Total War: Three Kingdoms is gearing up to declare war upon its release, but until then, the developers are busy working on a bunch of new game modes and other content for players of the long-running strategy franchise to enjoy. These two new modes build on the various improvements and new additions to the franchise over the years, allowing players to experience the best Total War game ever, or at least that’s the idea.
During the course of a demo campaign with Gongsun Zan, the developers showcased the differences between two new gameplay modes, Records and Romance modes. There’s also some insights into battle tactics in the new game.
Part of that ambitious claim is the inclusion of the new Records Mode, also called Classic. This mode is much more strategic and interesting for players looking for a more sanitized and historical experience focusing on optimal play in-battle. Battles in this mode can be much more grueling and tactical. Composition and placement of units against the best possible matchups are vital to succeed in this tougher mode. Be careful though, generals and unique units are not as invincible in this mode as they are in Romance Mode.
The other new addition is Romance Mode. This much more stylized take on history is more about telling a story, one in which the player has some agency, rather than focusing on historical conflict. The larger-than-life characters depicted in the source material are represented in Romance Mode in all of their glory. Special and unique units in this version of the game will be practically god-like, even being able to scare away enemy units by merely being present on the battlefield. Things are going to get really weird here.
Throughout both modes, the game will take place throughout ancient China, with players using the new subterfuge systems, as well as vital resource tiles, to build their military and political power. Each faction will also have unique elements like special units which players can use to give them an edge.
And even though the game was delayed to May earlier this month, fans are still very excited about this experimental direction Creative Assembly is taking with their flagship franchise.
Check out the new trailer from Creative Assembly down below. Total War: Three Kingdoms releases on May 23, 2019 for PC.
And if you want to tide yourself over with some of the press coverage for this game, there’s plenty of that going around. There’s a really cool trailer showcasing tyrant Dong Zhuo. There’s also a trailer detailing the subterfuge mechanics in-game. So you could go check those out in the meantime.
