To be honest, the mobile game market has changed a lot in recent years. From Snake and Tetris in the Symbian era, to open world, chicken and two-dimensional games now, the technology and picture quality have improved, but it always feels like it is missing a bit of flavor. When I saw the new game "Journey to the Three Kingdoms" two days ago, my first reaction was: Oh, another one who cheats by drawing cards while idle? After downloading and playing for two days, I was really surprised. 😅
Not to brag, this game can indeed be considered "retro" in 2024. It does not blindly follow the MMO world or action combos, but honestly returns to strategy and development. General combinations, legion collaboration, and city battle attack and defense were all popular methods ten years ago, but now many new games cannot understand them. The developer, Nanjing Kipou Network, is probably also a veteran player, and knows what our generation wants - not gorgeous special effects, but the thrill of step-by-step tactics. 👴
Speaking of mobile game trends, the industry has actually been "reviving" in the past two years. You see, there are gradually more and more Steam ports, independent games, and single-player buyout systems, and players are beginning to get tired of those one-stop assembly line products with daily tasks, krypton gold gift packages, and automatic pathfinding. "Journey of the Three Kingdoms" is a free game that has no in-app purchases and relies purely on strategy to play, but it hits the right rhythm. After all, those of us who were born in the 80s and 90s are all on a three-year journey and don't have that much time to play. We would rather spend half an hour studying formations than going to the World Channel to swipe the screen and kill people. ⚔️
Of course, the picture quality and UI have indeed failed to keep up with the times, but the advantage lies in the high degree of restoration - the city map and the portraits of generals are all in the style of the old Three Kingdoms, and even the music is specially made with simple flutes and flutes. Old players who came from the Saipan era should understand that this was the "hardcore" flavor back then. And the fact that there is no charge is a breath of fresh air in the current era of 648 first-charge gift packages. 😌
Finally, let's talk about some industry gossip: Nanjing Kipu Network, a company that used to make casual games, suddenly turned to strategy games, and probably saw the opportunity for market segmentation. Nowadays, major manufacturers are rolling out "open world" and "two-dimensional" games, which in turn gives these small and beautiful mobile games room to survive. As an old player, I am very happy - at least there are still people who remember that the core of the game is always fun, not ranking on the krypton gold list. 👍
Without further ado, I'm going to study how to use Guan Yu + Zhang Fei + Zhao Yun to defend the city. Brothers who have the same interests can reply and exchange lineups. 🔥