Announced a couple of days before the start of GDC 2015, Paradox Interactive had a copy of their new sequel to Knights of Pen and Paper on hands during GDC 2015 to go hands-on with. The firs game was a lot of fun so fondling the sequel ahead of time was high on our priority list of things to do after walking up a massive hill to get to our meeting with Paradox Interactive.
If you are not familiar with this franchise, basically you have tabletop RPG gaming brought to your mobile device where you play as both the DM (Dungeon Master) as well as your virtual group of friends sitting at the table who you are DMing for. Knights of Pen and Paper 2 is a great looking game which is ironically the first thing we noticed when looking at it. While the original game was filled with 8-bit visuals, Knights of Pen and Paper 2 will be decorated with 16-bit graphics. So it isnt just a sequel in content but also in time frame, sort of like the progression of consoles in real life.
The goal in this game is to stop a great evil from making the entire world unplayable. This will happen is the dreaded ‘version 2 ruleset’ becomes a reality. Without trying to give away the entire storyline and plot, players will be trying to chase down the main villain in this game who is trying to spread this new ruleset throughout the land. Since you and your party run on the original ruleset, if this villain succeeds he will make the entire world unplayable to you, essentially ending you and all you stand for.
Once again there is plenty of humor involved in this game just like the original had as well. When creating a character, you get to choose class, race, and an actual player. Don’t forget, you are also the DM in this game so you have to pick your players! The group is made up of teenagers so your players can end up being some pretty interesting combinations such as a Hipster Dwarf Paladin or a Goth Elf Thief. From there you get to put points in the appropriate abilities in order to start making your build and then you are off to save the land! Each character has two main builds that are possible as well as the ability to make any sort of hybrid build of abilities and passives, all of which are viable to use to get to the end. Granted the hybrid builds will be harder.
One vast improvement over the original game is the inventory system. It has been greatly expanded upon as the original game had a very limited style of inventory system. There is also the ability to craft items and gear that you may need to use along the way. Combat has also seen some tweaks and improvements to it as well, adding a bit more of a need to be strategic. Area of Effect spells and abilities now can be either in a circle area, or follow a horizontal line of enemies (since enemies can be in rows). Elemental alignments are also a thing in this sequel so you will need to keep an eye on that when attacking a monster.
There are also plenty of new environments to explore in this sequel. The chiptune music is all new as well and sounds pretty good which, if you’re a fan of chiptune music, is always a plus. Even though we only got to play a little bit of Knights of Pen and Paper 2, we were pretty much hooked on it right away. So if you’re a fan of the original games, you should be looking forward to this sequel. In terms of pricing, Paradox Interactive told us that we can expect the price for this sequel to be around the same price as the original. We figured that would be the case in our original coverage of this game’s announcement.
