Free to play英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器 Three Kingdoms told in words
A text-based Three Kingdoms life sim where you live out your own historical story, one playthrough at a time.
Is 英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器 worth it?
英雄黄昏-文字三国志&曹贼模拟器 is worth it if…
- you like text-based games and don't need flashy graphics to have fun
- you want a Three Kingdoms game you can leave running in a small window
- you enjoy huge freedom, from honest administration to scandalous schemes
- you can read Chinese, since there is no English version
- you like games that one passionate solo developer keeps updating for years
Screenshots
From clerk to emperor, one line of text at a time
You wake up in the late Han dynasty as a lowly official, and from there the ladder is yours to climb. Work the city, earn merit, become a governor, raise armies, and eventually carve out your own realm. Or don't: the game runs as an idler, so you can leave it alone and come back to find your faction has grown while you were away. Along the way you visit generals, drink with them, go fishing, read, hunt, and have your fortune told. The whole thing is text, which means the picture is the one you build in your head, and the sheer number of systems means every run unfolds differently.
Can you really play it without grinding?
Can you play it without grinding?
Yes. It works as an idler: you can leave the game running and your faction keeps developing on its own, so a session can be as short as checking in on your empire. Several people mention playing it in a small window while working or studying, and one thing they agree on is that it is very easy to lose track of time once you start clicking around.
What can you actually do besides war?
Quite a lot. You build relationships with historical figures through visits, gifts, drinking and shared activities, you can marry and have children who grow up and serve your faction, and you can swear brotherhood with famous generals. The game is also known for letting you push romance far beyond respectable behaviour, with affairs and illegitimate children included, which is exactly why one of its alternate names is a certain "villain simulator". How far you take that is entirely up to you.
