The fact that you never have a goal beyond ‘unify China’ is kind of anachronistic in terms of what I think a scenario is supposed to represent: that ambitions and objectives change over time. Let it never be said that I don’t enjoy Total War’s relatively muted approach to character, but XIV’s figures feel larger than life, more similar to the positions they hold as cultural folk legends – the unique character portraits (of which there are a generous 150) also go a long way in creating that impression.Ĭharacters and their ambitions define the Three Kingdoms, and XIV needs more tools for their intrigueīut XIV can also feel a little boring at times, either when just watching armies painting in the blanks as they conquer territory – which they can sometimes do pretty nonsensically – or in terms of its objectives. It’s also a refreshingly different approach, to say, Total War: Three Kingdoms. Once certain criteria are met, you can watch a cutscene of a historical event – this, coupled with the narrative setup for each scenario, really helps to teach players the history of the period. I also really enjoyed the narrative beats. I also love the ways in which characters and their battle tactics synergise – it neatly emphasises the iconic relationships of the period, such as the oath between Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, strengthening historical ties with game mechanics. Just like most things in XIV, there is an initial appearance of simplicity, which through scale can escalate into complication – usually the signature of a good wargame. I really like this it means you have to watch your flanks, and necessitates the use of fortifications like earthen walls or arrow towers. If an opponent cuts off your supply line, separating your influence trail from your city, your forces will start to decline. When battle does inevitably occur, the decisive factors boil down to formation, tactics, terrain, and supply lines. You won’t have control over either of them, but it’s a nice touch of flavour which breaks up multiple-turn spanning conflicts. When two armies are fighting on the campaign map, if both of their commanders have the duelist trait, you might get to see them face off against each other in a cinematic, Dynasty Warriors-esque cutscene.
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