Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny

Romance of the Three Kingdoms III: Dragon of Destiny is a turn-based historical simulation strategy game developed by Koei, first released for PC-98 on February 5,1992, then ported to DOS, SFC, Mega Drive and X68000. It is a landmark entry in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms franchise. The map is redesigned with 46 cities and 22 mountain passes. Armies must seize passes before attacking cities behind them, greatly enhancing strategic depth. It features 531 officers with refined attribute stats and six historical scenarios, including a post-Zhuge Liang campaign for the first time. Domestic governance covers four core assignments: land development, flood control, commerce and farming, assigned to officers to boost city economy. Battles use 45-degree pseudo-3D view with weather, terrain, troop morale and supply mechanics; naval combat is newly implemented. Duel system is enhanced, enemy generals can be killed in one-on-one fights. Espionage, diplomatic manipulation and stratagem systems are expanded. It supports up to 8 players and custom officer creation. Graphics upgrade to 16 colors and MIDI soundtrack. This title established the core formula followed by later entries and is one of the most well-known retro Three Kingdoms strategy games for DOS players.

These games get the keyboard directly — the controls are whatever the game itself defines, usually in its own help or options screen. Gamepads are detected automatically. On phones you get on-screen buttons.