Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Kou Shibusawa shared new gameplay details for their Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake.

Here’s a rundown on the new details, plus new screenshots:

Utilizing the transformed battles of Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 REMAKE, players will lean heavily, not only on their invading armies, but on human relationships. In “Parliament”, when selecting “March” to invade enemy cities, players will “Adjust” units participating in battle. Players will have decisions to make on leaders and their deputies along with other factors including: “Troop Type” such as infantry and heavy cavalry, “Siege Weapons” like rams and breaching towers, and “Ships” for crossing water. The battlefield includes various terrains such as plains, mountains, and rivers, so advantageously organizing units will be the key to winning strategy, as the selection of officers affects both the unit’s abilities as well as the possible tactics and the difficulty of coordination with other units. By considering the relationships among officers, players can form a more powerful army.

Additionally, players will find that “Conscript” impacts both domestic affairs and strategies. Throughout the game, soldiers will gradually increase each season based on the draft population, which is relative to the city’s population. If players wish to recruit soldier’s more quickly, they can select “Conscript” during parliament, but this will also lower the city’s public order. If the public order falls below a certain level, it may lead to unrest or rebellion, including penalties like being unable to “Conscript”. Besides the decision between military strength and city stability, this feature also adds depth in gameplay as player can apply new strategies like using schemes to lower the public order in an enemy city to block their conscription.  

In addition, players will be able to setup traps for incoming armies, utilize ambushes by placing armies out of the line of sight in areas such as forests or rocky terrains, and use defensive buildings such as “Watchtower”, “Gate”, and “Signal Tower”, each with unique effects on the defensive side of the battlefield. “Tactics” from Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII with Power Up Kit will also be significantly upgraded as categories will increase from 15 to over 40, while the effects of tactics will be revamped and the overall balance adjusted.

Battles also feature elements such as “Stratagem”, which have a wide-ranging impact, and “Link Forged” where friendly officers lead their units cooperatively. By combining these with features like “Troop Types” and “Tactics”, players can fight enemy armies more effectively. Particularly, officers with unique battle traits, like Guan Yu, can create dramatic scenarios where they wipe out tens of thousands of enemy troops by skillfully coming these elements, even allowing for legendary comebacks akin to the “Battle of Chibi”!

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 Remake is set to launch on October 24th across Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PS5.