Review: Knights of Pen and Paper 2

Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Edition is one of my favourite casual RPGs. Naturally, I was quite excited to play the sequel. Knights of Pen and Paper 2 is a sequel in its truest form. Getting rid of the mechanics that did not work in the previous game and expanding on those that did.

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At first glance, Knights of Pen and Paper 2 looks incredibly similar to the first game. You are still controlling a party of roleplaying enthusiasts sitting at a table. Instead of 8-bit graphics, it is now 16-bit. Once you create your first player you will realise the differences. Instead of choosing a character and a class, you now choose a race as well. This is not the only difference. Each player has three dice that symbolise his attributes. Red dice are “body”, good for warriors, green ones are “senses”, good for roguish types and blue ones are “mind” for the wizarding kind. Different classes, characters and races have different amounts of dice. So choose wisely when making your character.

Another major change is the equipment system. Let us recap: in Knights of Pen and Paper 1 you had armour and a weapon. These had to be upgraded at the blacksmith, which cost gold and needed a die roll, so it was luck based. You could also equip four pieces of gear. These were trinkets that gave you small buffs. This stays the same, except you only carry three around. The weapon and armour system is different. You have two weapon slots (hands) and one armour slot (body). This allows for very individual loadouts, you can have a barbarian with two shields or a wizard with a battle-axe. Although possible, it may not be the most reasonable.

The combat has also changed a bit. Enemies fight in two rows. Foes in the front row have to be defeated first. Some locations affect the battlefield in different ways. When battling in the graveyard for example, there is a chance of enemies coming back to life. These little differences make the combat more interesting than in the first game.

Knights of Pen and Paper 2 does have a story, but I chose to mainly ignore it. The game sometimes throws walls of text at you; when you just want to play during your commute, you don’t want to read. You want to fight some enemies. Referential humour is an even bigger part than in the previous game. You will encounter a certain moustachioed Mythbuster and Robin HUD.

The world is even bigger than the one in the previous game. At most places you will have the opportunity to explore. It works like a skill check in DnD. You rolls some dice, if you roll a certain number you have passed. The more dice of a colour your player has, the easier these checks will be. Exploration uses blue dice and it costs five gold. When exploring you will find crafting recipes most of the time, sometimes revealing unique and powerful items.

Skill checks like this are a big part of the reworked dungeon system. The dungeons were ill-conceived in the previous game. Moving through them depended entirely on dice-rolls. This time you navigate a small map. In different rooms you will face different challenges. Either some enemies or some traps. The latter require you to pass a skill check, the characters who fail get penalties. You might also find a chest, but it is locked. So you try and smash it open, but darn your party was too weak and it turns out the chest was a mimic all along!

Knights of Pen and Paper 2 is a great sequel. It changed enough to be a sequel and not just a prettier version of the previous game. The new mechanics work well and are fun. The new character system allows for more specialised characters and a more in-depth party management. With the new dungeon system, a tedious part of the previous game becomes a fun one.

Tags: Android, Casual, iOS, Knights of Pen and Paper 2, Paradox, RPG