Developer: Koch Media, Prime Matter, Deep Silver
Publisher: 1C Publsihing EU
Platform: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Switch
Tested on: PC
King’s Bounty II – Review
King’s Bounty II has been a long-awaited game. The new game is part of a series that keeps reinventing itself in style and gameplay, going from 2D to mobile games to a full 3D RPG setup in King’s Bounty II. It’s come a long way since 1990, and we are excited to finally play the full game after our preview. Let’s see what the magical world of this revived series has to offer us!
Story
At the beginning of the game, you choose one of three characters, each starting out locked in a prison. They then get released as a prince is pardoning them for their past crimes, as he is in dire need of their help. Be sure to consider which character seems the most fun to you. This is important in King’s Bounty II because the personas you can play as are somewhat… unique. There’s a disgraced knight who acts fairly normal if not somewhat grumpy, a mage who basically always acts grumpy and quite rude, and a silly cleric with a savior complex who’s very optimistic. There’s little to no choice in dialogue throughout the game, so you need to find some type of connection to your character and the mood they portray; if you want to finish the game without getting annoyed by their text and emotions.
That there are little to no dialogue options dumbs down the RPG aspect of the game. On the other hand, the King’s Bounty series and the closely related Heroes of Might and Magic have never been about storytelling when looking at the bigger picture. In these games, you will mostly get quick and short stories with dilemmas, or simply encounter the magical creatures and events that the world has to offer you. In King’s Bounty II this is also the same. While you start out by receiving a bigger quest, which tells you to go travel towards a prince, you quickly find yourself on many crossroads that lead to all kinds of magical events. Even though the game is quite linear in its story, it doesn’t detract from the overall quality or fun to be had. King’s Bounty II is just an adventure on a smaller scale with less distance between each event, getting to the point quicker.
Graphics
This is a great game when it comes to its graphical quality. Sure, not exactly each animation might be as fluid, with especially lip-syncing being a bit underwhelming sometimes, but generally, it really looks great. Starting out in a wintery wonderland with trees covered in snow and mountains in the background, the sparkles of the snow and the irregular placement of the models make the game feel original and (by lack of open-world space) cozy. Perhaps King’s Bounty II does not have the best graphics with everything it does, but the variety of models and its battlefields give this game a lot more charm than a lot of other RPGs. It’s a well-crafted, if not somewhat linear, fantasy world.
Sound
With its music, King’s Bounty II does everything right. From the moment you enter the menu, epic and mystical tunes surround you. This contains music with a high fantasy-rich value that’s reminiscent of famous games such as World of Warcraft. We would go as far as to call it music that calms the soul while being on a quest. It’s all simply splendid and greatly enhances your time in this game. The sound effects are also nice to listen to, including the birds, the rustling of the wind through trees, and units getting hurt while in combat. The only thing that’s sometimes slightly disappointing is the voice acting, especially when listening to your main character and their perky behavior (depending on which character you picked).
Gameplay
King’s Bounty II has two sections of gameplay, with the main component being an RPG element. You will be walking or riding around in the somewhat linear open world. By doing so, you will meet NPCs, loot containers, and be able to visit shops. Shops are useful for gathering new units, gear, and more. The gear doesn’t function as it would in a normal RPG though, as you won’t be fighting others directly. Instead, you will command units whenever you encounter enemies and start a fight. This makes the second part of the game more of a strategic, turn-based game. You fight on a field divided in hexagons, where it follows tabletop rules. This means you can move a set amount of spaces depending on the units, and fighting is mainly done by tactically letting units collide with enemies.
Fighting is rather fun, as each unit has its own abilities and strengths, while your champion has a book of spells to help from the sideline. This way, the objective is to eliminate all enemies while losing as little as possible yourself. Units exist of multiple creatures. As an example, a pack of three wolves may be counted as a ‘single’ unit on the battlefield. If one or two wolves die during the fight, you can still replace them for a little bit of money after the fight. If all wolves die, however, you can kiss your unit goodbye and you will need to find a new one somewhere. This makes it more exciting to keep a unit alive and do your best.
Other than that, the game has a few mechanics and in place. For one, it divides choices and units into four categories: Order, Power, Anarchy, and Finesse. You can level up your character in these categories as well, where i.e. Finesse gives you access to different types of magic, and the other categories give the units with the corresponding icon advantages. The gear you find upgrades i.e. your Warfare stats, which then boosts the damage units do. This way, the game provides you with enough to do, where you will mainly collect resources and build your army. It’s an accessible way of arranging combat in the game, and even for younger audiences, it’s fairly understandable and fun to play.
Conclusion
King’s Bounty II is accessible, cozy, and rather enjoyable. The game provides a great fantasy-filled world despite having little depth in its RPG elements such as conversations. The battles are understandable and offer their fair share of excitement, and trying to build an army gives you enough to do as you walk around to quest, find lore, and upgrade your character. It’s understandable the game might not be everything a true RPG lover is looking for, but it’s still a strong game on its own.
King's Bounty II - Review,
No Comments