Total War: Three Kingdoms' new trailer takes us on a scenic tour of China

Total War: Three Kingdoms’ latest cinematic trailer has a noticeable dearth of the series’ key ingredient: war. Instead, it’s a journey through China’s diverse landscape with not a single blood-soaked battlefield in sight. It’s above, so give it a watch if you want to look at pretty mountains and stuff.

For a moment, I thought maybe we were going to get to see Zhuge Liang, whose journey we’re following, get mauled by a territorial panda, but no, the big doofuses just sit on their arses and munch on bamboo. Get some exercise, you lugs!

Anyway! That’s the land you’ll be fighting over when Three Kingdoms arrives on March 7. It does look very nice, but this stroll through China is far too quiet for a Total War game. I don’t care about Zhuge Liang aimlessly wandering around China looking for someone to fight for; I want to see him get to the fighting part.

Zhuge Liang’s one of Three Kingdoms’ heroes. They come in different classes and can join your faction along with their retinues, commanding troops in the battlefield. Characters look like they’re more important than ever, and instead of picking from a list of factions, you’ll be playing as a specific individual.

To learn more, check out everything you need to know about Total War: Three Kingdoms.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.