About This Game

Hanzi: Five Gates is a Three Kingdoms strategy roguelite played with Chinese character tiles. Drag tiles into your formation to make heroes and troops: 关 + 羽 forms 关羽 (Guan Yu), while 枪 + 兵 forms 枪兵 (spearmen). If a combination no longer suits your army, take it apart and use the characters elsewhere.

Before each battle

You have six slots, arranged in two rows of three. Check enemy positions and your troops' attack patterns before choosing who goes in front and who stays behind. Some heroes can change abilities by reversing the order of the characters in their names. Weapons, warhorses, and treasures give you more ways to adjust the formation.

When you are ready, start the battle and your troops fight automatically. Watch the turn order and which slots they attack, then use what you learn to prepare for the next encounter.

Between battles

Pick a route through battles, elite enemies, merchants, events, and rest stops. Gold, tile draws, and supplies are limited. Spend them on a missing character or strengthen the troops you already have—the tiles you draw will shape the choice.

Choose rewards after battles and collect relics that affect how you build your army. Certain conditions reveal clues and hidden encounters. After a clear, higher Ordeal levels offer further challenges.

Controls and language

Use the mouse to select and drag tiles and rearrange your army. Menus and explanations are available in Simplified Chinese, English, and Japanese. Character tiles, hero names, and combination recipes stay in Chinese in every language; translated explanations do not replace the characters you play with.