Sangokushi Koumeiden
Encyclopedia
Sangokushi Koumeiden is the second installment in the Sangokushi Eiketsuden tactical role-playing series developed by Koei.
's life as depicted in Luo Guanzhong
's historical dramatic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
. As Zhuge Liang, the player must assist Liu Bei
in procuring the territories of Jingzhou
and Yizhou
and establishing the Shu Han
kingdom. In addition, the player must organise Zhuge's Southern Campaign
against the Nanman
peoples and carry out the Northern Expeditions against the opposing kingdom of Cao Wei
.
takes place. However, if the player's skill is adequate, Zhuge Liang will feign death, luring his nemesis, Sima Yi
, into the open. The game will then continue to the last chapter in a series of final battles against the kingdoms of Cao Wei and Sun Wu
.
Another notable feature in this release is that Zhuge Liang's son, Zhuge Zhan
, is a playable character in the final chapter of the game. The player is also able to choose throughout the third and fourth chapters how Zhuge Zhan's character statistics will be allocated whilst he is growing up. The player is then able to determine Zhuge Zhan's unit class
before he becomes playable. The PlayStation, Sega Saturn
and Game Boy Advance
versions offer additional stages and minor storyline alterations. For example, it is possible in said versions to save Pang Tong
, which in turn allows the player the opportunity to rescue Guan Yu
. Successfully rescuing Guan Yu will prevent the disastrous Battle of Yiling from ever taking place, thus sparing Shu Han from one of the kingdom's greatest defeats and causing Liu Bei to pass away much later than normal (shortly after Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign, in fact).
The Game Boy Advance version of Sangokushi Koumeiden uses character portraits exclusively taken from another title in Koei's Three Kingdoms-based series, Dynasty Tactics.
The PC version is a Mixed Mode CD
that combines data tracks onto audio CD. If the CD is not in the CD-ROM drive during gameplay, the game will not have background music
.
Story
This release loosely describes the events of Zhuge LiangZhuge Liang
Zhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
's life as depicted in Luo Guanzhong
Luo Guanzhong
Luo Ben , better known by his style name Luo Guanzhong , was a Chinese writer of the early Ming Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was also known as Huhai Sanren...
's historical dramatic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based on the events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in...
. As Zhuge Liang, the player must assist Liu Bei
Liu Bei
Liu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
in procuring the territories of Jingzhou
Jingzhou
Jingzhou is a prefecture-level city in Hubei Province, People's Republic of China. The city is located on the banks of the Yangtze River.Its population is 5,691,707 at the 2010 census whom 1,154,086 in the built up area made of 3 urban districts.-Geography:Jingzhou occupies an area of...
and Yizhou
Yizhou
Yizhou , formerly Yishan County , is a county-level city located in Hechi Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in the southern part of the People's Republic of China....
and establishing the Shu Han
Shu Han
Shu Han was one of the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period, after the fall of the Han Dynasty. The state was based on areas around Sichuan, which was then known as Shu...
kingdom. In addition, the player must organise Zhuge's Southern Campaign
Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign
Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign, also known as the War of Pacification in Nanzhong, refers to a military campaign led by Shu Han chancellor Zhuge Liang to suppress opposing forces in the south in 225 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
against the Nanman
Nanman
Nanman were aboriginal tribes who lived in southwestern China. They may have been related to the Sanmiao, dated to around the 3rd century BC. The Nanman were multiple ethnic groups including the Miao, the Kinh, the Thai, and some Tibeto-Burman groups such as the Bai. There was never a single...
peoples and carry out the Northern Expeditions against the opposing kingdom of Cao Wei
Cao Wei
Cao Wei was one of the states that competed for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period. With the capital at Luoyang, the state was established by Cao Pi in 220, based upon the foundations that his father Cao Cao laid...
.
Gameplay
Unlike its predecessor title, the player's skill and success for each battle are a major factor in determining how Sangokushi Koumeiden will end. In addition to having decisions at the beginnings of most stages that affect troop placements for both sides, event triggers, and the items found in armories and granaries, the game also tracks the player's overall record by monitoring the character's physical health and counting the amount of times the player has retreated from battle and restarted a level. Taking too many turns to reach a certain point in the story, or restarting battles too many times, will severely affect Zhuge's health and, if he becomes too weak, he will die before the decisive Battle of Wuzhang PlainsBattle of Wuzhang Plains
The Battle of Wuzhang Plains was a standoff between the contending states of Cao Wei and Shu Han in 234 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
takes place. However, if the player's skill is adequate, Zhuge Liang will feign death, luring his nemesis, Sima Yi
Sima Yi
Sima Yi was a general and politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. He is perhaps best known for defending Wei from Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions...
, into the open. The game will then continue to the last chapter in a series of final battles against the kingdoms of Cao Wei and Sun Wu
Eastern Wu
Eastern Wu, also known as Sun Wu, was one the three states competing for control of China during the Three Kingdoms period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. It was based in the Jiangnan region of China...
.
Another notable feature in this release is that Zhuge Liang's son, Zhuge Zhan
Zhuge Zhan
Zhuge Zhan , style name Siyuan , was a politician and military general of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history...
, is a playable character in the final chapter of the game. The player is also able to choose throughout the third and fourth chapters how Zhuge Zhan's character statistics will be allocated whilst he is growing up. The player is then able to determine Zhuge Zhan's unit class
Character class
In role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different game characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
before he becomes playable. The PlayStation, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
versions offer additional stages and minor storyline alterations. For example, it is possible in said versions to save Pang Tong
Pang Tong
Pang Tong was an advisor to Liu Bei during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was nicknamed "Young Phoenix" by his uncle Pang Degong due to his ugly appearance but great capabilities and talent...
, which in turn allows the player the opportunity to rescue Guan Yu
Guan Yu
Guan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
. Successfully rescuing Guan Yu will prevent the disastrous Battle of Yiling from ever taking place, thus sparing Shu Han from one of the kingdom's greatest defeats and causing Liu Bei to pass away much later than normal (shortly after Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign, in fact).
The Game Boy Advance version of Sangokushi Koumeiden uses character portraits exclusively taken from another title in Koei's Three Kingdoms-based series, Dynasty Tactics.
The PC version is a Mixed Mode CD
Mixed Mode CD
A Mixed Mode CD is a Compact Disc in which two different data types are combined. Typically the first track is a data track while the rest are audio tracks...
that combines data tracks onto audio CD. If the CD is not in the CD-ROM drive during gameplay, the game will not have background music
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
.
See also
- Three Kingdoms period
- Sangokushi seriesSangokushi, or Sangokushi in Japanese, is a series of turn-based tactical role-playing simulation grand strategy wargames produced by Koei. Originating from Japan in 1985, eleven installments of the game have been published in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China and North America to date.-Overview:The games are...
- Kingdom of Shu
- Zhuge LiangZhuge LiangZhuge Liang was a chancellor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. He is often recognised as the greatest and most accomplished strategist of his era....
- Koei