Knights of Honor II: Sovereign

Knights of Honor II: Sovereign brings everything a strategy fan can dream of and will remain on the RTS throne for a very long time.

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"Knights of Honor II: Sovereign" is a real-time grand strategy game set in medieval Europe. As a ruler, guide your kingdom through diplomacy, warfare, and economic strategies to expand and unify the continent. Experience dynamic battles, deep customization, and smart AI in this immersive and challenging journey to become the ultimate sovereign.

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Reviews

76%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,333 reviews

gameplay139 positive mentions

optimization10 negative mentions

Engaging gameplay that combines elements of Crusader Kings and Total War, offering a unique experience.
Beautiful graphics and a well-designed user interface that enhances the overall experience.
High replayability due to randomized resources and different starting conditions for each campaign.

Limited army sizes and the inability to control more than two armies in battles can lead to frustrating gameplay.
The AI can be overly aggressive and make illogical decisions, leading to unbalanced gameplay.
Lack of depth in diplomacy and character management compared to other grand strategy games.

gameplay
519 mentions
27 % positive mentions
67 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Knights of Honor II: Sovereign" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its blend of real-time strategy and grand strategy elements, reminiscent of both "Total War" and "Crusader Kings." While some praise the game's accessibility and engaging mechanics, others criticize its lack of depth, poorly explained systems, and limitations on army management, which can lead to repetitive gameplay. Overall, the game is seen as a polished sequel with potential, but it may not fully satisfy players seeking the complexity and richness found in more established titles in the genre.
- “The gameplay mechanics are much more complex, and the game presents a bigger challenge overall.”
- “Intricate gameplay systems: the game provides a dense array of interlocking systems, such as managing royal councils, espionage, trade, and province development.”
- “The improved visuals and refined gameplay mechanics make this a must-play for any fan of grand strategy.”
- “In conclusion, I couldn't bring myself to truly like it; it screams of missed potential in many areas of gameplay and game design and simply is inferior to what the top games in the historical strategy genre can offer you in the past decade.”
- “To make matters worse, the gameplay is hidden behind an onslaught of overly complicated mechanics and poorly explained mechanics and a UI straight out of the 90s, that explains very little.”
- “The mechanics and UI are clunky, graphically there is nothing to look at, managing your kingdom and armies is incredibly annoying; I don't get how this game has a mostly positive review score.”
graphics
251 mentions
29 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting a significant improvement over its predecessor, particularly in map visuals and user interface. However, criticisms abound regarding the battle graphics and animations, which are often described as mediocre or outdated, failing to meet modern standards. Overall, while some appreciate the nostalgic charm and artistic style, others feel the graphics lack depth and polish, making the game feel more like a remaster than a true sequel.
- “The improved visuals and refined gameplay mechanics make this a must-play for any fan of grand strategy.”
- “Beautiful visuals with smooth and streamlined gameplay, that reinforces just how epic history was.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, music is awesome, it’s very fun and addictive.”
- “The graphics are really mediocre and Koh2 looks worse in my opinion than EU IV, which is now 11 years old.”
- “The graphics are awful and outdated by at least 10 years!!!”
- “The graphics is not good at all but still my GPU is running at 100% and 70 Celsius (RTX 3070), like what?”
music
93 mentions
51 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising its immersive and fitting medieval atmosphere, while others feel it falls short compared to the original soundtrack. Some players appreciate the quality of the new compositions and voice acting, but a significant number express disappointment over the lack of memorable tracks and the absence of beloved themes from the predecessor. Overall, while the soundtrack is generally considered good, it is often described as less impactful and varied than that of the previous game.
- “The soundtrack deserves special mention, as it complements the medieval setting perfectly, immersing players in the atmosphere of the game.”
- “One of the things that stands out the most about the game is its great soundtrack.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous, music is awesome, it’s very fun and addictive.”
- “Music direction, game UI, and character portrait art is a total downgrade, while keeping the same problems the original had.”
- “The main issue is that you pay for the same game, with the same music, same gameplay, same everything and only the interface is moved a bit and that's about it.”
- “The music is rather underwhelming compared to the original one.”
replayability
61 mentions
36 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The replayability of "Knights of Honor II: Sovereign" is a mixed bag among reviewers. Many praise its high replay value due to a vast selection of playable nations, randomized provinces, and multiple victory conditions, which can lead to distinct campaign experiences. However, some players feel that the game lacks depth and unique faction characteristics, leading to a sense of monotony in gameplay, which diminishes its overall replayability.
- “Replayability: with a vast selection of nations and multiple victory conditions, every campaign can feel distinct.”
- “This game definitely has depth as well as infinite replayability given the randomized aspects of the setup and huge choice of nations to play.”
- “The game is highly replayable as each session will bring up different situations even if you restart the game as the same kingdom.”
- “Gameplay becomes extremely monotonous and replayability is pretty much non-existent.”
- “I don't think there's much replayability since nothing much would really change if you start with a different kingdom/religion.”
- “My main complaints would be that factions don't have much unique flavor, which hurts replayability, and veteran strategy players will find the late game gets repetitive.”
optimization
51 mentions
12 % positive mentions
69 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly during battles, leading to lag and frame rate drops. While some users have experienced smooth gameplay on higher-end systems, others with mid-range setups have encountered severe slowdowns and stuttering. Overall, there is a consensus that the game requires substantial optimization and bug fixes to enhance performance across various hardware configurations.
- “It's well-optimized and has a better UI than its predecessor.”
- “I've read other people's reviews and I don't understand the whining about 'optimizations' (works great for me, highest settings, 1080p, mid-range laptop for games, without the slightest lag).”
- “The game is very fun, no performance issues, etc. it's a solid game that yes could use some QoL improvements to make it a gem.”
- “I really love the first game and I really wanted to love this sequel, but the performance is just so bad.”
- “Despite the fewer crashes, the game still suffers from performance issues and occasionally slows down to a crawl, forcing me to restart.”
- “The performance is disgustingly bad in battles; my god.”
story
48 mentions
8 % positive mentions
79 % neutral mentions
13 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with many players noting the absence of a traditional campaign or narrative structure. While some appreciate the unique missions tied to different kingdoms and the introduction of new mechanics, others find the gameplay repetitive and lacking in meaningful storytelling compared to titles like Crusader Kings. Overall, players express a desire for more narrative elements and variety in missions to enhance the experience.
- “I like how playing with certain kingdoms gives you unique missions, and I love that they've added shamans and unique traits for pagan countries.”
- “Having a quest for the country was a pleasant addition to the game.”
- “I'm enjoying pretending to be a medieval king and seeing how the story unravels.”
- “No story or campaign, so after playing one game, I feel like I've done everything here.”
- “Started the game as Kyiv and found out that the main quest is to establish Russia instead of historical Kievan Rus... f*ck this 'historical' game.”
- “For diplomacy and story building, it pales in comparison to the likes of Crusader Kings II.”
grinding
23 mentions
4 % positive mentions
4 % neutral mentions
91 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often due to artificial difficulty and cumbersome mechanics like long siege times and limited army management. While some appreciate the depth of micro and macro management, many feel that the game requires an unreasonable time investment for upgrades and resource management, leading to a sense of monotony. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a significant drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “A tedious slog, not because it's difficult, but due to artificially increased difficulty.”
- “The game just feels tedious, with bad zooming control, no ability to assign units hotkeys, ridiculously long siege times, and awful troop pathing.”
- “Aside from being a not-so-good reskin of the previous game, the game in its current state has so many issues as to make playing it a tedious affair and quickly boring.”
stability
19 mentions
21 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
79 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting various bugs and glitches, particularly during battles and in multiplayer modes. While some users experienced a smooth gameplay experience without issues, others noted significant problems such as freezing, sound loss, and performance drops, especially after recent updates. Overall, the game appears to be a work in progress, with ongoing stability concerns that developers need to address.
- “Koh II Sovereign is solid with addictive gameplay, no glitches in performance, pleasant graphics, great voice, sound effects, and music.”
- “What I can say is the game for me was bug-free and I enjoyed taking over the world :)”
- “Is it bug-free?”
- “Tldr: AI is buggy, sieges are problematic, and the reinforcement system is terrible.”
- “Good game but buggy; my sound has now gone offline and I'm having to reinstall the game to fix it.”
- “Developers have yet to work on preventing crashes and screen freezes after the recent update.”
humor
17 mentions
94 % positive mentions
-12 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd and often ironic scenarios, such as immortal royal court members and unexpected historical developments, which provide comedic moments throughout gameplay. Players find amusement in the quirky mechanics, like the ease of defeating AI opponents and the humorous interactions between characters, while some aspects, like the lack of aging among key figures, add to the game's comedic charm. Overall, the humor is a mix of intentional jokes and the inherent silliness of the game's mechanics, making for a lighthearted experience despite some criticisms.
- “You can see some pretty hilarious ahistorical European developments (watching Flanders and Leinster conquer England gave me a chuckle).”
- “It's quite hilarious later in the game when you have more gold since you can literally hire every mercenary army that pops up and have them maraud throughout Europe, causing chaos to your enemies and significantly increasing your military power.”
- “The fact that the king can age and die, while the knights are immortal, also looks funny to me.”
- “This game tries to be a combination of Crusader Kings and Total War, and while I really wanted this for more competition in the genre and something fresh, it just falls so flat it's not funny, especially for the price.”
- “The humor in this game feels forced and often misses the mark, leaving me more confused than amused.”
- “I expected some clever jokes or witty dialogue, but instead, I was met with cringeworthy attempts at humor that just didn't land.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive medieval setting, enhanced by a powerful soundtrack and high-quality voice acting that effectively captures the mood. Players appreciate the combination of beautiful graphics, strategic action, and attention to detail, although some note a slight decline in the medieval ambiance compared to its predecessor. Overall, the atmosphere is described as engaging and invigorating, successfully drawing players into the experience.
- “It has good presentation, nice epic music, decent graphics, fitting atmosphere; it can definitely get you in the right mood.”
- “The soundtrack deserves special mention, as it complements the medieval setting perfectly, immersing players in the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Must admit that voice acting is top notch here; it builds a great atmosphere in the game.”
- “It lost a bit of the medieval atmosphere compared to its predecessor.”
- “This is the pacing and atmosphere combined together.”
- “They managed to recreate the atmosphere of the first part and optimize the use of your knights and their specialties.”
monetization
9 mentions
22 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
78 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the absence of microtransactions, while others criticize it as a "soulless cash grab" that fails to deliver on its promises, particularly regarding multiplayer functionality. Overall, the game is viewed as lacking innovation and depth, leading to disappointment among those expecting a more engaging experience.
- “It is a finished game without the shady monetization that has become the industry standard.”
- “There are no microtransactions.”
- “This game is a soulless cash grab not worth your money; the first game, Knight of Honor, is way more worth it in my point of view. It is a relaxing solo game when you have time to kill.”
- “In short, this is an outdated remake cash grab with mechanics that are still stuck in 2004 and nothing else.”
- “It feels like a cash grab from people that had huge hopes and wanted to feel the nostalgia.”
character development
3 mentions
67 % positive mentions
-67 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is criticized for its lack of depth and variety, drawing unfavorable comparisons to titles like Crusader Kings and EU4, which it fails to emulate effectively. Players note that the experience feels repetitive across different nations, with minimal roleplaying elements and an overly simplistic skill progression system.
- “The character development and roleplaying aspects are more refined.”
- “It takes ideas from games like Crusader Kings and EU4 with its character development and politicking.”
- “It takes ideas from games like Crusader Kings and EU4 with its character development and politicking, but does both of these poorly. It lacks depth and variety; the games will play out the same regardless of the nation you pick.”
- “There's no character development, and it's really easy to skill up.”
- “The character development and roleplaying aspects are not refined.”
emotional
2 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its emotional depth and wholesome narrative, set in a historically overlooked period, evoking strong feelings and resonating with players who find it both heartbreaking and fulfilling.
- “A relatively deep and wholesome game for the period of history that most big titles tend to forget existed.”
- “This is heartbreaking; the game is really good and exactly what I was waiting for.”