Knights of Pen & Paper 2 Deluxiest Edition

Genre: Turn-Based RPG

Players: 1

.

Review:

(Note: This game is included in Knights of Pen and Paper Bundle along with Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Deluxier Edition. It is also included in Pen and Paper Games Bundle along with Knights of Pen and Paper +1 Deluxier 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 and Paper +1 Deluxier Edition and Chroma Squad.)

Knights of Pen and Paper 2, like its predecessor, is a Turn-Based RPG with a 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. This game was originally released on mobile devices and PC in 2015, then being ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2018 in a “Deluxier Edition” that includes all of the previously-released expansion content for the game.

For those who played the first game, the sequel doesn’t stray too far from the formula. It uses the same basic premise, has the same basic gameplay, and even features some of the same flaws as the first game. Yet, despite this, the second game is in my opinion far superior, thanks largely to small improvements throughout the game that greatly enhance the overall experience.

Like the original game, the presentation of Knights of Pen and Paper 2 uses a simple, colorful pixel art style, this time seemingly in the style of classic LucasArts adventure games to capture the nostalgic feel it’s looking for. The music has similarly been upgraded, still in the chiptune style, but this time with a slightly higher fidelity (it kinda’ reminded me of the sort of music you’d hear coming out of Sega Genesis games). Overall, I think I prefer the look of the original, but I put that down to personal preference, and while I don’t think any of the music here is especially memorable, it doesn’t instantly annoy me like what was in the first game.

However, the big improvement over the original game in the presentation has to be the story… since there actually is one this time. Where the first game seemed satisfied at just making fun pop culture references and cute little fourth wall-breaking jokes, Knights of Pen and Paper 2 actually uses the “game within a game” format to tell a fun story with the premise – namely, after getting fed up with a killjoy min-max style player, the Dungeon Master has decided to start a new game with a new group of players, with this game clearly intended as a very thinly-veiled criticism of the former player. It’s an amusing premise, made even funnier by how this obvious satire seems to go right over the heads of the new group of idiot players. Where the first game had me smiling at the little pop culture references and jokes, this game had me genuinely chuckling at the interchange between the Dungeon Master and his players.

Much as with the presentation, the gameplay here is at its core much the same, but a number of tweaks have improved it significantly. Players still have little control over their characters’ builds (only an individual perk, race perk, class stats, and four class-based abilities), yet this time around it doesn’t feel nearly as stifling. This is in part thanks to a much quicker progression, multiple equipment slots that allow for more character malleability, and the frequent addition of new elements to shake things up and add variety. Where in the first game, I found the game’s grindy nature decent but not very compelling, this time I’ll admit that the game sucked me in.

Having said that, the game still could do with more character customization, and it even lacks a few options that were in the first game – you can still use gold acquired in-game to alter the room your in-game characters are playing in to add buffs and modifiers, but there are fewer of these options. However, this is made up for somewhat by the expanded options the DLC content brings to the table. That is to say, players can order D&D-style “modules” that add new items, classes, characters, areas, and quests. While there is a lot of room for improvement here, it’s clear that a great amount of effort was made to work on the flaws present in the original game and provide players with a variety of options that are unlocked far more quickly.

There is one area that’s still a bit problematic, and that’s the integration of the Nintendo Switch’s touchscreen, which is still hit-or-miss. Most menu selections work well with it, perhaps even better, but some important selections still require using the buttons. Thankfully, traditional button controls still work well enough, but it’s frustrating that a game that started out as a mobile title still has issues with touchscreen support on Nintendo Switch.

Overall, I was delightfully surprised by Knights of Pen and Paper 2. Despite that this game makes no major changes from its predecessor, a multitude of smaller improvements has overall made this a much better experience, with an engaging story instead of a series of amusing jokes and references, and compelling gameplay with good progression instead of a dull and tedious grind. If you liked the original game, you should enjoy the sequel even more. If you didn’t like the original game but thought the premise was appealing, this game may still be worth a try. And if you never played the original game but are looking for a decent grind-heavy RPG with a fun story inspired by Dungeons and Dragons-style tabletop sessions, you should probably give Knights of Pen & Paper 2 a look.

tl;dr – Knights of Pen and Paper 2, like its predecessor, 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. However, while the original game was lacking in both the story and gameplay, the sequel makes numerous improvements throughout the game that make it a much better experience overall, with a fun fourth wall-breaking story and some compelling grind-heavy gameplay. If that sounds appealing to you, definitely give this game a look.

Grade: B

^{You can support eShopperReviews on Patreon! Please click HERE to become a Sponsor!}

^{This month’s sponsors are Lee, Andy Miller, Stov, u/wonderponder, Johannes, Ilya Zverev, Eli Goodman, and KC. Thank you for helping to keep the reviews coming!}