This release loosely describes the events of Zhuge Liang's life as depicted in Luo Guanzhong's historical dramatic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

As Zhuge Liang, the player must assist Liu Bei in procuring the territories of Jingzhou and Yizhou and establishing the Shu Han kingdom.

In addition, the player must organise Zhuge's Southern Campaign against the Nanman peoples and carry out the Northern Expeditions against the opposing kingdom of Cao Wei.

Successfully rescuing Guan Yu will prevent the disastrous Battle of Yiling from ever taking place, thus sparing Shu Han from one of the kingdom's greatest defeats and causing Liu Bei to pass away much later than normal (shortly after Zhuge Liang's Southern Campaign, in fact).

The Game Boy Advance version of Sangokushi Kōmeiden uses character portraits exclusively taken from another title in Koei's Three Kingdoms-based series, Dynasty Tactics.