Fresh Look’s thoughts on the Three Kingdoms era in various game series

I’m writing this column because I was recently inspired while playing Total War: Three Kingdoms. Playing Total War: Three Kingdoms and seeing the familiar characters really reminded me of its initial release in 2019. Because of this, I wanted to take a trip down memory lane and remember how much titles from the Three Kingdoms era and its universe have meant to me.

For those who don’t know, this era of history that Total War: Three Kingdoms is based on is known as the Three Kingdoms Period in Chinese history. Total War: Three Kingdoms is a sensationalized version of the war that took place in China towards the end of the Han Dynasty during the Three Kingdoms Period.

The Three Kingdoms period is also well known to players of the Dynasty Warriors series from publisher Koei Techmo. I am one of them, as I was lucky enough to grow up with these games. My cousin Dakota had several installments in the series and we spent hours playing cooperative missions. My favorite characters were part of the Wu Kingdom (Sun Ce and Lu Xun). Although I didn’t know much about the historical context of the Three Kingdoms at the time, I still had a lot of fun.

This prompted me to pick up Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires from my local game store. What makes Empires different is that it introduces elements of strategy and requires players to conquer parts of China. I began researching the historical elements of the war and learned about the historical context of these battles. It also showed how heroes can be dramatized many years after the war.

I finally got to delve into Total War: Three Kingdoms. Of course, I chose Wu and used Sun Jian. It was great to explore Total War: Three Kingdoms from such a deep strategy perspective. There were other games based on the Three Kingdoms period, such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Koei Techmo, which focuses on the diplomatic aspect and grand strategy.

What makes this era of history so interesting?

Well, for one thing, there are epic heroes like Guan Yu, Lu Bu, Cao Cao, and Zhuge Liang. At the expense of historical accuracy, these characters have fascinating stories, like when Xiahou Dun was shot in the eye with an arrow. He pulled the arrow out (and the eye) and ate it out of spite. Or when Lu Bu is said to have fought a thousand men single-handedly.

In addition, there were major battles during this time, such as the Battle of Guandu and the Battle of Jiangling. These battles were full of breathtaking stories and strategies. The stories of these heroes have inspired people throughout history and even contributed to my desire to become a soldier. I knew I wouldn’t become an epic hero like those in the Three Kingdoms. But the stories of these heroes made me want to be the best I could be anyway. Until next time, thanks as always for reading.

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