Creative Assembly has revealed that a brand new Total War game will be coming to the franchise in Fall 2018: Total War: Three Kingdoms has been announced by the franchise's Twitter account.
Total War is a franchise that has traveled around the world and throughout time and it looks like the game's next stop will be China circa 190 CE. Take a look at the Announcement Cinematic to get a feel for the game's setting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=NBMYRyYJKr4
Total War: Three Kingdoms is set in the Three Kingdoms period of China which lasted for nearly a hundred years. Following the death of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, China experienced a measure of turmoil before its empire was fragmented into the three distinct power blocks of Shu, Wu, and Wei. These three empires battled it out for nearly a hundred years until things settled down enough to see the rise of the Jin Dynasty. The period was one of (if not the) bloodiest conflicts in the nation's history.
A portion of the troubles during the period were related to the successors of Emperor He. These younger children were emperor only in name, often influenced by less-than-virtuous advisors who didn't have their (or their empire's) best interests in mind. Unsurprisingly, it seems that this will form a portion of the game's narrative. The overarching theme is that of great heroes taking to the battlefield to combat the tyrants who have schemed their way into various seats of power in ancient China.
One particular item of note in the trailer is that the individual heroes seem to be strongly emphasized. More traditional General units seem to make an appearance, but individual heroes also clearly stand out and charge forward into single combat. Of course, this is in the cinematics so it might not be indicative of the actual gameplay, but the period had a healthy number of famous warriors who racked up impressive careers in combat. (Just ask any Dynasty Warriors fan!)
Total War: Three Kingdoms is set to launch in September of 2018. If this sounds like your kind of jam, you can add the game to your wishlist on Steam.
What do you think about Total War: Three Kingdoms? Are you excited about this particular setting? What new mechanics do you hope to see in the game? Let us know in the comments below!