Knights of Honor II: Sovereign

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,464 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • music
Knights of Honor II: Sovereign Game Cover
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.

  • PC
  • Windows
  • Cloud
  • NVIDIA GeForce NOW
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,464 reviews
gameplay192 positive mentions
story10 negative mentions
  • Great blend of real-time strategy and grand strategy elements, making it accessible yet engaging.
  • Improved mechanics from the original Knights of Honor, including a more complex economy and diplomacy system.
  • High replayability due to randomized provinces and unique starting conditions for each campaign.
  • Tactical battles feel clunky and lack depth compared to other strategy games, often leading to auto-resolve being the preferred option.
  • Limited number of knights (9 total) restricts kingdom management and military expansion, making it difficult to govern larger empires.
  • AI behavior can be erratic, with allies declaring war unexpectedly and enemy armies spawning in unrealistic numbers.
  • gameplay744 mentions

    The gameplay of "Knights of Honor II" is a blend of grand strategy and real-time tactics, drawing comparisons to titles like "Crusader Kings" and "Total War." While many players find the mechanics engaging and the learning curve manageable, others criticize the lack of depth in certain systems, poorly explained mechanics, and slow-paced battles. Overall, the game offers a mix of enjoyable strategic elements and frustrating limitations, making it a solid but imperfect experience for fans of the genre.

    • “It's fairly quick to learn and once you get the fundamentals, it's a pretty fun game to play. The game feels like a combination of Total War and Crusader Kings and is a lot of fun. I also recommend installing mods later on when you understand the mechanics of the game.”
    • “The game has less mechanics and features than the CK series, but all the game mechanics seem to have a purpose.”
    • “The game's straightforward mechanics make it easy to pick up, and the blend of simplicity and depth keeps it engaging.”
    • “Gameplay is boring and repetitive.”
    • “This game might just be one of the most infuriating; the fact that I'm limited to only two armies in any engagement and can't have extra reinforcements allowed is absolutely stupid. However, the AI will be able to stack three armies as a way to sally out, which is crazy. The AI also seems immune to manpower restrictions as they can produce unlimited armies, which has me irate. You're also unable to cycle units out of a siege without completely breaking the siege and then immediately resieging, making it the most infuriating and tedious game mechanic.”
    • “Many mechanics (or bugs?) cannot be properly countered or even resolved in any way, which makes it impossible to play.”
  • graphics367 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with some praising the improved visuals and art style, while others criticize them as outdated and lacking detail compared to modern standards. Many players feel that the graphics are reminiscent of older titles, with some even stating that the original game had better visuals for its time. Overall, while the graphics are considered decent by some, they do not meet the expectations for a 2022 release, leading to disappointment among fans seeking a more significant upgrade.

    • “I really appreciate the new graphics and the rework of the map.”
    • “The graphics of the world are just stunning in addition to a pretty intricate economic and warfare system at the heart of which is your royal court of knights.”
    • “The improvements are all great, the graphics are beautiful, and the gameplay loop is really fun.”
    • “Graphics leaves much to be desired.”
    • “What was fresh in the early 2000s now feels very stale, and the 3D art style feels dated and isn't particularly flattering.”
    • “The graphics are awful and outdated by at least 10 years!!!”
  • music147 mentions

    The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment that it does not match the memorable quality of the original soundtrack. While some appreciate the new compositions for their charm and fitting medieval ambiance, others find them bland or lacking in variety. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as decent but not as epic or engaging as its predecessor, leading to calls for a return of the original music.

    • “Perhaps most importantly, the game has a strong soundtrack and powerful voice acting, which combine to make a comfortable and invigorating atmosphere.”
    • “Once you hear the tune of the in-game music, it is catchy and immersive enough to grip your heart and take you to a deep dive inside this beautiful and alive world map, shockingly it makes you feel like a denizen of a medieval city taking a stroll through the paved road!”
    • “Koh I had one of the most exciting, gripping, unforgettable soundtracks of any video game I've ever played.”
    • “The music is overall quite bland.”
    • “Koh2, by comparison, has a mediocre soundtrack.”
    • “I miss the old music so much, as it was an absolute masterpiece, and I hope some modder will bring it back into the game.”
  • replayability90 mentions

    Replayability in this game is a mixed bag; while some players find it offers endless replayability due to randomized elements and a variety of factions, others feel it lacks depth and unique features, making it less engaging over time. Many appreciate the potential for different experiences with each playthrough, especially with mods, but some criticize the game for being too simplistic or repetitive. Overall, the game's replayability is seen as a strong point, though it could benefit from further content updates and improvements to AI and gameplay mechanics.

    • “Endless replayability.”
    • “The replayability is incredible.”
    • “This game definitely has depth as well as infinite replayability given the randomized aspects of the setup and huge choice of nations to play.”
    • “I did play it through but don't see any replayability.”
    • “No replay value and it feels more like a chore than a game.”
    • “So far it has very limited replayability, maybe going for a different victory type or trying smaller countries that inevitably have it harder to expand and get their economy going, but the game loop itself feels very shallow.”
  • story78 mentions

    The game's story is criticized for its lack of depth and historical accuracy, with players expressing frustration over repetitive missions and a main quest that diverges from expected historical narratives. While some enjoy the mechanics of diplomacy and various missions, many feel that the game lacks a compelling overarching narrative and could benefit from more diverse storytelling elements and character development. Overall, the story aspect is seen as underdeveloped, leaving players wanting more engagement and variety.

    • “Having a quest for a country was a pleasant addition to the game.”
    • “I'm enjoying pretending to be a medieval king and seeing how the story unravels.”
    • “It looks different, especially on the map, when you have fulfilled this sort of special quest and see the entire name written; it brings this small measure of satisfaction and also acknowledgement.”
    • “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.”
    • “This is not the game to buy when you want to launch an epic, week-long (or longer) narrative campaign where you painstakingly plot the details of an empire.”
    • “It takes some inspiration from Crusader Kings and Total War, but it only deploys those mechanisms for their familiarity and superficial flavor.”
  • optimization72 mentions

    The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, particularly during battles, leading to frame rate drops and sluggish gameplay. While some users have experienced smooth performance on higher settings, others have struggled even on decent hardware, suggesting that the game requires further optimization and bug fixes. Overall, there is a consensus that while the game is enjoyable, it needs substantial improvements in performance to meet player expectations.

    • “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 could use some quality of life improvements to make it a gem.”
    • “The performance is disgustingly bad in battles; my god.”
    • “Also, as of today the optimization is terrible: I barely have 40 fps on a decent laptop (Apex Legends on mid graphics 90fps, CS:GO 150 and LoL on max 100), auto-pathing of your marshals is somehow worse than the first game that came out in 2009.”
    • “Even though this game is very fun and immersive, it happens to deal with some serious issues of optimization in the tactical battle.”
  • grinding38 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious and frustrating, often due to limitations on army management and long siege times. Many reviewers express that the game feels artificially difficult, with convoluted upgrade systems and resource management that detracts from enjoyment. While some appreciate the unique elements of the game, the overall sentiment leans towards it being a slog that requires significant time investment without sufficient reward.

    • “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 unit hotkeys, ridiculously long siege times, and awful troop pathing.”
    • “Aside from being a not-so-good reskin of KOH I, the game in its current state has so many issues that make playing it a tedious affair and quickly boring.”
  • stability28 mentions

    The stability of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs, crashes, and freezing issues, particularly in multiplayer and during combat. However, others have experienced smooth gameplay with no glitches, indicating that stability may vary based on individual experiences. Overall, while some improvements have been noted, ongoing issues persist, particularly after recent updates.

    • “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?”
    • “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.”
    • “There are still bugs in this game; sometimes when entering combat the game freezes, and sometimes the battle begins but you are still in the loading screen.”
  • humor28 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurd historical scenarios, such as unlikely conquests and the immortality of royal court members, which leads to amusing situations like controlling a kingdom indefinitely. Players find the AI's ease of defeat and their humorous demands for gold to be ironic, while the game's mechanics, including the juxtaposition of aging kings and immortal knights, add to the comedic elements. Overall, while the humor can be entertaining, some players feel it lacks depth and originality.

    • “You can see some pretty hilarious ahistorical European developments (watching Flanders and Leinster conquer England gave me a chuckle).”
    • “Family is, hilariously, capped.”
    • “I just find it hilarious that if you conquer Dublin in the game as England, you basically have Viking units.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • atmosphere15 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful and immersive medieval setting, enhanced by a strong soundtrack and top-notch voice acting that create a comfortable and invigorating experience. While some players feel it has lost a bit of its predecessor's medieval charm, the overall attention to detail, engaging gameplay elements, and rich world-building contribute to a captivating atmosphere.

    • “Breathtaking strategic action in the medieval atmosphere - strategy, fighting, trading - everything!”
    • “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”
    • “Perhaps most importantly, the game has a strong soundtrack and powerful voice acting, which combine to make a comfortable and invigorating atmosphere.”
  • monetization14 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with many reviewers feeling that it lacks the depth and engagement expected from a modern title. While it is noted that the game does not employ the typical shady monetization practices, the overall sentiment is that it fails to deliver on its multiplayer promises and feels outdated, relying heavily on nostalgia rather than innovative gameplay.

    • “It is a finished game without the shady monetization that has become the industry standard.”
    • “This is a cash grab.”
    • “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 development4 mentions

    Character development in the game is criticized for lacking depth and variety, drawing comparisons to titles like Crusader Kings and EU4 but failing to execute these elements effectively. Players note that the experience feels repetitive across different nations, with minimal character growth and an overly simplistic skill progression system.

    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The game is praised for its emotional depth and wholesome narrative, set in a historical period often overlooked by major titles, allowing players to connect with its themes and characters on a meaningful level.

    • “A relatively deep and wholesome game for the period of history most big titles tend to forget existed.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

72% average critic score

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Play time

16hMedian play time
24hAverage play time
5-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 40 analyzed playthroughs

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