Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Deluxier Edition

Genre: Turn-Based RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

(Note: This game is included in Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle along with Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition. It is also included in Pen and Paper Games Bundle along with Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition and Galaxy of Pen and Paper +1 Edition. In addition to that, it is also in the Old School RPG Bundle along with Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition and Chroma Squad.)

Knights of Pen and Paper is a Turn-Based RPG originally released on mobile devices in 2012, then being ported to PC in 2013, then to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018. Along the way its title gradually extended as more content was added, first to +1 Edition, then to +1 Deluxier Edition. This game has a fun framing mechanic where players are playing as both a group of medieval fantasy characters in a typical Dungeons and Dragons-style tabletop RPG, but also as the characters who are playing those characters, as well as to some extent the Dungeon Master himself.

The presentation of this game uses nice simple, colorful 16-bit pixel art style visuals that work well for a game that’s clearly going for a nostalgic feel, and this is paired with a fitting (but kinda’ annoying) chiptune soundtrack. And while the story here is disposable almost to the point of being nonexistent, that’s not to say there aren’t fun bits of writing here and there – amusing character moments, funny pop culture references, and plenty of banter between the in-game players out-of-character. I should note that this sort of fourth wall-breaking stuff is really all that saves this game from being the most generic of cookie-cutter fantasy RPGs, but it’s enough to keep things from becoming completely boring.

Similarly, the gameplay is also built on some pretty generic mechanics. There’s nothing in the way of exploration or any noteworthy character management here, and combat is about as dumb and simple as it comes – after crafting a character, that character will retain the same perk, class, and four class-based abilities through the entire game. When leveling up, your only option is which of those four abilities to upgrade.

This game gives players a little more to work with when spending their earned gold, at least, upgrading not only their characters’ gear and buying items in town, but can also buy upgrades to the room where the players are playing the tabletop game, changing the snacks, the table, the room everyone’s playing in, and even the Dungeon Master. These changes confer bonuses to the characters in the game they’re playing, making it more than just a fun little extra.

However, without much complexity in the combat, any noteworthy character customization, or compelling story, that means much of the gameplay here boils down to simple grinding, grinding, grinding. Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing – I love me some good grinding, but only in a game that makes the grind fun. Here, it’s… eh, it’s okay, I suppose. Progression is a bit slow, and options are somewhat limited. I could see myself killing time with this game, but if I’m looking for a good grindy game, I have plenty of better options on the Nintendo Switch.

One more thing of note before I wrap this up. The Nintendo Switch version of the game does support the use of the touchscreen, but the use of this feature is spotty at best. Some menus simply cannot be opened without using the buttons, and the touchscreen implementation is so half-hearted here that I wonder why it’s even included at all. This is especially puzzling given that this game originally released on the mobile platform, meaning that touchscreen options were presumably removed for this version, which doesn’t make any sense.

In the end, Knights of Pen and Paper is a decent time-waster of an RPG, and its game-within-a-game premise is promising, but ultimately players are given far too few options in the gameplay, and the story is far too disposable to be as compelling as some of the other great grindy RPGs on the Nintendo Switch. If you absolutely want another grindy RPG on Nintendo Switch and can catch this game in one of the bundles on sale, it may be worth trying, but only if you’ve already grown tired of the countless better options available on the console.

tl;dr – Knights of Pen and Paper is a Turn-Based RPG with a game-within-a-game gimmick, having players playing an adventuring party in a D&D-esque tabletop game, as well as the characters who are playing that game. It’s a clever concept, but the gameplay itself gives players far too few options, and the story isn’t compelling enough to draw you in. As a grind-heavy game, it’s decent, but not on par with some of the great grindy RPGs on the Nintendo Switch. Not bad, but you have better options.

Grade: C+

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