Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire

Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV

Cover art (PlayStation version)
Developer(s) Koei/Inis
Publisher(s) Koei
Series Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Platform(s) MS-DOS, PC9801, Super NES, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Sega 32X, PlayStation, Saturn, Dreamcast, Windows 3.x, Virtual Console
Release date(s) SNES
  • NA July 1995
  • JP December 9, 1994
3DO
  • JP March 26, 1995
MS-DOS
  • NA November 30, 1995
  • JP April 28, 1995
Saturn
  • JP April 28, 1995
PlayStation
  • JP September 29, 1995
Wii Virtual Console
  • NA March 26, 2007
  • JP February 20, 2007
Wii U Virtual Console
  • INT August 8, 2013
  • JP July 24, 2013
Dreamcast
  • JP April 6, 2000
32X
  • JP July 28, 1995
PC-98
  • JP February 1994
Genre(s) Turn-based strategy
Mode(s) Single-player
Multiplayer (2-8 players)
Distribution 3.5 inch floppy (PC-98, MS-DOS), 1 CD (Windows, PlayStation, Saturn), 1 GD-ROM (DC)

Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (released as Sangokushi IV in Japan) is the fourth in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series of turn-based strategy games produced by Koei and based on the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire was the last game in the series to be released on the PC in the United States until Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI.

Gameplay

Gameplay is generally similar to the previous installments.

The six scenarios in this game are listed as follows:

  1. Dong Zhuo seizes control of Luoyang (AD 189)
  2. The Flying General roams the Central Plains (AD 194)
  3. Liu Bei seeks shelter in Xinye (AD 201)
  4. The Crouching Dragon soars across Red Cliffs (AD 208)
  5. End of the Han Dynasty - Rise of the Three Kingdoms (AD 221)
  6. A star falls at Wuzhang Plains (AD 235)

Graphics are enhanced in this game and there are additional features such as:

Power-up kit

A separate power-up kit was released for the Chinese and Japanese versions of the PC game, allowing further customization of characters in the game. PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast ports of the game included the power-up kit.

Three additional scenarios (the first two are not based on the novel) are present in the power-up kit version:

  1. The villain usurps the power of the Han Dynasty - Unification of China (AD 189)
  2. Three heroes compete for power in war-ravaged China (AD 190)
  3. Rise of the barbarian king (AD 225)

Reception

On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Sega Saturn version of the game a 28 out of 40,[1] later giving the 32X version a 27 out of 40.[2] Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Saturn version an 8.125 average. They applauded the addictive gameplay, the ability to create custom generals, and the level of depth, and commented that the FMVs of the Saturn version were an excellent upgrade to the game.[3]

References

  1. ↑ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 三國志IV. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.333. Pg.32. 5 May 1995.
  2. ↑ NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: 三國志IV. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.346. Pg.33. 4 August 1995.
  3. ↑ "Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly (76) (EGM Media, LLC). November 1995. p. 46.

External links