14 DAY TRIAL // 
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 has me fighting a number of mathematical formulas in a dungeon clearly designed to represent the earliest days of computer-powered role-playing titles, and I am kind of enjoying the challenge even if I might lack the resources to make it all through the dungeon I am currently in.
I have already fought everything from bandits to someone resembling Super Mario, using powers ranging from Shadow Chain to Guiding Strike to Frostbite and more, and the game is constantly challenging me to come up with new ways to control enemy groups and take out their heavy hitters before they can cause too much damage of their own.
The second title in the Knights of Pen and Paper series, developed by a new team at Kyy Games and published by Paradox Interactive, is, in many ways, more of the same, taking the formula that worked for the first installment and introducing a little more variety when it comes to party management and combat.
Unfortunately, the entire game is a little too focused on continuous combat, and limited interactions with the game world and that might frustrate gamers who are looking for a little more depth.
Story
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 takes the core idea that powered the first entry in the series and expands upon it in funny and interesting ways, increasing the quota of popular and video game culture references, although the quality might be used to also disguise a small drop in the actual quality of the jokes and meta-comments.
PC players will control a gamer who is actually engaged in a complex and classic role-playing session with his friends, using all the traditional tropes of the genre at first, even if many of them will be subverted as the narrative evolves.
The big threat to the world of the in-game universe is the Paper Knight who, cleverly, can defeat all those who oppose him because he uses second-edition rules while the heroes themselves are stuck with the first edition.
The game features a new set of archetypes, all of them based on real-world activities that get translated into the virtual space with some interesting special powers, and now each of the five people who can stay at the Dungeons & Dragons table can also choose a race.
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 makes some subtle but interesting points about the way our fictional worlds can affect the gamers engaged with them even if they know that they are not real in the physical sense, but because the novelty of the premise has worn off, this sequel is not as engaging as the original from a narrative point of view.
Gameplay
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 is a turn-based role-playing game with mechanics that are simplified when compared to the classics of the genre.
Gamers will initially be able to create just two characters, using a combination of archetypes, classes, and races, and will then be guided through a tutorial and a starting area that features easy-to-defeat enemies and introduces the main elements of the experience.
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 is very combat driven, and the initially easy encounters can escalate quickly and a full party of five is required to make solid progress.
Each class has four special powers and success depends largely on mixing and matching them to keep the player's characters as close to full health as possible while depleting that of the opposing group, which can be made up of everything from gelatinous cubes to a treasure chest with a grudge.
Gamers will also have to equip their party and make sure that they have enough consumables but that tends to become relatively trivial once about 100 gold is accumulated from quests and combat encounters.
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 also features a crafting system, although it is both underdeveloped and limited, and I never felt that I needed to use it to make my characters better, satisfied to use the loot that I got from the game world and the items that were available from the store.
The biggest problem with the video game is that it delivers a lot of choice and interesting ideas at the start and then runs out of steam and fails to tweak the formula in any innovative way.
When the classes and the powers associated with them are new, it's interesting to discover how they can be combined to make sure that as many enemies stay either stunned or depowered for long periods of time so that the player party can get maximum results with limited losses of health and mana.
“After a while, the entire process becomes repetitive and Knights of Pen and Paper 2 turns into a grind-focused experience.”
Because character development is limited and the loot can often be disappointing, the only reason to push forward is the Paper Knight-focused narrative.
Another issue is the way Knights of Pen and Paper 2 uses Gold initially to limit party size, asking gamers to spend 250 of it to add a new member, and how the same currency is used to search regions in what is no more than a simple luck game.
The new dungeons, despite the fact that they add some variety of certain solid challenges to the title, also feel underdeveloped, and at least one of them is entirely unfair because of the combat modifiers that it introduces.
Repetition is one of the core elements of any RPG, but the title from Kyy fails to add another layer of interesting choices and interactions that would make the grind bearable in the long-term.
Graphics and audio
Knights of Pen and Paper 2 goes for a very retro look, designed to recall video games from the '90s, and the development team is not focused on delivering impressive locations or very detailed characters.
The game is bright and colorful, which meshes well with the overall atmosphere of fun that it aims to create, but there are moments when I wished to get a look at the actual world of Paperos and the way it integrates the various fantasy elements that are referenced in the narrative.
Even the new dungeons are very limited and repetitive, which is a somewhat of a disappointment, but at least the interface is well designed, and it's very easy to deal with level-ups, equipment, and party management.
There are no spoken lines in Knights of Pen and Paper 2, which is well suited to the overall design of the game and has a solid side effect of making it easier for gamers to listen to the music, a set of very retro tunes that are great for taking out monsters.
The actual sound effects of combat can quickly become annoying, which is a good excuse to turn them off and simply listen to the impressive soundtrack.
The Good
- Meta-RPG structure and resulting commentary
- New classes and powers
- Dungeons and associated battles
The Bad
- Combat can become repetitive
- Limited interaction options
Conclusion
The dungeons and the randomness that they introduce represent some of the best elements of the experience, and I would have loved to see them developed some more, with more ways to interact with the environments than battles.
As it stands now, the title from Kyy Games and Paradox focuses too much on the grind that has always been a part of the role-playing genre and relies on its meta-narrative to give gamers a reason to push forward.
The game is best enjoyed in small slices, and I encourage all those who want a stripped-down RPG experience with some interesting ideas even if not as well developed as they should be, to give Knights of Pen and Paper 2 a try.
