三国.群英录

三国.群英录 is a pretty ambitious strategy game that mixes the familiar Three Kingdoms setting with a lot of character development and tactical systems. I take control of my own faction, recruit famous generals and gradually build up a stronger force while fighting across the Three Kingdoms world. I liked the basic idea because there is a lot here for me to manage, and the huge selection of generals gives the game plenty of room for experimentation. The general system is easily my favourite part. Each general has their own skills and development options, and I can build them in different ways depending on what I want my army to do. The relationship system is also interesting because putting certain famous characters together can activate special bonuses and abilities. I enjoyed trying different combinations rather than simply choosing the strongest characters individually. It makes the familiar Three Kingdoms cast feel more connected to the strategy. The skill system adds another layer to the battles. Generals can use active and passive skills, so I have quite a lot of freedom when putting together a fighting style. There is also a system for different troop types and their strengths against each other, which gives me another reason to think about my army before going into a fight. I like when a strategy game gives me several smaller decisions that eventually come together into a larger plan. There is also a broader campaign and management side that gives me more to do outside of battles. I can develop my territory, manage my forces and work towards expanding my influence across the map. The Three Kingdoms setting works particularly well for this because there are so many famous factions and historical characters that can be worked into the experience. I enjoyed seeing familiar names appear while still having some freedom to shape how my own campaign develops. The biggest problem for me is that the game can feel overloaded with systems. There are so many characters, skills, upgrades, relationships and progression mechanics that it takes a while before I properly understand how everything fits together. Some parts also feel more like they were designed around a free to play structure than around making the cleanest strategy experience possible. The presence of in game purchases and chance based purchases is something I found distracting, especially when I am trying to focus on the strategy. The presentation is decent and the large number of generals gives the game plenty of visual variety. I also like that there is online multiplayer alongside the single player content, although I personally found the strategic management more appealing than simply chasing competitive progression. The Chinese language focus can also make the game harder to approach if I cannot read Chinese, since English is not supported. That is a fairly significant limitation for me. Overall, 三国.群英录 has a lot of ideas packed into its Three Kingdoms strategy formula. I enjoyed collecting and developing generals, experimenting with skills and building combinations around different characters. It is not the easiest game to get into and the free to play systems are more noticeable than I would like, but underneath all of that there is a surprisingly deep strategy experience. If I am already interested in Three Kingdoms games and do not mind spending time learning a large number of systems, I think there is plenty here to keep me occupied. Rating: 6.7/10