Seven Kingdoms 2 HD

About

Seven Kingdoms 2 HD is a real-time strategy game that offers a unique blend of city management, trade, industry, espionage, diplomacy, and conquest. With a focus on more than just resource gathering and army building, players can engage in espionage actions and choose between fighting or buying their way to victory. Play as Humans or Fryhtans, each with their own set of 12 ancient kingdoms to choose from, including Egyptian, Indian, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, Mongol, Greek, and Roman. The possibilities are endless in this revolutionized strategy game experience.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

81%

Audience ScoreBased on 358 reviews

gameplay14 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a unique blend of strategy, espionage, and diplomacy, making it stand out in the RTS genre.
It has a nostalgic value for many players, with enjoyable gameplay that has aged well despite its graphics.
The HD edition introduces new features and larger maps, enhancing the overall experience for both new and returning players.

The game is plagued by bugs and crashes, particularly in campaign mode, making it frustrating to play.
It has compatibility issues with newer operating systems like Windows 10 and 11, often requiring workarounds to function properly.
The graphics and UI feel outdated, and some players find the gameplay mechanics clunky compared to modern RTS games.

gameplay
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
65%
6%
The gameplay is praised for its unique mechanics and depth, offering a mix of strategic elements such as conquest, economics, and espionage, which keeps it engaging and fresh. However, players have reported significant bugs and crashes in the HD version, which detracts from the experience. While some mechanics can be frustrating and the learning curve is steep, many find the gameplay rewarding once mastered, making it a solid choice for both newcomers and veterans of the genre.
- “Gameplay is very unique, and that alone makes this game worthy of playing.”
- “Incorporating not only elements of conquest, but economic, scientific and (my favorite) espionage-based gameplay truly make this a remarkable game.”
- “Lots of depth and substance for those who want a lot to take care of, and simple strategic gameplay for those just getting into the genre.”
- “It's 'HD', but that really just means it can run at full screen 1080p... but as it flicks between menus and the actual gameplay, it constantly resets itself - with two monitors, I found it completely unplayable.”
- “Most of the time you will have to abuse the game's stop time mechanic to make several decisions just in order to keep up.”
- “The problem is the game opens, but in the gameplay the mouse doesn't appear.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
52%
22%
The graphics of the game are generally considered outdated, with many reviewers acknowledging that while they may not compare favorably to modern titles, they were impressive for their time. Some players appreciate the HD remastering efforts, noting that the visuals still hold up reasonably well despite occasional glitches. Overall, while the graphics may not be a strong point, they do not detract significantly from the gameplay experience, which remains engaging for fans of the genre.
- “Don't be put off by the old-school graphics and animations, this game is one of the deepest and most unique real-time strategy games ever made.”
- “Nevertheless, it's a great game still in spite of the dated graphics (and who says dated graphics need to look ugly? It's still a beautiful game in its own way).”
- “The HD graphics are great and they added a new extra-large map mode, which also brings a nice touch to an old formula.”
- “Worst game ever, old graphics and these pixels are called HD?”
- “Sure, the graphics can't be compared to the latest high-end games.”
- “The things that I could critique are the dated graphics and sound assets, but I personally don't mind it that much.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its uniqueness and epic quality, while others express disappointment over changes and the inclusion of tracks that don't fit the game's theme. Notably, the absence of the original soundtrack and the overwhelming volume at launch are common complaints. Overall, while some enjoy the new compositions, many long for the classic tracks and better customization options.
- “Its unique, everything in it is unique, new principles like spies and focusing more on the governing not gathering, even its music is very cool.”
- “I like the music, this game is still challenging.”
- “It is epic even today thanks to the gameplay and amazing soundtrack.”
- “Blaringly loud music greets you on launch, which you can't do anything about until you're actually in a game... and there's very limited ability to change much else about the game either, to bring it in line with current gaming norms (WASD, etc).”
- “Music has been added which sometimes doesn't fit the theme (it has music from Wargame: European Escalation).”
- “My only complaints are that the SK:AA music gets mixed in and plays a bit more than the SK2 soundtrack.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
64%
21%
The game's story features a series of missions with specific goals, but lacks depth in plot and character development, resulting in a somewhat generic narrative experience. While the single-player campaign is lengthy and well-structured, it suffers from glitches and a lack of engaging storytelling, relying instead on a randomly generated campaign that changes with each playthrough. Overall, players appreciate the improved gameplay mechanics but find the story to be underwhelming.
- “The single player campaign is long, slowly progresses in difficulty and is well thought out, and it even comes with a scenario maker to create your own missions.”
- “While in the original campaign it was just a name given to civilization-like 'free play' mode, here we've got a series of missions with certain goals, combined with a Dune II-like map.”
- “There's really no interesting plot or characters that appear.”
- “A randomly generated campaign storyline that is different each time you play it (although it's somewhat glitchy at times...).”
- “Every mission won there is a 50/50 chance it will crash in the world map and softlock you.”
stability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes and various bugs that disrupt gameplay. While the graphics are generally appealing, players report persistent glitches and freezing problems that detract from the overall experience.
- “Every time I was starting to really get into it, it would crash or I'd run into some weird buggy behavior.”
- “I used to love this game, but this version is clunky, buggy, and crashes a lot.”
- “I have managed to solve the window size issue, but this time the game freezes all the time.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some users report smooth performance on Windows 7 x64 without any issues, others experience significant problems such as sluggish performance, crashes to desktop, and malfunctioning tutorials, particularly on high-end PCs. Overall, optimization appears to be a notable concern for many players.
- “For performance, in the HD edition I have zero problems running on Windows 7 x64, no stutter and no crash.”
- “Now in all fairness, there is one big negative right now and that is the optimization of this version.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game boasts exceptional replayability due to its randomly generated campaigns, diverse scenarios, and a scenario creator, offering players nearly infinite gameplay possibilities.
- “This game has a high replayability value.”
- “The replayability is almost infinite due to the random generation of campaigns, scenarios, and the scenario creator.”
- “The replayability is almost infinite because of the randomly generated campaign, the scenarios, and the scenario creator.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is often nostalgic and light-hearted, resonating particularly with players who experienced it in their youth. One user shared a humorous anecdote about struggling with a Dutch manual, highlighting the game's charm and the amusing challenges it presented. Overall, the humor adds a playful element that enhances the gaming experience.
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate that the game series emphasizes enjoyable elements of real-time strategy, such as diplomacy and combat, rather than tedious grinding through resource management and micromanagement. This focus allows for a more engaging experience without the frustration of constant economic upkeep.