The new army card battle game "Kai Sangokushi Taisen -Battle of Three Kingdoms-(hereinafter, Kai Sangokushi Taisen)" is scheduled for an early release on Wednesday, April 30, 2025!
The Saiga NAK editorial department had the opportunity for an early playtest, so we'll provide a game overview, our impressions from playing, and more!
Please note that the content of this article is based on the test version and may differ from the official version.
What Exactly is "Sangokushi Taisen"?
"Sangokushi Taisen," launched in 2005 by SEGA Corporation, which has developed numerous arcade games that used a trading card game system, such as "Mushiking: King of the Beetles" and "Love and Berry: Dress Up and Dance!."
The theme of Three Kingdoms and the deep strategic gameplay using a flat reader cabinet appealed to a relatively older demographic, and it is a long-running game series that has been popular since 2005, evolving through various cabinet generations.
Yasuhiro Nishiyama (@niship_sgx), the former producer of the "Sangokushi Taisen" series, has also worked on "Code of Joker" and "maimai," and recently, he was involved in the launch of the Puyo Puyo esports business and contributed to the National Prefectural eSports Championship.
In April 2024, he established Sugorocks Inc.
New Sangokushi Game "Kai Sangokushi Taisen"
"Kai Sangokushi Taisen," produced by Yasuhiro Nishiyama, is an army card battle game set in the world of the arcade version of "Sangokushi Taisen"!
Players lead volunteer forces aiming to unify China, recruiting warlords and battling as they journey throughout China.
First, Build Your Initial Deck
- Faction: The faction the warlord belongs to. Either "Wei," "Shu," "Wu," or "Qun."
- Troop Type: The type of warlord. Either "Cavalry," "Archers," "Spearmen," "Infantry," or "Siege Weapon."
- Force: The higher the value, the greater the damage dealt.
- Intellect: The higher the value, the greater the effect of the stratagem.
- Warlord Cost: The cost of one warlord card.
- Special Skill: A generic special ability possessed by some warlords, such as "Ambush," which is invisible to the opponent, and "Siege," which deals high damage to castles.
- Awakened Special Skill: A special skill possessed only by awakened warlords.
- Stratagem: Has different activation conditions and effects depending on the warlord.
These details appear on the cards, and first, you build your initial deck with a cost limit of 4.
There is no limit on the number of cards as long as they are within the cost limit.
For example, Liu Bei has a cost of 2 and the stratagem "Liu Bei's Great Virtue: Increases the Force of allied Shu warlords within the range (fixed position)."
Yi Ji has a cost of 1 and the stratagem "Accurate Spearman Reinforcements: Activates after a certain time. Recovers the HP of allied Spearmen," suggesting good synergy with Spearman Liu Bei.
For the remaining cost of 1, I tried using Liao Hua and aimed to strengthen Yi Ji with the stratagem "Mediocre Commander's Command: Increases the Force of all allied warlords with a Warlord Cost of 1.5 or less."
There were 81 warlord cards during the advance play!
Renowned voice actors provide voices for warlords such as Cao Cao (CV. Akio Otsuka), Liu Bei (CV. Hiro Shimono), Sun Jian (CV. Rikiya Koyama), Zhang Chunhua (CV. Ayaka Fujii), and Madam Yan (CV. Maki Inoue).
Also, pay attention to the beautiful artwork by popular illustrators like Shishizaru, Eito Nishikawa, and Raita Kazama!
Matchmaking and Off to the Battlefield!
After building your initial deck, it's time for matchmaking!
"Kai Sangokushi Taisen" determines victory or defeat across three phases: Opening Phase, Middle Phase, and Final Phase, with each round consisting of the following three phases:
- Recruitment: Warlords are selected by lottery based on the squares you pass, so recruit them to stay within the cost limit.
- Position: Place the recruited warlords.
- Battle: Automatic combat between the placed warlords.
First, you select a province.
This time, it's "Sili."
Recruit Warlords on the China Map!
Warlords designated for each selected province will appear.
Initially, you can move up to a maximum of 4 squares after selecting any square, and thereafter, up to a maximum of 5 squares per phase.
Each square displays information such as faction and troop type, and a warlord corresponding to the square passed through or stopped on is selected by lottery.
You'll want to pass through squares to target warlords for your formation, but you can recruit a total of up to 3 cost in one phase.
However, any remaining cost limit can be carried over to the next phase.
Since you can only pass through the same square once, there is also the option of saving it for the next phase.
Recruiting warlords based on your deck and the opponent's setup... the battle begins from the recruitment phase.
Place Warlords and Let the Battle Begin!
Finally, you place your initial deck and recruited warlords on the battlefield.
Depending on the warlord, there are also special effects such as decreasing or increasing abilities within a certain range of allies or enemies.
When placing, also be mindful of the three-way deadlock where "Cavalry" are strong against "Archers," "Archers" are strong against "Spearmen," and "Spearmen" are strong against "Cavalry."
After finishing placement, let the battle begin!
Combat Proceeds Automatically
The biggest difference from the arcade version is that battles are automatic.
In this game, all strategy is contained in the recruitment and placement phases; the battle is just for watching.
The victory condition is to reduce the enemy castle's durability or completely deplete it.
Durability is carried over through all three phases, so a broad strategic view is required.
If you have the special skill "Ambush," you can move while being invisible to the opponent.
If placed in the center, you can expect reinforcement for the main battlefield, and if placed on the flanks, you can launch surprise attacks on various units and the enemy castle.
If your units are annihilated, the castle can be attacked without guard.
In the opening phase, the damage is minimal as there are few warlords, but be careful as the damage will be larger if you suffer a major defeat!
In the middle and final phases, the enemy warlord placements from the previous phase are highlighted.
Decide the board while considering the three-way deadlock relationship and the effects and ranges of stratagems!
This time, I tried recruiting siege weapons.
Despite the fierce battle unfolding on the front lines, siege weapons slip through the gaps to the enemy castle!
Overall, there are cases where you might lose the combat but win in terms of reducing durability.
By the final phase, there are many warlords on the battlefield.
Enhancements from synergy and weakening of enemies overlap, resulting in an all-out battle.
Having learned a lesson in the middle phase, I placed the siege weapons on the flanks.
Combined with the effect of increased movement speed, they quickly reduced the enemy castle's durability.
Finally, I narrowly won the battle and achieved a great victory!
As the phases progress, the number of warlords increases, so a big comeback is also possible.
"Kai Sangokushi Taisen" as a Blockchain Game
In this preview, I focused on the gameplay aspect of normal play, but "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" also incorporates blockchain features.
In contrast to Normal Cards obtainable only within the game, Awakened Warlord Cards, which are NFTs, can be obtained by purchasing Awakened Warlord Card Packs or through trading on the marketplace.
Leveling up the cards you obtain by consuming them will give you an advantage in battle, and you can also earn revenue by listing the cards as they are on the marketplace.
First and Foremost, Pure "Enjoyment"
When it comes to blockchain games, many people likely have the image that it's difficult to engage with aspects outside the game and tokens.
However, in "Kai Sangokushi Taisen," by deliberately separating tokens from the main game cycle, efforts have been made to prioritize the core gameplay experience.
And after enjoying the game to some extent, the elements of "blockchain game" open up.
Specifically...
- GvG Mode
- User-Organized Tournament Mode
- Top Tournament Event
...These modes offer a mechanism to acquire more tokens based on staking points earned by depositing tokens.
The development team designed the token system in "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" with "staking (saving)" as the basic axis, and...
- Tokens are not consumed but retained within the ecosystem.
- Long-term commitment of holders is valued.
- Ecosystem stability is guaranteed.
...These principles exist.
By doing so, it suppresses rapid fluctuations in supply and demand balance and token value, leading to stable market operation.
For other principles and philosophy of "Kai Sangokushi Taisen," you can check the Litepaper on the "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" Official Website.
Expectations for "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" with a Strong Vision
As mentioned earlier, "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" aims for stable operation by keeping the main game and blockchain elements at a certain distance while also making efforts to ensure that tokens are not meaningless.
Achieving this balance is the most challenging aspect, but the management policy of "Gamer First" fosters strong expectations for future developments.
In the Litepaper on the "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" Official Website, the development team's vision and values are meticulously detailed in over 2,000 characters.
This alone speaks to the seriousness of "Kai Sangokushi Taisen," so please be sure to read it before the official release.
Early Release on April 30!
🔔重大発表!!🔔
⚔️ 本格軍勢カードバトル『魁 三国志大戦』
📅 3月25日 正式リリース決定!!▼#魁三国志大戦 事前登録受付中！https://t.co/F2SsfEHLbF pic.twitter.com/vXyW2a7TrL
— 魁 三国志大戦 -Battle of Three Kingdoms- (@b3k_jp) February 25, 2025
The authentic army card battle game "Kai Sangokushi Taisen" is scheduled for an early release on Wednesday, April 30, 2025!
Pre-register from the App Store or Google Play and wait for the start of the battle!
| Title Overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kai Sangokushi Taisen -Battle of Three Kingdoms- |
| Genre | Army Card Battle |
| Developer | double jump.tokyo Inc. |
| Platforms | PC, Android, iOS |
| Recommended Specs | iOS: iOS 12, XS or higher Android: Android 9 or higher PC: Windows 10, 8GB or more |
| Supported Languages | Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese |
| Early Release Date | Scheduled for Wednesday, April 30, 2025 |