If you've ever wanted to feel like a warlord juggling diplomacy, supply lines, and outright betrayal, Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3 on Genesis is your time machine. You pick a historical ruler—Liu Bei’s the underdog, Cao Cao’s the schemer—and suddenly you’re staring at a map full of hungry generals and empty granaries. First move? Probably bribing someone’s officers to defect before your neighbor does it to you.

The battles are chess with spears, but half the drama happens off the field. One minute you’re marrying your daughter to some duke for an alliance, the next you’re executing his messengers when he backstabs you. The menus feel ancient (because they are), but there’s something satisfying about outmaneuvering the AI with pure logistics. Just don’t expect your allies to stay loyal once you start winning.

It’s the kind of game where you lose three hours to micromanaging crop yields and don’t even mind. Classic Koei chaos.