Kessen II transfers the concept of grand historical battles from the first entry to the era of the Three Kingdoms in China, casting the player as Liu Bei or his rival Cao Cao. Like its predecessor, the game combines strategic unit deployment with real-time battle command - the player issues orders to groups of soldiers, monitors army morale and deploys the special abilities of heroic generals, who can turn the tide of a clash. Compared to the first entry, a more elaborate campaign was added, with dialogue between historical characters and a wider selection of battles taking place across varied maps, from open plains to mountain passes.
Graphically, the game benefited from the developers' growing experience with the PlayStation 2 hardware - the battlefields are clearer, unit animations smoother and the cinematic cutscenes more ambitious than in the first Kessen. The soundtrack again relies on epic orchestral music that underscores the drama of individual battles and famous historical moments, such as the Battle of Red Cliffs, and together with the narrator's voice gives the whole campaign a touch of historical drama. The story remains a loose interpretation of the classic Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a popular source of inspiration for a range of strategy and action games produced by Koei.
Kessen II was rated in period reviews as an improvement over the first entry, especially thanks to clearer controls and a richer story, although the strategy retained more of an accessible, console-like character rather than the deep turn-based systems of PC classics. The higher number of playable generals and the ability to follow the conflict from the perspective of multiple warring factions were also praised. Today the game will appeal mainly to players interested in the historical theme of the Three Kingdoms and atmospheric, cinematically staged battles, even though, compared to contemporary turn-based strategy games, it remains simpler in terms of gameplay.
Why play it: For players interested in the Three Kingdoms theme, it offers clearer controls, a richer story and a view of the conflict from multiple factions, even though it remains simpler in gameplay than contemporary PC turn-based strategy games.
Game 162 of 269 for Sony PlayStation 2
