Ahead of the global release for Koei Tecmo and Kou Shibusawa’s long-awaited Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake, we got to sit down with producer Kazuhiro Echigoya to discuss the remake, changes and improvements made to it, and the future of the beloved strategy series.
Without further ado, here’s our Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake interview:
Why go with a remake of Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII for the next entry in the series? What made your team choose to remake VIII specifically?
Kazuhiro Echigoya, ROTK8 Remake producer: Since the previous installment, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIV, used a Ruler System, we decided to go with the All Officers Play System instead. While this system is present in VII, VIII, X, and XIII, we chose ROTK VIII for its unique appeal, particularly the annual scenarios from 184 to 234.
What challenges did the team run into remaking a game from 20+ years ago (this may be based on the Power Up Kit version)?
The first challenge we set for this project was to make it enjoyable for current fans of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series. We focused on aspects like game pacing, user interface, and the depth of the tutorials.
ROTK VIII is known for really focusing on officer play. How is this being improved on in the remake?
The emphasis on the All Officers Play System remains unchanged in this game. While Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII included play elements other than uniting the kingdom, like the Merchant and Assassin Play systems, this game focuses on how players can excel in roles such as ruler, viceroy, tactician, or common officer, all with the goal of achieving unification of the nation.
Will the new Tales and Destiny features let players pursue more historical fantasy with officers, or are there limits (for story purposes)?
Both “Tales” and “Destiny” are not limiting factors in the game. In “Tales,” players can choose to trigger events at their discretion. As for “Destiny,” the connections formed change with each playthrough, influencing who you are bound to and how that affects the subsequent developments and drama.
Are there other quality of life additions being added to the game to entice new players?
We have a couple. The first is that we have invested considerable time in developing beginner-friendly features, such as a comprehensive tutorial, more so than in any other title in the series. The second is that since the original game is 20 years old it is simpler and more straightforward compared to the recent installments, ROTK XIII and ROTK XIV.
We aim to create a game that allows today’s players to enjoy a classic experience, making it ideal as an introduction for newcomers to the series.
ROTK VIII Remake includes both 2D and 3D visuals, how was this balanced to appease both fans of the original and newcomers?
The layout of the evaluation and city screens is intentionally kept the same as in Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII, which I believe will evoke a sense of nostalgia for fans of ROTK VIII at first glance. We also used 2D assets from “VIII” for the animations of the populace on the city screen and the paper cutouts in the loading screens.
One thing where we’ve put significant effort into 2D materials is the ink wash painting used as the background in battle scenes. The Art Book included in the Digital Deluxe Edition features original ink wash paintings, which I think will be quite impressive.
Conversely, the 3D elements have been developed for current gaming platforms, ensuring that the visuals are competitive in today’s gaming market.
Will the PC version of ROTK 8 Remake eventually support mods, officially? Is this something the team has considered?
We are considering this, but we haven’t yet determined the extent of what we can accommodate. We hope you can keep an eye out if we have any updates.
What are the chances other mainline entries get remakes? Maybe an RPG-focused entry like ROTK X?
As of now, we haven’t specifically decided what to remake next. Whether there will be additional remakes in the Nobunaga’s Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms series will largely depend on how well this title performs.
This may be impossible to answer but who is your favorite officer and why?
I like Zhang Fei. He was the first non-protagonist character to appear in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms manga by Mitsuteru Yokoyama, which I read first, and that’s where my fondness began. His emotions are very clear—joy, anger, sadness, and happiness—and while he has his weaknesses, that just makes him more relatable and endearing.
Is there any chance the series will release on Xbox again? Has it performed lower than other platforms in comparison? The last title to come to Xbox was ROTK 13.
Currently, there are no plans in place. Unfortunately, as you inferred, the situation was as you described in Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is set to launch for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5 on October 24th.
