Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII might sound like an odd choice for a game to look at. It is right in the middle of the series, and much of what it does has been improved on. The game was released in the early 2000s on the PS2.
This is my favorite game in the series. Some of the features it introduced make the game feel like an RPG. You don’t have to play as a warlord or the leader of a country. You can play as an everyman and work your way up in one of the armies. Its something that made this game stand out for me.
I played this game a lot when I was in the Navy. That was a rough spot in my life. This game helped me relax and get away from the stress of doing a job I hated, and working with a group of people who didn’t seem to want me there.
If this feels a little like me venting, there is a reason for that. I don’t look back on my time in the military with any sort of fondness. The first submarine I was stationed on wasn’t exactly a good place for someone to start their enlistment, and it played a big factor in my not wanting to reenlist.
TLDR: A wonderful strategy game that feels like an RPG in some spots.
Narrative
The game is set during China’s Three Kingdoms period. There are several starting points for the player to choose from. Because this is a scenario-based game, there isn’t necessarily a grand story for you to follow.
Here are the starting points you can choose from:
- 184, The Yellow Turban Rebellion
- 189, Dong Zhou’s Tyranny
- 194, A Land in Chaos
- 197, The Rise of Wei
- 200, Showdown at Guan Du
- 207, The Dragon’s Ascent
- 209, The Battle for Jing Province
- 217, The Dawn of the Three Kingdoms
- 225, Zhuge Liang’s Campaign
- 257, Sima Shao’s Ambition
If you’ve played any of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Dynasty Warriors, Kessen, or other games based on this period, then you know the story. I love the setting and the overall story of the game. Granted, this game doesn’t follow the story too closely, but the setting is based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Gameplay
Like the other games in this series, this is a grand strategy game. What made this game special for me was how you didn’t need to play as a warlord or the leader of a country. You can start a game as an everyman. It makes the game feel a little like an RPG.
There are over 500 historical officers that you can choose from. Each has its own specialty, which acts as a character class. You can change their stats as the game goes on by training, which acts as leveling up your characters. I normally create my own officer and start as a ronin.
While you can start as a ruler, you can also play as a general. This lets you move up in one of the warring factions. There is a limit to this, as the highest you can go is the governor of one province.
There is a lot of city and army management to deal with. It isn’t too different from other games in the series. This game felt like it was easier to understand, but that might’ve been because this was the game I spent the most time with.
There are quite a few endings to the game. Once China is unified and an emperor is declared, you’ll get an epilogue on how things went. In the epilogue, you can get executed, have your descendants get overthrown, or, if you were a ronin, you can be discovered and made an official. It is a cool way of doing things.
Overall, I really like the gameplay. Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII is the game that I played the most out of all of the others in this series. It got me through some difficult times. It has a lot of really fun features in it, and I liked having the flexibility to do whatever I wanted in the game. It felt like I had more control over how I wanted to play the game.
Visuals
The graphics aren’t anything to write home about. It is a good looking game, but it isn’t going to impress anyone. The character portraits look good, the world map is basic, and the combat screens are decent. There isn’t too much to really talk about here.
There are cut scenes in this game. They’re very basic and mostly interchangeable so they can be used on every faction. Most of them are still images, which look nice, and then dialogue from the characters. This is when you see the character portraits. They look very good.
The world map, town screens, and battle screens are all very simple. They look fine, and I do like how everything looks. There just isn’t much to really get into, as everything is fairly simple.
The colors in this game are fairly muted. There aren’t many bright colors in the game, which makes everything look older than it is. This works for me because of how the game plays. It is nice to look at, but there isn’t much going on.
Overall, the graphics are fine. The battle screens could be better. It would be nice to see something closer to how some tactical RPGs do things. I know these are armies, but there should’ve been something nicer than what we have.
Reviews at the Time
The reviews from the early 2000s were about what I was expecting. I didn’t see a publication trash the game, and most had it around a 7/10. At this time, that was considered above-average. There were a few reviews that had the game blow a 6/10, but those were few and far between. I looked at two publications for this.
GameSpot gave the game a 7.3/10. The reviewer called this a “good game, but it’s not for everyone.” They continued by saying that you’ll need to be patient, and that it would help if you’re interested in Chinese History. Some of the things the cautioned people on are the lack of “flashy” graphics and that there was a lack of “newness and innovation” in this game.
IGN gave the game an 8.5/10. This reviewer has a personal connection to the series, which explains the higher-than-average score. It isn’t too different from how I feel about the game. They called the graphics “outdated,” and the gameplay won’t “appeal to everyone.” The review wraps up by saying the game is a “terrific experience that will sadly never get the exposure it truly deserves.”
I’m glad that I stumbled across a reviewer who loves this game as much as I do. It will be interesting to see how the other games in this series were reviewed. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms series doesn’t always make drastic improvements to the core gameplay. This is something that was pointed out in the reviews I looked at for this game.
9/10. This is my favorite game in the series. It added somethings that changed how the game was played, which made it more fun to play. The character creation is very good, the gameplay is great, and the graphics get the job done.
Pros
- Lots of gameplay options
- Great Setting
- Good Gameplay
- Decent Graphics
Cons
- It can be frustrating at times
- Slow-moving gameplay
Conclusion
This is my favorite game in the series. Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII is one of the games that means a lot to me. It helped me through some difficult times, and I enjoy coming back to it. What I really like is how this game has some RPG mechanics in it.
This is a series that people either hate or love. There doesn’t seem to be much in between. While I don’t like every entry in the series, there are a few that I really like. What this entry does is make things feel simple.
This isn’t the series that got me interested in the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Much like Dynasty Warriors, it did provide a starting point for me to look into the backstory. At some point, I’ll look at the other entries in the series more closely, but that will have to wait for now.
If you liked this post, please check out some of my other favorite games. Such as King of Dragons or My Best Christmas Game Memories.