A bounty of kings
King’s Bounty II is a tactical RPG, that blends a fantasy setting with turn based combat set in the fictional country of Nostria. Of course, like most fantasy RPG’s there is some foul darkness that threatens the land and it’s up to the player to save the world. When starting a new game, players can choose one of three characters to play as: Katherine the mage, Aivar the warrior, and Elisa the paladin. While the game doesn’t offer different stories for each of the protagonist, they do differ by each of their ideals. The ideal system is something that I felt was unique in King’s Bounty II. Ideals will influence both available actions in quests and the character’s dialogue.
There are four ideals to choose from to follow: anarchy, power, order and finesse. Each of the characters start with their ideal pointing in one direction or another, it is possible to change their ideals through various quests and feats. However, at a certain point the ideal will be locked in place, this will leave players unable to do certain quests or conversations that aren’t based on the chosen ideal. So, for those that are completionist, King’s Bounty II will require multiple playthroughs.
MSRP: $49.99
Platforms: PC (reviewed), PlayStation
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
The core gameplay of King’s Bounty II consists of an overworld, not unlike most RPGs; where players will meet various characters and of course receive and complete quests. Character movement in King’s Bounty II is a real head scratcher. The default movement is a run, yet it is dreadfully slow but the confusing part is the game gives a ‘walk’ button toggle. This of course will make the character walk instead of (King’s Bounty II’s version) run even more slowly. Slow movement wouldn’t usually be an issue but King’s Bounty II forces players to backtrack for a great deal of the game. The various point of interests are usually a great deal apart from one another and even using the horse that will be gifted early on feels like a slog getting from place to place.
Battles in King’s Bounty II take place on a hex-based grid where players will give units commands as they move through the battlefield. The environments in the various battlefield were all varied and each beautifully in their own way. From a simple city street to fighting in wondrously flowy fields Kings Bounty II never ceased to impress. Combat offers a wide range of units for the player to control and command, and when factoring in the ideal system the whole combat system begins to open up. In fact, my only real issue with the combat is the odd decision in the UI. Unlike almost every turn-based, tactical game, Kings Bounty II decided to not include some sort of indicator to keep track of turns. Without this, it will make it difficult to prepare for attacks or even counter attack because players will be forced to guess who is going next. It can make for some difficult encounters, but doesn’t destroy the fun value.
The quests system in Kings Bounty II however very well might sap that fun from the game. The quality in quests in King’s Bounty II is wildly varied, from stellar to just a waste. And as I said earlier when you factor in the extremely slow movement when navigating the overworld it can be wholly disheartening to finally receive a quest only for it to be a complete and utter chore to finish. Unfortunately, players will have to slog through, if they wish to find success. As stated earlier this game has a ton of backtracking and players will have to endure it in order to level units up for combat, it is a grueling process but mandatory.
I didn’t hate King’s Bounty II; I loved the combat system. The hex design and the battlefields are all highlights. However, the things that can be done in-between those fights is where the majority of the player’s time will be spent. And it as much as I usually enjoy exploring RPG’s, there was no joy in navigating the overworld in King’s Bounty II due to the ridiculously slow movement speed. Those that are fans of the franchise will no doubt find much to love here with the fun combat and varied units and even decent main story.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
