Knights of Pen & Paper +1

About

Knights of Pen & Paper +1 is a turn-based RPG with retro pixel-art style and humor. The game boasts an interesting plot, compelling mechanics, and high dollar replayability. However, it's important to note that the game can be very grinding, with frequent ads, and has some bugs that may impact gameplay. The developer describes it as "a grand adventure in a tabletop RPG setting."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,066 reviews

story109 positive mentions

monetization13 negative mentions

The game captures the essence of tabletop RPGs with clever humor and engaging gameplay.
Great replay value with multiple classes and characters to unlock, making each playthrough unique.
The game is fun and addictive, providing hours of entertainment without the need for in-app purchases.

Frequent crashes, especially when trying to access the shop or cauldron, leading to loss of progress.
The game can become grindy, requiring excessive grinding for gold or in-game currency to progress.
Some users experience issues with screen resolution, causing parts of the game to be cut off on certain devices.

story
284 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
59%
3%
The game's story is generally well-received, characterized by humor, engaging dialogue, and a charming retro aesthetic, though some players find it simplistic or lacking depth. While many appreciate the comedic elements and the variety of quests, others criticize the repetitive nature of certain missions and the abrupt difficulty spikes in main story missions. Overall, the narrative offers a fun and light-hearted experience, with potential for more content and exploration in future updates.
- “Great story, tons of content.”
- “The story is entertaining and reminds me of humor similar to Discworld.”
- “The story is a cute parody of retro RPGs with mostly well-translated humor and several amusing pop culture references.”
- “Main story missions that jump 3 levels out of nowhere and leave you grinding for almost 2 hours after only a half hour of playtime.”
- “The story is bland and chock full of outdated and unfunny references.”
- “The quests get very repetitive, go/escort here over and over.”
humor
233 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
99%
1%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its clever writing, witty dialogue, and nostalgic references that resonate with fans of tabletop RPGs and classic gaming. Many players find the comedic elements to be a significant highlight, contributing to the game's charm and replayability, although some note that humor can be hit or miss. Overall, the blend of quirky humor and engaging gameplay creates an entertaining experience that keeps players coming back for more.
- “Classic D&D feel with hilarious/witty cracks that make you chuckle.”
- “The humor and story are fantastic with an easy learning curve.”
- “The writing is funny, and the battle system is awesome!”
- “The story is bland and chock full of outdated and unfunny references.”
- “Boring, unfunny, grindy.”
gameplay
159 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
38%
2%
The gameplay is generally praised for its engaging mechanics, humor, and nostalgic elements reminiscent of classic RPGs and tabletop games. While many players find it addictive and well-designed, some express concerns about balance issues, repetitiveness, and the impact of in-app purchases. Overall, the game offers a fun and unique experience, though it may require improvements in certain areas to enhance playability and depth.
- “The gameplay is fluid.”
- “An amazing, fun game with tons of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is very well designed and characters and classes are very well put together.”
- “Although I really liked the early-mid gameplay, towards the end its unpolished balancing sticks out like a sore thumb. It expects you to handle leveling up all your characters, yet it sometimes still gives you low-level items and not enough money to handle everything.”
- “I love the gameplay, but I don't like that the game decided to stop working two separate times after 30+ levels of gameplay.”
- “I understand the mechanic of paying for the gold; it makes death feel more permanent, which is nice, but if I literally cannot buy gold to continue with characters that I have spent days playing with, then I consider this to be a broken game, thus the one star.”
graphics
139 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
57%
2%
The graphics of the game are predominantly described as retro, with many users appreciating the nostalgic 8-bit and pixelated style that evokes classic RPGs. However, there are mixed opinions, as some players find the graphics simplistic or glitchy, detracting from the overall experience. Despite these criticisms, many agree that the charming visuals complement the gameplay and humor, making it an enjoyable experience overall.
- “Awesome game and graphics.”
- “The graphics are awesome.”
- “Great graphics, music, gameplay... a ton of references.”
- “It's like they have taken Kopp2, halved (if not more) the graphics quality, and added in visual bugs.”
- “Graphic-wise, it's just a pain for the eyes.”
- “The 8-bit graphics are a bit too blocky/pixelated on my 7-inch Asus Fonepad in portrait mode; in landscape mode, it's fine.”
monetization
86 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
76%
15%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the presence of microtransactions in a paid title. While some users appreciate the low cost of optional in-app purchases, others feel that the game is designed to encourage spending by making progression overly grindy. Overall, the sentiment leans towards disappointment, as many players believe that the inclusion of microtransactions undermines the value of the initial purchase.
- “There is a small in-app purchase for an expansion, but it's pretty cheap and worth it.”
- “The game has in-app purchases, but these were completely optional and not forced at all; I finished the entire game without making any IAP.”
- “In-app purchases are available if you really want, but are not needed at all.”
- “Shamelessly cash grabbing game.”
- “The game is only out to make money now through in-app purchases that are required due to the unfinished base-game that Paradox already charges you for.”
- “It's too obviously designed for you to buy gold via in-game purchases; the developers should try to be more subtle.”
stability
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
2%
89%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and bugs that hinder gameplay, particularly when accessing shops or completing battles. While some players have experienced smooth performance, the overwhelming feedback highlights persistent issues that detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and disappointment. Developers are urged to address these stability problems to improve user satisfaction.
- “No glitches or system errors.”
- “Runs great on my tablet and it's a brilliant role play game! It gets me my D&D fix on all the days when we don't play proper D&D. Love it!”
- “Runs great on my Samsung Galaxy S3!”
- “The game is fairly buggy, ranging from pop-up errors when you switch scenes to much worse lost days errors.”
- “I can't even play because it freezes after the first encounter, so please fix it so I can finally play this game.”
- “The developers have yet to fix a glitch that freezes your phone when you attempt to open the cauldron or shop.”
grinding
79 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
99%
The reviews indicate that the game features significant grinding, often leading to repetitive gameplay and frustration, especially as players progress. Many users express disappointment with the reliance on grinding for upgrades and gold, suggesting that it detracts from the overall enjoyment and can feel tedious. While some players appreciate the grinding as part of the RPG experience, others criticize it for being excessive and linked to monetization strategies, making it necessary to purchase in-game currency to avoid prolonged grinding sessions.
- “It's simple enough, with appropriate mechanics like upgradable skills and a user-friendly interface. The game is stat-driven, and overall, the developers have done an outstanding job. I would love to see more content, like new classes. Farming for gold can be somewhat tedious, but that's part of the fun, right?”
- “Grinding in this game is rewarding and engaging, allowing players to feel a sense of progression as they develop their skills and gather resources.”
- “The grind is balanced well, making it feel less like a chore and more like an integral part of the gameplay experience.”
- “Main story missions that jump 3 levels out of nowhere and leave you grinding for almost 2 hours after only a half hour of playtime.”
- “Extremely grindy, and it goes to the point where in-app purchases are needed to make it truly playable.”
- “It feels a bit grindy at times when you need gold unless you buy some from the cash shop.”
replayability
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
35%
5%
The game boasts high replayability, largely due to its unlockable classes, customizable mechanics, and engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs. Players appreciate the variety in strategies and character combinations, although some note that the experience can become grindy towards the end. Overall, it is considered a fun and addictive RPG with significant replay value.
- “It has a lot of replay value and you'll never get bored with the amount of content and story this game has to offer!”
- “Game is über customizable, and has nearly infinite replayability.”
- “Unlocking other classes and heroes adds a lot to replay value.”
- “I wish there were more games like it, and I'd happily give 5 stars if its replayability was higher.”
- “Some replay value, but not much - it gets grindy towards the end of the game, and once you're done, you're probably not going to want to power your way through the entire game with a new party.”
- “And this has lots of content, but it is still a progressive storyline with no replay value.”
music
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
39%
13%
The music in the game is generally praised for its nostalgic chiptune style and upbeat, engaging quality, enhancing the overall experience with a retro feel reminiscent of classic RPGs. While some players find the soundtrack enjoyable and fitting, a few note that it can become repetitive or dull over time. Overall, the music complements the game's graphics and humor, contributing to its charm and appeal.
- “Has a phenomenal soundtrack and incredible graphics.”
- “Great music, great dialogue, great old school appeal, tons of item/equip combos, neat stat/skill progression... I'm completely hooked.”
- “You can tell a lot of work went into it and I love the music and the art design.”
- “Music can get a little dull, but initially doesn't detract from the entertainment value.”
- “Music crackles on my device so I just turned it off.”
- “Between repetitive a lot of repetitive combats with poorly designed classes and a terrible music.”
optimization
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
25%
Overall, the game's optimization for modern devices is inconsistent, with many users reporting issues such as improper screen fitting and poor performance on certain devices. While some players experience smooth gameplay and low battery usage, others encounter significant bugs and crashes, indicating a need for better optimization across a wider range of devices. Users recommend waiting for improvements before purchasing, especially for newer models.
- “All the gameplay runs smoothly with very low battery usage.”
- “Solid game, no bugs, glitches, crashes so far, runs smoothly and keeps me coming back.”
- “Looks very tablet optimized!”
- “Extremely fun but not optimized for modern devices; my version does not fit the screen correctly and there is no way to fix it.”
- “Uhhh, I love the game, but returning to this game a couple of years later, I see it's not optimized for modern devices.”
- “Used to be a fun game; however, after re-installing it, I came to the conclusion it has not been optimized for newer devices.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its blend of old-school RPG elements and tabletop gaming, creating a quirky and entertaining environment. Players appreciate the engaging writing, persistent atmospheric effects, and retro graphics, which enhance the overall experience and contribute to the fun of character progression.
- “Great mix of atmosphere, old school RPGs, and tabletop gaming.”
- “The atmosphere, the writing, and the whole RPG system are great.”
- “I was pleasantly surprised and entertained by the persistent atmospheric effects (the room and table themselves).”
- “The atmosphere is lacking depth and fails to immerse the player.”
- “The game tries to create a unique atmosphere, but it feels disjointed and unconvincing.”
- “Despite some interesting elements, the overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game emotionally engaging, evoking a nostalgic sense of adventure with its charming characters and humor. However, technical issues, such as glitches and crashes, detract from the overall experience, leading to frustration and disappointment.
- “Knights of Pen & Paper delivers that child-like sense of adventure with wholesome but sharp humor and an amiable ensemble of characters.”
- “It really made me feel like I was in an old RPG that's also modern; the controls are user-friendly too.”
- “Good game, but man, the crashes are getting to be heartbreaking.”