foresight, and his st ...

- Hermit who joins Cao Cao on the suggestion of Xun Yu. * Cao Hong - Officer and relative of Cao Cao with little to no character. * Xiahou Ba - Eldest son (historically the second son) of Xiahou Yuan. Tries to live up to his father. * Cao Bu - Uncle of Cao Cao who tries to get Cao Cao to return to a way of peace. A fictional character loosely based on the historical Cao Song, father of Cao Cao. * Dong Xuanfeng & Xi Xuanfeng - Two female warriors and assassins who work for Cao Cao's general Yu Jin. Two original characters created for the game. * Yue Jin - Officer of Cao Cao, both he and Li Dian are portrayed as insecure. * Li Dian - Officer of Cao Cao, both he and Yue Jin are portrayed as insecure. *

Xu Huang Xu Huang () (died 227), courtesy name Gongming, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He later served in the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period under the first ...

- Former officer of the Han Empire who is recruited to Cao Cao's cause. *

Zhang He Zhang He () (died July or August 231), courtesy name Junyi, was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He continued serving in the state of Cao Wei under its first two rulers, Cao Pi and ...

- A strange masked officer serving Cao Cao. * Xiahou Dun - One-eyed warrior who is the brother to Xiahou Yuan. * Guo Shao - Officer who joins Cao Cao at the Battle of Tian Shui. Based on the historical general Hao Zhao.

Sun Quan's Forces (Wu)

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime es ...

- Ruler of Wu, his main focus is defending his territory. * Zhou Yu - The main warlord of Wu and advisor to Sun Quan. * Gan Ning - Wu's most powerful general and a former pirate. *

Lu Meng Lu, Lü, or LU may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Lu (music), Tibetan folk music * Lu (duo), a Mexican band ** ''Lu'' (album) * Character from Mike, Lu & Og * Lupe Fiasco or Lu (born 1982), American musician * Lebor na hUidre, a manuscript ...

- Magician serving Sun Quan. * Lu Su - Magician serving Sun Quan. *

Lu Xun Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...

- Magician serving Sun Quan * Taishi Ci - Officer serving Sun Quan.

Other

Forces of Xi

* Cai Wengi - Ruler of the Northern Xi. A powerful general and magician. Can join either Cao Cao or Liu Bei depending on who defeats her. She is a highly fictionalized version of the historical poet and writer Cai Yan. *

Deng Ai Deng Ai (197 – late March 264Vol.04 of ''Sanguozhi'' and vol.02 of ''Jin Shu'' both indicated that Deng Ai was arrested in the 1st month of the 1st year of the ''Xianxi'' era. The month corresponds to 15 Feb to 14 Mar 264 in the Julian calendar ...

- Officer under Cai Wengi and Ma Chao. Defects to Cao Cao. *

Ma Chao Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of Ma ...

- Ruler of Western Xi. Joins Liu Bei after a failed attack on Cao Cao. *

Ma Dai Ma Dai () ( 222–235) was a Chinese military general of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He previously served under his uncle Ma Teng, a warlord in northwestern China, during the late Eastern Han dynasty. After Ma ...

- Officer under Cai Wengi and Ma Chao. Defects to Liu Bei. * Pang De - Officer under Ma Chao, joins Cao Cao after the Battle of Tong Gate.

Forces of Liu Zhang

* Liu Zhang - Ruler of the Yi Province. An old warrior and friend of Cao Bu. *

Fa Zheng Fa Zheng (176–220), courtesy name Xiaozhi, was a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Born in a family of high social status and of noble descent, Fa Zheng travelled to Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan ...

- Advisor to Liu Zhang who joins Liu Bei after Liu Zhang is defeated. A powerful magician. * Yan Yan - General of Liu Zhang who is tricked into joining Liu Bei by Zhao Yun. * Wu Yi - Officer of Liu Zhang * Zhang Ren - Officer of Liu Zhang

Forces of Meng Huo

Meng Huo Meng Huo was a local leader in the Nanzhong region in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was popularly depicted as a local leader representing the gentries of the Nanzhong region, but some historians doubt his his ...

- King of southern Yi. Dominated by his wife Zhu Rong. * Zhu Rong - Queen of southern Yi. Advisor and the true ruler. Joins Liu Bei after she and Meng Huo is defeated. * King Mulu - General under Meng Huo. A magician. * Wu Tugu - General under Meng Huo *

King Duosi The following is a list of fictional people significant to the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) of China. The list includes characters in the 14th-century historical novel ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' by Luo Guanzhong and those found in othe ...

- General under Meng Huo. A magician.

Miscellaneous

- Mentioned but not seen, later conquered by Cao Cao off-screen. *

Yuan Shao Yuan Shao (, ; died 28 June 202), courtesy name Benchu (), was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty. He occupied the northern territories of China during the civil wars that occurred tow ...

- Mentioned but not seen, later conquered by Cao Cao off-screen.

Battles

The game portrays the following historical battles and conflicts in a highly condensed and fictionalized version. *

Cao Cao's invasion of Xu Province Cao Cao's invasion of Xu Province was a punitive invasion launched by the warlord Cao Cao against Tao Qian, the Governor of Xu Province, in the late Eastern Han dynasty. The ''casus belli'' for the invasion was the murder of Cao Cao's father, ...

- named the Battle of Xu * Battle of Bowang - named the Battle of Bo Wan Po *

Battle of Changban The Battle of Changban was fought between the warlords Cao Cao and Liu Bei in October 208 in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. The battle took place at Changban (長坂; south of present-day Duodao District, Jingmen, Hubei). Backgrou ...

- Named the Battle of Chang Ban Po *

Battle of Red Cliffs The Battle of Red Cliffs, also known as the Battle of Chibi, was a decisive naval battle in the winter of AD 208–209 at the end of the Han dynasty, about twelve years prior to the beginning of the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history. ...

- Named Showdown at Chi Bi *

Liu Bei's takeover of Yi Province Liu Bei's takeover of Yi Province was a military campaign by the warlord Liu Bei in taking control of Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan and Chongqing) from the provincial governor, Liu Zhang. The campaign took place between the years 2 ...

- Named the Siege of Cheng Du * Battle of Mt. Dingjun - named Mt. Dinjun *

Southern Campaign Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Expres ...

Battle of Fancheng The Battle of Fancheng or the Battle of Fan Castle was fought between the warlords Liu Bei and Cao Cao in 219 in the late Eastern Han dynasty. It is named after Fancheng in present-day Xiangyang, Hubei, a fortress that played a significant rol ...

- named Battle of Fan Zheng * Battle of Tong Pass - named Battle of Tong Gate * Tianshui revolts - named Battle of Tian Shui * Siege of Chencang - named Defense of Chen Cang * Lü Meng's Invasion of Jing Province - named Battle of Wu Chang (Liu Bei) * Cao Pi's invasion of Eastern Wu - named Battle of Wu Chang (Cao Cao) *

Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions were a series of five military campaigns launched by the state of Shu Han against the rival state of Cao Wei from 228 to 234 during the Three Kingdoms period in China. All five expeditions were led by Zhuge ...

- named Wei-Shu Conflict

Reception

The game received "average" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

. In Japan, ''

Famitsu formerly ''Famicom Tsūshin'', is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the ...

'' gave it a score of 35 out of 40.

References

External links

* * {{Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2001 video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Network games Video games based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms Video games developed in Japan THQ games Koei games Single-player video games Real-time tactics video games