Koei has today announced that the next installment in its long-running Romance of the Three Kingdoms historical strategy series will get a North American release in July. Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII will boast a number of improvements on last year's game, including the ability for players to assume the roles of no less than eight characters in a single game. There will be a total of 711 officer characters for players to choose from, 100 of which can actually be created by the player. Each of the characters will possess four basic attributes and 26 officer skills, and while skills such as eloquence and commerce will be as useful as ever, 15 new tactics skills will improve the officers' chances of success in combat.

　　Also new in the eighth game in the series is an option for players to have their game commence in any year between the start of the the Yellow Turban Rebellion in AD 184 and the death of Zhuge Liang in AD 234. A further four scenarios set after that time period will also be featured in the game, including one entirely fictional story involving all 711 officers.

　　Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII is scheduled for release in North America in July. We'll bring you more information on the game as soon as it becomes available. In the meantime, you might be interested to read our full review of Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII, which was released last year.