Total War: Three Kingdoms’ latest gameplay showcases fire and ferocious fighting

It’s a misty moonlit night in 2nd century China. The forces of Sun Jian are marching under the command of Sun Ren and her brother Sun Quan, the future founder of the Kingdom of Eastern Wu. Chinese lanterns soon litter the sky, illuminating the army below, an ambush, with the light of paper lanterns soon followed by a flurry of fire arrows, setting the nearby forest ablaze as a battle for survival begins.  

 
The children of Sun Jian need to escape from this position, either by crushing their opponents or by retreating with as many troops as possible, this is how Creative Assembly’s latest gameplay trailer for Total War: Three Kingdoms begins. 

The trailer starts with a beautiful glimpse the Three Kingdoms Campaign map, setting the scene for the battle to come. Rivers glisten in the sunlight, shadows pan across the landscape thanks to a campaign map day/night cycle, which is likely exclusive to the demo, setting the scene for the nighttime ambush to come.  

For the first time in a Total War game, trees catch fire as a sea of flaming arrows are cast from their shade, with illumination from the moon, lanterns and the growing forest fire illuminating the battlefield. Banners fly in the wind and the water supplies screen space reflections of the army that crosses it. 

What you see below is Total War: Three Kingdoms’ Gamescom 2018 demo, allowing attendees to play an ambush battle where both “stand and fight” and “run and flee” are both viable options. 

Players can escape the conflict by reaching an extraction point at the end of the map, allowing generals to survive the fight. If the ambush risks eradicating your forces, the best option may be to leave selected units to die as a defensive barrier while the bulk of your troops escape.