Kessen II (決戦 II) is a strategy game 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 and China. 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

Forces of Liu Zhang

Forces of Meng Huo

Miscellaneous

Battles

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

Reception

The game received "average" reviews, according to video game review score aggregator Metacritic. In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 35 out of 40.