Total War: Three Kingdoms

 PC
  • Publisher: Sega
  • Release Date: May 23, 2019
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 400 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 282 out of 400
  2. Mixed: 52 out of 400
  3. Negative: 66 out of 400

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Wiebe
    Feb 26, 2020
    5
    Total war has barely evolved of the years, and its concepts are showing their age. Yes the new heroes and their armies are a great addition, but overall building, campaign movement and dumb ai show the age of most of the concepts of total war.
  2. GabFire
    Aug 9, 2020
    5
    Olha, eu sempre fui fã de jogos de estratégia de todos os gêneros, desde ''Starcraft'' até RPGs de turno como ''Final Fantasy VII'', mas esse jogo aí não me agradou, realmente eu não gostei dele.
  3. g014n
    Sep 13, 2020
    6
    It's an anambitious project and a mediocre score is more than it deserves. I was a fan of the TW series since I was a kid and, because RTW offered me so much replayability, I wanted to support the company, but they're taking advantage of their fanbase and the series is becoming like the Assassin Creed franchise instead of staying true to their roots. When they started out, they addedIt's an anambitious project and a mediocre score is more than it deserves. I was a fan of the TW series since I was a kid and, because RTW offered me so much replayability, I wanted to support the company, but they're taking advantage of their fanbase and the series is becoming like the Assassin Creed franchise instead of staying true to their roots. When they started out, they added something revolutionary to the mix of strategy games available. But that was a long time ago, many releases ago.

    The combat system has pretty much remained the same since the era of Rome2 Emperor Edition. Not a bad starting point, not without obvious flaws and limitations that I hoped they'd try to iterate on (way too many to list than their effort deserves the effort). But this is how a mediocre score is more justified than a higher one. It would be 2 points higher if this system wasn't as repetitive within the game itself and if the AI was at least slightly better.

    Every other component has a similar faith.

    The campaign map playmode is barebones in terms of diversity and content. This is soemthing that I avoided criticising in the past because other historically inspired strategy games get away with it (Civ fans, I'm looking at you with nothing but contempt). However, when you're releasing the same thing every couple of years and then sell so many cosmetic expansions, it's something that could have easily been taken care of. The main reason it's shallow remains the extremely shallow diplomacy system (it's so stupid to see people praising it when there actual games doing a good job in this regard) and almost inexistent political or actual governance system. They have espionage now, but it's also barebones... it's legwork, not interesting, doesn't really add much to your playthrough. This aspect, the SP campaign mode, is mediocre for its own reasons.

    Why not go lower with the score then? Because it's fairly well polished. When I jumped in (some time after release) it was well optimized and this permited me to do a few speedruns alongside my usual playstyle. Also, the flavour art is good. We've seen it done beofre, but this is genuine content. All in all, unlike multiple Creative Assembly releases, this one was ok, doesn't deserve a truly bad mark, tbh.    … Expand
  4. Fattimus
    May 28, 2019
    5
    As an avid Total War fan since TW:Rome in 2004 (it's one of my favorite series!), I was somewhat let down by this one. It has some charm but as you dig a bit deeper it's actually fairly bland / generic imho.

    PROS: - Unique / "Pretty" UI - Interesting setting (don't see much AAA games about China!). Very unique in the way that I don't have a clue what the names mean and it's    As an avid Total War fan since TW:Rome in 2004 (it's one of my favorite series!), I was somewhat let down by this one. It has some charm but as you dig a bit deeper it's actually fairly bland / generic imho.

    PROS:

    - Unique / "Pretty" UI
    - Interesting setting (don't see much AAA games about China!). Very unique in the way that I don't have a clue what the names mean and it's interesting to hear a foreign language + learn their culture
    - Very well-optimized, esp. compared with previous releases (holy cow it works out of the box!)
    - Historical-ish
    - Not overloaded with Day 1 DLC (Yellow Turbins is only one I know of atm)
    - Interesting leaders, *they* look and sound unique (but sadly the actual gameplay + the armies + the cities aren't as varied)
    - For a Three Kingdoms setting game, it's got to be one of the best ones
    - I like the focus on narrative
    - Potential for *giant* armies clashing

    CONS:

    - Not much variety, like at all. All factions look / feel / play very similar if not the exact same
    - UI is confusing and hard to navigate. Lot's of hidden menus or bad / missing descriptions
    - Lack of a "good" tutorial
    - Cartoony / generic look. I'd argue they almost took a step *back* on the graphics dept. It's not mindblowing like previous releases would have been
    - Multiplayer is subpar. Because all factions are so similar, not much variety to MP play (esp. compared to TW:WH2 or the like)
    - Map is kinda meh. It's basically one giant continent (they're obv. restricted by real life geography)
    - I can't stress enough how boring the units are imo. They're all the same and it feels like the units you start with will still be the main types you use in the endgame
    - Gameplay ends up feeling samesy. Changing factions pretty much just changed which direction of the map you're headed (ie: one faction leader will head south to the coast whereas the other will head north - otherwise they feel the same)
    - Seems like they couldn't decide whether to go fully historical or to go fully romanticized. Gives a somewhat half-assed approach in the end (leaders seem to be the main "romatic" thing)
    - Leaders are both OP and underwhelming on the battlefield. They don't die but at the same time they hit like a wet noodle (at least early; I imagine they become straight OP later game)
    - Battles go WAY too fast. Typical battle is over in ~5-10min
    - It's weird, on one hand they're dumbing down the game for "casuals" (battles, army management) and on the other they've overcomplicated bits (economy, building, navigating the UI, understanding stats, etc)
    - Again, graphics are "meh". Looks cartoony which kills the vibe.

    FINAL OPINION:

    I ended up refunding this as I have a lot more fun playing TW:Warhammer 2. Until / unless they add some interesting DLC I will probably avoid this one for the moment. I'm torn because on one hand I wanted historical again, but on the other hand it lacks the charm previous entries have had. This is by far the least variety I've seem in a TW game (I mean even Rome had "War Dogs" and interesting mercenaries you could use).

    I think if they add some spice this could be fun. Add some unit variety, embrace the "Romance" period you advertise! I'm sure they had like, cool ass flame-using-weapon troops, or Sword Breaker units, or multipurpose cavalry with short bows + short spears, etc - It may not be 100% historical but stuff like this would still fit the setting and could be restricted to Romance Mode.

    Either way, it's so-so imo. If I'm being completely honest I think a lot of the hype is coming from Chinese gamers who aren't used to western AAA titles that focus on their history (which is awesome and I encourage). It's NOT AT ALL A BAD GAME FYI. If I didn't have other Total War's to compare with I'd bump the score up a bit. That said I don't think its 9/10

    It might be one day though. Total War has always been damn good at improving their games over time so I expect a year or so from now I might want to take another look. Sadly TW:Warhammer 3 will be out by then lol    … Expand
  5. jukadojensen797
    May 25, 2019
    6
    This game suffers all the problems of previous TW games Brain dead battle AI, boring unit models and a map that is needlessly huge with armies barely moving each turn. Characters all seem to have a personality disorder, constantly making pointless proposals and disagreeing to anything reasonable. On a lesser note the UI looks terrible, color and effects galore without much usefulThis game suffers all the problems of previous TW games Brain dead battle AI, boring unit models and a map that is needlessly huge with armies barely moving each turn. Characters all seem to have a personality disorder, constantly making pointless proposals and disagreeing to anything reasonable. On a lesser note the UI looks terrible, color and effects galore without much useful information. Anyone that hasn't shelled out 60 dollars wait until a sale, this game offers nothing new.… Expand
  6. Kskas
    Jun 26, 2019
    5
    Game is overhyped and still needs tons of work,. AI is still stupid, diplomacy at first feels improved but after playing for awhile you'll begin to notice things like signing peace treaties only to have your peace treaty broken the next turn beacuse they for some reason chose to attack your vassal FORCING YOU to choose between renewing the war after just 1 turn, causing yourGame is overhyped and still needs tons of work,. AI is still stupid, diplomacy at first feels improved but after playing for awhile you'll begin to notice things like signing peace treaties only to have your peace treaty broken the next turn beacuse they for some reason chose to attack your vassal FORCING YOU to choose between renewing the war after just 1 turn, causing your "trustworthiness" to suffer immensely. Or you could decline which will make you lose your vassal and also suffer a penalty to your trustworthiness. Then we also have generals in records mode being stronger than their romance counterparts, General's bodyguard being able to take on several units of spearmen, also the general always being the last person alive tanking several hits. Records mode generals also rack up more kills more easily which also is contradictory to what it was supposed to be. Then we have the lategame problem with corruption, after reaching the rank of kingdom corruption is probably gonna be around 60% in most of cities just removing almost all of your income. And with focus on reducing it trough reforms or assignments is almost futile beacuse you'll need around 10-15 nobles being able to do the "reduced corruption assignment" to even put a dent in it. So lategame always leads to inferior economic power compared even to the smallest factions still in the game. And lastly with all these things going on trying to win the campaign is a drag, with literally everyone teaming up against you and diplomacy is completely useless.

    Then we have some minors things like armies being able to adopt march stance and retreat from battles making them next to impossible to catch, so you'll see enemy armies just marching around everywhere becuse their is no risk involved. In earlier titles geeting caught in march stance meant either geeting ambushed or having to fight to the death with no retreat option. And also cities with millions in pop having incredibly weak and small garrisons while small farming towns have alot larger ones. and lastly some wierd bugg with trebuchets were they keep repositioning indefinatly even tho they have a clear view of attack.    … Expand
  7. northernlad
    May 28, 2019
    6
    real review on steam needless to say 22 hours played it's not a bad game but doesn't feel like a total war game battles are very poor and way to fast
  8. peterk426
    May 31, 2019
    6
    I played Total War:Warhammer 2 a few times. It was kind of like heroes of might and magic, but a lot worse.
    Total War:Three kingdoms is the second total war game I played. I played a lot of the romance of the three kingdoms games, loved RoTK 3 4 and 11. Those games were actually very in depth and the fighting was really good. Heres what I like and dont like about this game:
    The Good: The    I played Total War:Warhammer 2 a few times. It was kind of like heroes of might and magic, but a lot worse.
    Total War:Three kingdoms is the second total war game I played. I played a lot of the romance of the three kingdoms games, loved RoTK 3 4 and 11. Those games were actually very in depth and the fighting was really good. Heres what I like and dont like about this game:
    The Good: The battles are ok, im not in awe of it in any way. I like that it tries to be as historically accurate as possible.
    The bad: Each turn takes a long time, averaging 1-2 minutes. almost every turn, you will get someone asking you for a super 1 sided trade. This happens every turn. Big army battles get super laggy. The game has crashed on me twice as well. I hate the building system, and the "Technology tree" is horrible. you have to wait 5 turns to get 1 technology upgrade, which I hope gets fixed because thats really slow and bad. I had times where I went to attack a general whos army was on the map, and he ran away. It took me 5 turns and still couldnt catch this general because they kept fleeing. Finally I went for their city and they ran back. i still have no idea how to build trebuchets, and getting upgraded units is a huge chore and has pre-requisites and if you dont have them, you miss out.

    I feel like this game has potential but theres so much wrong with it for me to fully enjoy a game. It takes hours to get things done and I prefer playing single player. I'm playing on easy mode and even then the game is really hard.

    Note: If you like RoTK but not total war, dont buy the game. If you are a fan of Total war then buy the game.    … Expand
  9. Ananisapta
    Jun 18, 2019
    7
    Tao Te Ching says, "The Wise don't covet leadership, so wind up in charge." This is NOT a tenable philosophy for any of the Total War series. The Three Kingdoms period, in particular, was an unimaginable bloodbath in which the population of east Asia was much reduced. Treachery and aggression were the norm, at least among those who came out on top. If you are comfortable being "the meanestTao Te Ching says, "The Wise don't covet leadership, so wind up in charge." This is NOT a tenable philosophy for any of the Total War series. The Three Kingdoms period, in particular, was an unimaginable bloodbath in which the population of east Asia was much reduced. Treachery and aggression were the norm, at least among those who came out on top. If you are comfortable being "the meanest SOB in the Valley" then this game's for you. It certainly has enough challenge and complexity to occupy you for as long as you can stand it.

    That said, there are flaws. It's especially hard to learn for somebody who isn't very familiar with the Total War franchise. Most instructional material assumes you already know a great deal about the game's mechanics, and the interface is a daunting maze that's not at all intuitive. There are also some bugs that await swatting. One I found was the lack of diplomatic options for the player who chooses the recommended settings for a beginner.

    To close as we began, the Tao Te Ching has this to say,
    "The best soldiers don't get violent;
    The best fighters don't get angry;
    The best winners don't take all;
    The best bosses don't throw their weight around."
    If you believe that, this game is NOT for you!    … Expand
  10. StatikXaj
    Jul 19, 2019
    6
    Лично моё мнение по этой версии тотал вару - еще рано в неё играть.

    Огромной крутостью хотел бы выделить как поле боя зависит от места сражения, как клёва работают дожди туманы на поле боя. Как сложно держать баланс экономики и как важна дипломатия. Но есть и довольно большой ряд недоработок. 1. Строительство построено таким образом, что даже на самой лёгкой сложности тебе необходимо    Лично моё мнение по этой версии тотал вару - еще рано в неё играть.

    Огромной крутостью хотел бы выделить как поле боя зависит от места сражения, как клёва работают дожди туманы на поле боя. Как сложно держать баланс экономики и как важна дипломатия. Но есть и довольно большой ряд недоработок.

    1. Строительство построено таким образом, что даже на самой лёгкой сложности тебе необходимо иметь 3 здания зерновых + храм и далее остаётся всего 2 вспомогательных. Иначе все будут голодные и недовольные. То есть ты либо ставишь здание + денег коммерции и + денег производства, либо ставишь здание + денег коммерции и + % прибыли от коммерции и получаешь тоже самое. Либо такое же комбо с производством. А взять и построить 3 здания коммерции, или 3 здания производства - это значит твой народ будет голодать, или он будет недоволен. Так себе альтернатива. По кузне и казарме на улучшение войск и увеличение найма - это вообще надо наверное только в столице.

    2. Перестроив все здания на пропитание, я так и не смог возвести 70% своего королевства до 10 лвла городов. Слишком много жрут пропитания, что тоже не очень то логично. Особенно учитывая максимальную прокачку дерева науки.

    3. Здания отвратительно отражаются на поле боя. Если вспоминать всю величину замков в РИМ 2, или афигенный антураж и дизайн в Вархаммере1-2, то тут что на 1 лвле - деревня, что на 2 лвле - деревня с башнями. P.S. башни читерские.

    4. Развитие сделано весьма интересным образом. Всё же стабильно + 1 очко к развитию сакуры - это куда интересней, чем на последних этапах по 10-20 ходов курить бамбук в том же Риме2 или у многих фракциях Вархаммера1-2. Но при этом есть весьма раздражающая штука с интерфейсом. Во первых он не интуитивен. Во вторых постоянные мелькающие подсказки вообще не работают, точнее через Ж. А в третьих там есть череда нелогичностей. Такое впечатление, что они стартовали круто, а потом у них не помещались инновационные штуки и они решили пораскидывать их туда, где еще есть месть. Я уже молчу про то, что ужасно неудобно оформлено выделение тех улучшений, которые требуется для какой то крутой штуки. Та о чем я?, там непонятно со временем становится что я прокачивал, а что нет)) И нет кнопки выделить непрокаченные.

    5. Прокачка персонажей - по началу это прикольно. Но с ростом их количества стало ужасно бесить. Когда у тебя этих персонажей уже 70 - задрало настраивать каждого одинаковым образом. Ведь прокачка то у них не особо отличается. Одни и те же бонусы раз за разом.
    Я так и не понял нафига такое кол-во навыков, если половина из них будет вообще не востребованной, почти все связаны совершенно не логично иии твой персонаж скорее от старости умрёт, чем прокачает всё.

    Жаль, еще 5 пунктов просто не поместились.    … Expand
  11. Tilt1k
    Nov 11, 2019
    7
    I have just 10 hours in game right now. I absolutely love what they did with generals, on the other hand the game is just about them, units are all the same which i dont like and graphics are nothing extra - Attila is still top number one in dark vibe and realistic fighting this is kinda cartoonish.
  12. Raynemd
    Mar 5, 2020
    6
    It is just boring. I've played every single total war game. Pre-ordered three kingdoms and played 50 or so hours before going back to Warhammer 2. The battles are my favorite part about total war games and in three kingdoms they are the most boring of any in the series (worse than thrones)
  13. decourcy
    May 23, 2019
    6
    Poor graphics and an extremely bad AI lower the scores on this one for me. Also the terrible hit boxes and boring duels.
    I am no Koei fan but the should have bought Romance XIII and looked how duels were done by Koei. The duels in this are binary, you know who wins or loses before the duel starts.
    The good side is basically this is the same as Shogun2, Rome2, Attila in game play, so it    Poor graphics and an extremely bad AI lower the scores on this one for me. Also the terrible hit boxes and boring duels.
    I am no Koei fan but the should have bought Romance XIII and looked how duels were done by Koei. The duels in this are binary, you know who wins or loses before the duel starts.

    The good side is basically this is the same as Shogun2, Rome2, Attila in game play, so it can still hold your interest as a game.    … Expand
  14. Vasot
    Jul 20, 2019
    6
    Warhammer 2 Total War was a much better game in my opinion this new Historical Asian title gets boring fast and all factions are very similar to each other. Also the AI is problematic doing stupid decisions and the graphics especially during battles look worse from Warhammer 2 !!
  15. TonyTJ
    Jan 17, 2022
    6
    awesome game with so much options to play as you like ,most detailed cities , the arrow shots are really spectacular and the fire is finally realistic
  16. Slashchat
    Nov 13, 2020
    7
    worldmap not so good like rome oder troy, less fps then troy with less fx and worser looking, good gameplay, worth a buy when its cheap under 20$ with addons.
  17. moonlaba
    Jan 17, 2022
    7
    처음으로 즐긴 토탈워 시리즈지만 내가 기존에 알던 '캠페인'의 모습과는 많이 달라 실망했다. 아무래도 스토리가 정해진 작품이여서 그 뒤를 따라간다는 느낌을 기대했는데 나만의 삼국지를 만들어보라는 느낌..
  18. elefsar
    Apr 22, 2021
    7
    A mediocre total war game, good new mechanics, good graphics but the story is not for me. Names are hard to fallow.
  19. Bsbd
    Jun 29, 2022
    6
    lack of update or support and lack of improvement over the years is a really big disappointment

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Best PC Game of 2019
39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019
5
#5 Most Shared PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 64 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 57 out of 64
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 64
  3. Negative: 0 out of 64
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Aug 2, 2019
    88
    There’s a definite focus shift from tactics to strategy – which is risky, considering that tactical combat had always been a staple of Total War series. It couldn’t be avoided, though: unlike Medieval and Rome settings, China simply lacks variety in troops types. So fights end up being very predictable – while Chinese politic field is anything but! [Issue#239, p.48]
  2. The Overpowered Noobs
    Jul 24, 2019
    70
    The Total War series finally takes on land wars in Asia with this latest installment, bringing its signature RTS/TBS hybrid gameplay to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Series veterans will find a lot to love about this new iteration, and fans of the source material will find this a great jumping on point.
    Read full review
  3. PLAY! Zine
    Jul 8, 2019
    90
    One of the best entries in the series yet, deep enough for veterans and approachable for the new players.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »