The attention to detail is a wonder to behold, the subject matter is refreshingly original, the computer opponent very good indeed and the graphics, whilst not state-of-the-art, are pleasingly detailed. Koei continue their high standards with the release of Bandit Kings – very addictive.
When SSI was at the height of their success in digital wargaming circles with their highly tactical, very specialised and mercilessly inaccessible titles, in Japan, Koei took a different approach. Inspired by literature (!), they launched what would become their flagship series (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) in the mid-1980s. Bandit Kings of Ancient China followed a few years down the road, having gained some experience and for some fans, hitting the sweet spot.
For once, the objective isn’t to crush all opposition and conquer the whole land. Based on a carefully executed plot approach, the game tells of an usurper who has de facto gained control bypassing the rightful emperor. This bad guy’s power, strong as it is, is limited to the central provinces of medieval China, however. In the role of a “bandit king”, it is the player’s task to build up a power basis for himself, recruit like-minded “heroes”, rise in popularity among the common people and thereby catch the emperor’s attention – so that he gives his blessing to defeat the main antagonist. So that the country can stand united, at full strength, against the upcoming Mongol invasion, which ends the game at a fixed deadline and which is not playable.
In spite of being a wargame, Bandit Kings therefore gets across an impression much closer to a grand adventure, the feeling of playing a role rather than an intricate strategic optimisation task, a strict rule-based framework to master. The presence of characters, all having various stats and show shades of personality through their simple portraits and one-liners, greatly helps in this respect.
A broad variety of actions is offered by the menu-driven point & click interface. Contemporary reviewers pretty much uniformly gave up in face of this, praising the game’s “incredible depth” and “great complexity” in generic words without ever qualifying it much. On a deadline and many other games waiting to be included in the same monthly print issue, it is understandable.
Though is it really all that deep and complex? It sure takes quite some experience to play successfully. Though gaining such, it becomes clear that out of the multitude of potential actions, many organically match different strategic phases of the game. Some being much more prominent early, when establishing a power base. Some are more interesting later on, when the military campaign starts proper. This distinction being possible, because unlike previous games of the company, this one allows players to start the game in a fairly protected space at first, letting them experiment without the immediate threat of extinction.
What’s more, in spite of having many options, Bandit Kings doesn’t actively attempt to overwhelm its players at all. There is no huge routine to be performed every turn, and if only one step is forgotten, overlooked, it’s punished by “game over”. A cheap route of building difficulty which this game does not take. Instead, it expects its players to take hard decisions about priorities. Enforcing the simple rule of allowing only one single action per turn, what is the most pressing need? What will enable a better standing in subsequent turns? Diligent routine work will not win this game. Well-considered decisions, also about what not to do, will. Which is where the necessity of experience comes in again as well. It may not be realistic, one turn representing one whole month after all. Nevertheless, it enhances playability immensely, turning the whole game into a fluid forward movement.
On the tactical battle level, things work in quite a similar way. There is a clock ticking – if the attacker has not succeeded within this allotted time, the defender will be declared victorious. Special abilities, different attack modes therefore need to be used to maximum advantage to succeed. There is just no sitting things out in this game.
Now, one may think that all this should enable pleasant multiplayer fun. Nobody will spend hours on their turns, after all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work out in this regard. The plot does not put the players in real competition, as all essentially are supposed to team up against the usurper. But it also dictates that only one player can finally challenge the big baddie under the edict of the emperor. After a fairly short time, it should be clear who of the players will have this chance. From that point on, all the others can only stand by and watch, still support in minor ways at best. Not a very satisfying role.
Nothing is perfect. Yet, where it counts, Bandit Kings is much more accessible and much more focussed than most of its contemporaries. The excellently written manual certainly helps. Those who are willing to read manuals, that is. As such, picking it up without prior experience may be difficult. And yet, once understood, it feels modern in various respects, forward-looking in its game design. Simplifying things where sensible, but not dumbing them down. It is, in fact, pretty good. Not super deep, but demanding. Will it motivate you if you otherwise don’t like this slow-paced strategic wargaming genre? No, sorry.
