Knights of Pen and Paper 2

About

"Knights of Pen and Paper 2" is a turn-based retro RPG where you control a group of players and a game master, playing through a tabletop RPG scenario. Venture through different locations, battle enemies, and level up your characters to unlock new abilities. The game offers a mix of humor, strategy, and nostalgia, making it a fun and engaging experience for RPG fans.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

85%

Audience ScoreBased on 2,155 reviews

story138 positive mentions

grinding266 negative mentions

story
537 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
67%
7%
The story in "Knights of Pen & Paper 2" is characterized by a light-hearted, humorous narrative that parodies traditional RPG tropes, often filled with pop culture references and clever dialogue. While many players appreciate the comedic elements and whimsical quests, some find the overall plot to be repetitive and lacking depth, with a linear quest structure that can lead to grindy gameplay. Overall, the game offers an enjoyable experience for those who appreciate its quirky storytelling, though it may not satisfy players seeking a more profound narrative.
- “The story is good with plenty of funny moments.”
- “A lovely combination of a strong storyline with self-aware comedy.”
- “The story itself is great and funny in my opinion, I really enjoyed it.”
- “No real story to speak of, just a string of references to other nerdy franchises and jokes.”
- “The game has a mediocre story at best, but good humor throughout.”
- “The story literally vanishes after Fifi, just done a real let down.”
humor
402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players praising its clever writing, witty dialogue, and numerous pop culture references, particularly for fans of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons. While some find the humor engaging and entertaining, others feel it can be forced or repetitive, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, the game is noted for its light-hearted and quirky humor, appealing primarily to those familiar with the genre's tropes.
- “The writing is solid, the jokes are funny, and the gameplay, while not groundbreaking, serves its purpose.”
- “The writing is hilarious, thoughtful and 4th-wall-breaking providing entertainment throughout the whole experience.”
- “The humor and charm really make this game shine.”
- “The humor is silly and not funny.”
- “Not funny at all, and sometimes it becomes a problem when you have to go through some walls of text that add nothing.”
- “Not funny at all, and sometimes it becomes a problem when you have to go through some walls of text that add nothing.”
gameplay
317 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
63%
9%
The gameplay of "Knights of Pen and Paper 2" is characterized by a turn-based combat system that, while initially engaging, tends to become repetitive and simplistic over time, with many players noting a lack of strategic depth and variety. Although the game features humorous writing and a charming aesthetic, it struggles with grindy mechanics and a gameplay loop that can feel stale, particularly in the late game. Overall, while it offers a fun and accessible RPG experience, it may not satisfy those seeking more complex gameplay dynamics.
- “The gameplay is great with many varied enemies and mechanics that allow for a lot of replayability and stop it from becoming boring plus the game is so player driven that it can be as hard or as easy as the player needs.”
- “Decent amount of depth and choice in the battle system and a nice selection of classes to keep the gameplay fresh.”
- “Very entertaining game with solid gameplay and good writing.”
- “Some aspects of the game are polished but the core gameplay and gameplay loop are really horrible.”
- “95% of the gameplay is combat, which is repetitive and boring with no real strategy required.”
- “This one feels like about 10 minutes of development was done and they just stuck that on repeat for the next 10 hours of gameplay.”
grinding
270 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
1%
1%
99%
The grinding aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it tedious and repetitive, particularly in combat and questing. While some enjoy the grind as part of the RPG experience, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, especially in the late game where it can become excessively time-consuming. Overall, the game is characterized by a significant amount of grinding, which may appeal to dedicated fans of the genre but could deter casual players.
- “The combat is fun, not tedious at all.”
- “What's left is an abundance of monotonous grinding, so if you're into dungeon crawlers, this should do nicely; for all others: don't bother, not really worth it.”
- “The end game gets very tedious at some point.”
- “The grinding in this game is atrocious.”
graphics
164 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
62%
4%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many praising the improved pixel art style and vibrant visuals compared to its predecessor. Players appreciate the charming retro aesthetic, which balances nostalgia with modern enhancements, although some feel the graphics remain basic and could be considered primitive by contemporary standards. Overall, the art style and animations contribute significantly to the game's appeal, making it visually engaging despite some critiques regarding repetitiveness and simplicity.
- “The graphics and music are what you would expect from this studio, the characters and enemies are oozing with usual pixelated cuteness. The good thing is that it won't age badly and you can still play this game many years after release and it will still look good.”
- “A great mix of humor and references creates a fun story while the great pixel art and design makes for a nice and charming aesthetic.”
- “The creators definitely paid attention to the reviews, critics, feedback, etc. from the first game, because the graphics, sound, gameplay, storyline, and just everything are all improved in this sequel.”
- “The graphics are poor for 2015, even for an indie, and are roughly on the level of a colorized Pokémon Red and Blue.”
- “The graphics are pretty primitive, but not quite as block-like as the first KOPAP.”
- “Almost every aspect except graphics is a downgrade.”
music
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
46%
5%
The music in the game is generally well-received, with many players praising its nostalgic chiptune style and how it complements the visuals and gameplay. However, some users note a lack of variety, leading to repetitiveness over time, though the soundtrack remains enjoyable and memorable. Overall, while the music is a highlight for many, it could benefit from a broader range of tracks to enhance the experience further.
- “The best part of this game is the music and the character creation.”
- “The soundtrack for this game is excellent and memorable as well.”
- “Each area has its own music, making progression feel a lot more enjoyable.”
- “However, with a low amount of musical variety, the songs do start to get repetitive after a while.”
- “The music could have more soundtracks; it becomes repetitive quickly.”
- “I found the music to be just average, nothing to write home about.”
replayability
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
65%
15%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players finding it engaging due to various character combinations and unlockable content, while others note a lack of depth and limited choices that diminish long-term replay value. Many reviews suggest that while the initial playthroughs can be enjoyable, the experience tends to become repetitive over time, leading to a consensus that replayability is moderate at best. Overall, the game offers some replayable elements, but expectations should be tempered, especially for those seeking a deeper experience.
- “Fantastic retro game with tons of replayability, strategy, and humour.”
- “I've actually gotten a lot of replayability here by mixing and matching classes then changing my mind and starting over; it's actually fun to reform groups from scratch because your gold carries over all of your campaigns.”
- “The game is endless with its replayability; every playthrough feels like a new one.”
- “There's no depth or special replayability to this game, yet it asks for a lot of your time in order to unlock much of anything.”
- “Great on the first two playthroughs (the first to unlock everything and the second to see what those unlocks do), but gets kind of dull after that (not super replayable).”
- “However, unless you do some special challenge runs or find something unique, there isn't as much replayability as I would have hoped.”
monetization
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
73%
20%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with players expressing frustration over the presence of microtransactions in the free-to-play version, which significantly hampers progression and gameplay experience. While the paid version lacks in-app purchases, it still exhibits design elements that suggest a mobile monetization model, leading to a grindy experience, especially at higher levels. Overall, players appreciate the absence of microtransactions in the paid version but criticize the balance and difficulty that seem influenced by a monetization mindset.
- “There are a few in-game purchases that can be made optionally, but no real money can be spent after buying the game, which is very nice for a game of this price.”
- “The PC version has all the features and no microtransactions, yet.”
- “Sure the mobile version has some of the freemium nonsense we all know and love from mobile games like paid currencies & microtransactions, but it has more features, better progression, a better difficulty curve, and additional items/weapons/gear.”
- “Plus the developers went to implement microtransactions in a later game - and then cut them out again, without rebalancing the game to cut players some slack who literally can't buy stuff that seems to be really needed (pay-to-win).”
- “What I really didn't like is the fact that a free-to-play version of this game exists, a version that is slightly more updated but is full of microtransactions and is an awful lot harder than this version: all values in the free-to-play version have been multiplied roughly by 20 compared to the paid version, except the gold and experience gains which are lower still, so the progression is significantly hindered.”
- “It seems like a quick cash grab to take advantage of the first game's success.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
71%
The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous players reporting significant glitches, particularly related to crafting and save data loss. While some users appreciate the humor and polish of the game, many express frustration over its instability, leading to a negative impact on their overall experience.
- “Love this game, it's funny, witty, whimsical, polished, and bug-free.”
- “At least Knights of Pen and Paper 2 isn't as buggy as most of Paradox's other products.”
- “There is a seemingly huge number of glitches and bugs that you have to fight along the storyline.”
- “Lost the save right before the last quest to get the last achievement because the game's too braindead to not be buggy as hell.”
- “Well, I can't play this game because its interface crapped itself and now all my game data is lost. I've lost $14 or however much this game cost me. I sent an email for help to fix the bug but got no reply, so here I am writing a negative review for a buggy game. Thanks, guys.”
atmosphere
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the fun music, witty RPG jokes, and tabletop RPG feel, while others criticize it for recycling clichés and lacking meaningful choices. Although humorous dialogue contributes positively, the overall experience is marred by a sense of glitchiness and a lack of depth.
- “The humorous dialogue really adds to the atmosphere!”
- “The combat leaves something to be desired, and I would never buy the DLC, but the fun music, comfy atmosphere, and witty RPG jokes make it a decent purchase.”
- “I really liked the tabletop RPG atmosphere, and it feels a bit too 'glitchy' this time around.”
- “Overall the game offers no meaningful choices and lacks any atmosphere.”
- “I really liked the tabletop RPG atmosphere, but it feels a bit too 'glitchy' this time around.”
- “The atmosphere recycles game and fandom clichés, but it is not really funny.”
emotional
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally resonant, evoking nostalgia and a sense of belonging through its clever use of inside jokes and meta-humor, reminiscent of childhood experiences playing D&D with friends.
- “Beautifully meta with tons of inside jokes that made me feel at home.”
- “Made me feel like I was a kid again playing D&D with my friends in the garage.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
The game's class optimization is noted to be surprisingly deep, effectively capturing the essence of gameplay and mechanics reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons, even if it doesn't replicate the system exactly. However, some players feel their parties may not be fully optimized for the best experience.
- “Class optimization is surprisingly deep - it may not look exactly like D&D, but they got the feel of both the play and the mechanics spot on.”
- “I guess my party wasn't optimized.”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight that the game features both hilarious humor and strong character development, suggesting that the characters are well-crafted and their growth is engaging and entertaining.