Kessen II

Kessen II
North American cover art
DeveloperKoei
PublisherKoei
DirectorTakashi Atsumi
DesignerTomokazu Takeda
SeriesKessen
PlatformsPlayStation 2, PlayStation Network
Release
GenreReal-time tactics
ModeSingle-player

Kessen II (決戦 II, Kessen Tsu) is a strategy game developed and published by Koei that is loosely based on the Three Kingdoms period of China. It is the sequel to Kessen in name only; both Kessen and the later sequel Kessen III are based on events in Japan. The gameplay involves playing out major battles as the storyline progresses, with cutscenes between each battle for the development of the events and major characters. Before battle, players are given a choice of strategies to take, although they can manually control all units in the battlefield. All units are controlled by the AI unless the player directly intervenes, and battles between forces are carried out in real-time. While in control of a unit, players are able to use special skills or magic spells to turn the tables, although enemy characters are also able to do so.

Unlike Koei's other games based on the 14th century novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms (Dynasty Warriors and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms game), the plot of Kessen II is a heavily fantasized version of the novel. The last of the Han dynasty family, Liu Bei, begins a rebellion against the kingdom of Wei led by Cao Cao, with much of the game's events being based on the novel with alterations due to the different storylines. A significant change to the story involves a romance between Liu Bei and the character Diao Chan, being a significant factor behind Liu Bei's decision to go to war, and Himiko, a semi-fictional sorceress (the historical Himiko ruled Wa [ancient Japan]). In addition to the fantasized theme, Kessen II departs from its realistic predecessor. Koei introduces elements of magic, especially with the portrayal of notable strategists such as Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi as sorcerers. In battle, these characters are able to cause earthquakes, summon lightning storms and hurl fireballs.

Characters

The majority of characters are loosely based on characters found in the Chinese epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

Liu Bei's Forces (Shu)

Cao Cao's Forces (Wei)

Sun Quan's Forces (Wu)

Other

Forces of Xi

  • Cai Wengi - ruler of the Northern Xi, Wengi is a powerful general and magician. She can join either Cao Cao or Liu Bei depending on who defeats her. She is a highly fictionalized version of the historical poet and writer Cai Yan.
  • Deng Ai - officer under Cai Wengi and Ma Chao, he defects to Cao Cao.
  • Ma Chao - ruler of Western Xi, joins Liu Bei after a failed attack on Cao Cao.
  • Ma Dai - officer under Cai Wengi and Ma Chao, defects to Liu Bei.
  • Pang De - officer under Ma Chao, joins Cao Cao after the Battle of Tong Gate.

Forces of Liu Zhang

  • Liu Zhang - ruler of the Yi Province, he is an old warrior and friend of Cao Bu.
  • Fa Zheng - advisor to Liu Zhang who joins Liu Bei after Liu Zhang is defeated. He is a powerful magician.
  • Yan Yan - general of Liu Zhang who is tricked into joining Liu Bei by Zhao Yun.
  • Wu Yi - officer of Liu Zhang.
  • Zhang Ren - officer of Liu Zhang.

Forces of Meng Huo

  • Meng Huo - king of southern Yi, Meng is dominated by his wife Zhu Rong.
  • Zhu Rong - Queen of southern Yi. Advisor and the true ruler, she joins Liu Bei after she and Meng Huo is defeated.
  • King Mulu - general under Meng Huo and a magician.
  • Wu Tugu - general under Meng Huo.
  • King Duosi - general under Meng Huo and a magician.

Miscellaneous

  • Liu Biao - mentioned but not seen, he is later conquered by Cao Cao off-screen.
  • Yuan Shao - mentioned but not seen, he is later conquered by Cao Cao off-screen.

Battles

The game portrays the following historical battles and conflicts in a highly condensed and fictionalized version:

Release

Kessen II was released in Japan for the PlayStation 2 on March 29, 2001. THQ handled distribution of the game in Europe as part of a four-game deal with Koei.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, the four reviewers Famitsu complimented the game. They compared the game to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, saying it dispels the image of Koei's historical simulation games only being for hardcore fans with one reviewer saying fans of the series may find this game lacking, while another was surprised at how humorous it was. Other reviewers complimented the increase of gameplay depth from the previous game and more easy to use controls while others praised the visuals during the battle scenes.

References

  1. 1 2 Kessen II, PlayStation 2 & PlayStation 3 (via PlayStation Network), Koei, 2001
  2. 1 2 Kessen II Manual, KOEI Co. Ltd., 2001, pp.2-34
  3. 1 2 3 "PlayStation 2". ファミ通クロスレビュー2001パーフェクトガイド [Weekly Famitsu Cross Review 2001 Perfect Guide] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2002. p. 61.
  4. ↑ Bramwell, Tom (February 13, 2002). "Disti' Warriors THQ". Eurogamer. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Kessen II for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Kessen II for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ EGM staff (December 2001). "Kessen II". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 150. p. 250.
  8. ↑ Bye, John "Gestalt" (June 2, 2002). "Kessen II". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ Kato, Matthew (October 2001). "Kessen 2". Game Informer. No. 102. Archived from the original on November 12, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Bro Buzz (September 28, 2001). "Kessen II Review for PS2 on GamePro.com". GamePro. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  11. ↑ Ahmed, Shahed (October 4, 2001). "Kessen II Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ Osborne, Scott (November 2, 2001). "Kessen 2". PlanetPS2. Archived from the original on December 6, 2001. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  13. ↑ Smith, David (October 2, 2001). "Kessen II". IGN. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Kessen II". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. December 2001. p. 168.
  15. ↑ Bub, Andrew (October 19, 2001). "'Kessen II' (PS2) Review". X-Play. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2015.