Kessen III

Kessen III
Developer(s)	Koei
Publisher(s)	Koei
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Release	February 22, 2005 (NA) May 13, 2005 (EU)
Genre(s)	Real-time tactics
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer

Kessen III is a PlayStation 2 video-game produced by Koei. It is based off the life of Oda Nobunaga. The game's time frame is roughly between the years 1560 to 1590. Contrary to many stories and portrayals that depict him as a villain or demonic, Nobunaga is depicted in a more virtuous and ultimately tragic light, making Kessen III rather unique in relation to other video games based in the same era. It is a heavily fantasized and romanticized depiction of his life.

The game paints a positive picture of Nobunaga's life, and then enters a "What If" scenario showing what might have happened if he had survived the betrayal by Akechi Mitsuhide. It shows Nobunaga gaining back his power base, and then defeating Shogunate forces lead by the Akechi clan and other clans of Western Japan on the shores of Kyushu, and Nobunaga presumably becomes the new leader.

Tokugawa Ieyasu is in this game, shown as Nobunaga's mild mannered and dedicated ally, but is shown flying into a rage when he learns that Nobunaga survives his betrayal, believing that he was going to carry out Nobunaga's destiny. Toyotomi Hideyoshi is also shown,(Under the name of Hideyoshi Hashiba)His unlikely charisma inspires his troops after he is wrongly told that Nobunaga's death, and it leads his friend to comment "Maybe he would be the one to Unite Japan, if Lord Oda was dead."

The game also lets you fight battles against other notable Daimyo, like Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen.

Gameplay Mechanics

Kessen III refines the mechanics of the previous games even further while introducing new core elements. The flow of the game begins with the player selecting a mission from those available on the map. After being briefed on the mission's details, the player then selects which units to bring into the battle before issuing basic marching orders. During the battle itself, the player is in control of an individual unit and can switch between friendly units at any time, while the other units are controlled by artificial intelligence. Battle commences when friendly and enemy units encounter one another and unit health is measured by the number of troops remaining in the unit. Troops also have specific skills related to their particular type (cavalry, spearmen, ninja, etc.) and officers can learn powerful special skills and abilities such as defensive strategies or attack magic that can turn the tide of battle.

All officers have access to a special skill called "Rampage." When used, the action zooms in around that officer, and the player enters a short, timed mini-battle against troops from an enemy unit. During a rampage, the player can earn bonus experience, gold, and restore lost troops to the unit by picking up the proper items dropped by defeated soldiers. After 100 soldiers are defeated, the enemy unit's officer appears, and if the player can defeat him, the officer under the player's control may receive even further bonuses.

Battles end when the primary objective has been achieved. These objectives may include wiping out all enemy units, destroying a specific target, escorting a unit to a particular location, or making an escape. Grades on performance in battle are given at the end of each stage, and are based on how many enemy officers were defeated, the number of friendly officers were kept in battle, and the effective use of troop skills. Better grades yield items that can be used to outfit friendly officers, or gold to buy such items from merchants between battles. Battles are typically lost when Nobunaga's unit is defeated, time runs out, or a special mission requirement could not be completed.

Cinematics

The storyline of Kessen III is very detailed and makes frequent use of cinematic sequences rendered using both the games own graphics engine and Full Motion Video. These sequences are typically played at the start and end of each chapter, before and after battles, and during special events that take place during the course of a fight.

Main Characters

Nobunaga's forces

• Oda Nobunaga - The heroic protagonist.
• Akechi Mitsuhide - A mysterious saviour turned enemy.
• Lady Kicho - Princess of Mino Province and Nobunaga's bride.
• Hashiba Hideyoshi - Originally a peasant named 'Kinoshita Tokichiro', he eventually becomes one of Nobunaga's most loyal officers.
• Tokugawa Ieyasu - Nobunaga's loyal friend, the daimyo of the Tokugawa Clan.
• Amalia Van Kyre - A foreigner from the Netherlands. She is a fictional representation of the Dutch displaced by civil war.
• Dominico Sanchez - A Portuguese mercenary under Nobunaga. Like Amalia, he is also a fictional character based on actual Portuguese merchants and mercenaries.
• Inaba Ittetsu - Former member of the Mino Three and former retainer of Tatsuoki Saito now under Nobunaga.
• Takenaka Hanbei - A master strategist comparable to Zhuge Liang of Three Kingdoms-era China.
• Hattori Hanzo - An Iga Ninja who serves Oda (Historically he serves the Tokugawa).
• Shibata Katsuie - Former traitor to Oda but defected back.
• Taigen Sessai - Once an officer of Imagawa Yoshimoto but betrayed him to join Nobunaga.
• Shima Sakon - A Matsunaga retainer that later joined the Oda forces.
• Yoshino - A young girl gifted with the ability to predict weather.
• Maeda Toshiie - A brash kabuki warrior serving under Nobunaga from the beginning.
• Niwa Nagahide - A reserved, careful retainer of Oda. Often referred as 'Potato Samurai' by Toshiie.
• Yamanaka Shikanosuke - A Man who was rescued from the Mouri clan by Nobunaga and offered his services to Oda.
• Nankobo Tenkai - A Buddhist man from Shoryuji Castle and joined up with the Oda after he accepted Yoshino's offer of recruition.
• Ishikawa Goemon - A thief who was once having a connection to the Takeda and joined Oda in his hopes of being rich.
• Kani Saizo - Formerly an officer of Matsunaga Hisahide like Shima Sakon before him he joined Oda to conquer the world.
• Kaisen Joki - Former general of Takeda Shingen and now worked for Oda after Shingen died.
• Araki Murashige - At First an Oda Officer but was really helping the Mouri clan from the start.
• Fukushima Masanori - Friend of Kato Kiyomasa and he joined Oda after seeing Hideyoshi for the first time.
• Katō Kiyomasa - Friend of Fukushima Masanori like his friend before him he joined Oda.
• Yagyū Muneyoshi - A officer for Matsunaga and joined with Oda to help him take down Ashikaga.
• Miyamoto Musashi - A Mouri Officer until he was stopped dead in his track from escaping from Kizukawaguchi with Mouri Terumoto by Nobunaga and joined with him to help take out the Osaka sects.
• Mori Yoshinari - Father of Ranmaru and Nagayoshi he did his best at Sakamoto but suffered bullet shots from Muskets and got gunned down by Saito Tatsuoki.
• Date Masamune - The One-Eyed Dragon of Ōshū who once helped Hōjō Ujimasa kill Tokugawa but then allied with The Oda clan his retainers also rebelled against Hōjō.

Other Forces

• Tokugawa Ieyasu - Old friend and ally of Nobunaga, daimyo of the Tokugawa clan.
• Ashikaga Yoshiaki - The 14th Ashikaga Shogun.
• Saito Tatsuoki - A relentless enemy of Nobunaga and relative of Kicho.
• Azai Nagamasa - The Azai Clan daimyo, husband to Nobunaga's sister Lady Oichi.
• Takeda Shingen - The Takeda Clan daimyo.
• Uesugi Kenshin - The Uesugi Clan daimyo, like Takeda Shingen he is shown as a placid military genius.
• Oda Nobukiyo - Cousin of Oda Nobunaga.
• Uesugi Kagekatsu - Nephew of Uesugi Kenshin and close friend of Naoe Kanetsugu.
• Momochi Sandayu - The Leader of a gang called the Iga Ninjas and he was from where Hattori Hanzo came from.
• Isshiki Fujinaga - Member of the Ashikaga Shogunate and was always around Yoshiaki.

Major Battles

• Okehazama (1560)
• Nagashino (1575)
• Fall of Matsunaga (1577)

See also

• Oda Nobunaga
• Koei
• Nobunaga's Ambition
• Samurai Warriors

External links

• Official Page
• Kessen III at MobyGames