Running a campaign across ancient China
Total War: THREE KINGDOMS splits its play between two linked layers. On the campaign map you move turn by turn, taking territory, managing provinces, handling diplomacy, and deciding which characters to trust. When armies actually clash, the game switches to a real-time battle where you position infantry, cavalry and war machines on the field and command them as the fight unfolds. What you do in battle feeds back into the campaign: outcomes affect how your Heroes feel about you, and the friendships and rivalries between characters shift as a result.
The setting is China in 190 CE, a fractured land with no single ruler. You pick from 12 legendary Warlords, each with a distinct playstyle and their own objectives, then recruit supporting heroes to command armies, govern provinces, and handle politics. Whether you build genuine alliances or scheme betrayals is up to you — the statecraft side matters as much as the fighting.
Playing with friends
The game supports multiplayer PvP and co-op, both online and over LAN. Co-op lets you and a friend work through the campaign together rather than side by side in isolation, sharing the long project of building a dynasty. PvP is there when you'd rather test your armies against another player's directly. Progress can be saved at any point, which helps when a session gets cut short.
Guanxi and the people in your court
Characters are the core of the game, built around Guanxi — the Chinese idea of shifting personal relationships. Each hero has their own personality, motivations, and things they like or dislike, and they form positive and negative bonds with one another independent of you. Your task is partly to read those relationships and place people where they'll work together, because a court of squabbling heroes costs you as much as a weak army.
Before you start
Expect a slower pace on the campaign layer with bursts of tactical action in battles, and know that difficulty is adjustable if the opening turns feel heavy. The game runs in stereo and surround sound with separate volume controls, offers colour alternatives and camera comfort options, supports saving at any time, and can be played without timed input, so the real-time battles aren't a reaction-speed test. Achievements and Steam Cloud saving round out the package.