is the fifth release in the ''Eiketsuden''

tactical role-playing Tactical role-playing game (abbreviated TRPG), also known as strategy role-playing game or (both abbreviated SRPG), is a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical (Turn-based tactics, turn-b ...

series developed by

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

, and the third to be set during the

Three Kingdoms period The Three Kingdoms of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu dominated China from AD 220 to 280 following the end of the Han dynasty. This period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and followed by the Western Jin dynasty. Academically, the ...

Story

The game retells the exploits of the ancient Chinese warlord

Cao Cao Cao Cao (; ; ; 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde, was a Chinese statesman, warlord, and poet who rose to power during the end of the Han dynasty (), ultimately taking effective control of the Han central government. He laid the foundation f ...

. The events are based upon those depicted in

Luo Guanzhong Luo Ben (c. 1330–1400, or c.1280–1360), better known by his courtesy name Guanzhong (Mandarin pronunciation: ), was a Chinese novelist who lived during the Ming dynasty. He is also known by his pseudonym Huhai Sanren (). Luo Guanzhon ...

's historical dramatic 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 and ...

''. The novel, itself, is based upon the historical battles and events of the actual

of ancient China. While Cao Cao is portrayed as a villain in the novel, he is actually the protagonist of ''Sangokushi Sousouden''. As such, the negative deeds attributed to Cao in the novel are either altered to depict him in a more positive light or simply removed entirely. Three prominent opposing characters in the novel,

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a China, Chinese warlord in the late Han dynasty#Eastern Han, Eastern Han dynasty who later became the founding Emperor of China, emperor of Shu Han, one of the Three Kingdoms of ...

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

and

Sun Quan Sun Quan (; 182 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumous name, posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of Eastern Wu, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime established by hi ...

, are Cao Cao's primary opponents in the game. The character portraits in this release are mostly enhanced, palette swapped re-creations of those used in the previous ''Sangokushi Eiketsuden'' and ''Sangokushi Koumeiden'' games, with the sole exception of Cao Cao, who has a unique appearance; However, the Mobile Game rerelease would later give everyone redesigned appearances as well.

Gameplay

The player controls Cao Cao's forces – beginning the game during the

Yellow Turban Rebellion The Yellow Turban Rebellion, alternatively translated as the Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt during the late Eastern Han dynasty of ancient China. The uprising broke out in 184 CE, during the reign of Emperor Ling. Although t ...

– and loosely following the events of the novel until eventually unifying China. The player commands multiple characters including Cao Cao and several of his most prominent generals during battle. These generals can be permanently killed during certain scenarios. The player can opt to save them, although the player will not receive the special weaponry and armour left behind by the character after death. Each character belongs to a certain unit class, such as

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

, with varying strengths and weaknesses. Unlike previous installments of the series, it is not possible to change a unit class using special items, although upgrades for each class are available at levels 15 and 30. Characters are differentiated by their personal statistics such as

agility Agility or nimbleness is an ability to change the body's position quickly and requires the integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength, and endurance. More specifically, it ...

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It can be described as t ...

morale Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, ...

, and

strength Strength may refer to: Personal trait *Physical strength, as in people or animals *Character strengths like those listed in the Values in Action Inventory *The exercise of willpower Physics * Mechanical strength, the ability to withstand ...

. Each choice made by the player during gameplay affects a scale which tilts towards either "factual" (red) or "fictional" (blue), depending on how the choices made affirm or contradict the events depicted in the novel. Although the "factual" line adheres more closely to the events, and the personality of Cao Cao in the novel than the "fictional" line, it is, nevertheless, highly inaccurate; also, unlike the game's two predecessor titles, there is no historical "bad" ending in ''Sangokushi Sōsōden'' and Cao Cao survives the entire game through both story paths. The story will be altered following the Battle of Tong Pass, and depending on the status of the scale, the game will follow the predetermined "factual" or "fictional" storylines, according to Cao Cao's personality. The "factual" arc involves eliminating Liu Bei's

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

and Sun Quan's

Eastern Wu Wu (Chinese language, Chinese: 吳; pinyin: ''Wú''; Middle Chinese *''ŋuo'' < Eastern Han Chinese: ''*ŋuɑ''), known in historiography as Eastern Wu or Sun Wu, was a Dynasties of China, dynastic state of China and one of the three major sta ...

, thus uniting China under Cao Cao's rule. The "fictional" arc involves

becoming possessed by a great evil who joins up with Zhou Yu to kill Liu Bei. One notable feature of this route is that

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 on ...

, sworn oath brother of Liu Bei and enemy of Cao Cao, will permanently join Cao Cao's army to avenge Liu's death by killing Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang.

Remakes and mods

In 2016, Nexon Korea released a mobile remake of ''Sōsōden'' named ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms: The Legend of CaoCao'' for iOS and Android, developed by

Thingsoft Thingsoft () is an online game development company in South Korea. Its headquarters is in Seoul, South Korea. History Thingsoft was originally established in 2005 with funding from Neowiz, a large South Korean online game publisher. Neowiz full ...

. In addition to the enhanced story mode, the

free-to-play "Free-to-play" ("F2P" or "FtP") video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content for free. The term "free-to-play business model" or simply, "free-to-play model", refers collectively to business models tha ...

remake also adds an asynchronous

player versus player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents and is usually of ...

mode and a co-op mode to take over China. The game was available in English, Korean, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese. This mobile remake version is ported onto PC via the

Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

platform on 25 July 2019. This remake, entirely online, was terminated on 11 June 2020. Chinese Internet communities have produced various software modifications for ''Sangokushi Sōsōden'', including a mod detailing the story of

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

historical figure

Yue Fei Yue Fei (; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general of the Song dynasty and is remembered as a patriotic folk hero, national hero, known for leading its forces in Jin–Song Wars, the wars ...

References

External links

Official product page
{{Romance of the Three Kingdoms series 1998 video games Android (operating system) games Inactive massively multiplayer online games IOS games Koei games Nexon games Products and services discontinued in 2020 Romance of the Three Kingdoms (video game series) Single-player video games Video game remakes Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Mahito Yokota Windows games