Kings Bounty is perhaps one of the oldest series of games, with the first in the series dating back to 1990. From there on, the series would spark the fires of inspiration for a lot of beloved games series like Xcom and Heroes Of Might And Magic. Now the old wise Grandfather of the Turn-based genre is back with a new and refreshing look to bring the series to a new generation of gamers. It is called Kings Bounty II, and we at the NerdStash got to see the game for ourselves at a press event yesterday. So here is why you need to know and why you should be excited about Kings Bounty II.
A Story-Driven Prophecy
In Kings Bounty II, you play as one of three characters who are prophesied to bring about the destruction of a destructive force known as the blight. The characters also have unique backgrounds and personalities. In the demo, we got to see one of the characters who was called Ivar and is a warrior character. As for the other characters, we didn’t hear much about them, but we know that they will be magic users. So far, the characters look great, and I think it’s awesome how the devs are providing multiple characters for players to play.
As for the story, there is nothing but potential and things to be excited about. For starters, The story will span a vast open-world map in the style of games such as Witcher 3 and GreedFall. Players can ride horses, walk around and converse with various NPCs in this style, making King Bounty II already an interesting Hybrid of popular genres. Along with this, the game is said to have several quests with multiple ways to complete them.
For example, we were shown a side quest where a group of golems would block a path that players needed to get through. The player would then be presented with two choices: either fight the golems or take the path to the right, which would later lead to further decisions involving a wizard.
Decisions will also have real weight to them and have a real impact on the world of Kings Bounty II, and players will see what happens quite often when they make the wrong one.
Overall, I was extremely impressed with the story elements that we were shown during the event. It appears Kings Bounty II is gearing up to provide a bombastic story akin to the likes of Witcher 3 but in a Turn-based format. Also, the devs behind Kings Bounty II seem determined to provide an engaging story because there wasn’t a real story-driven plot in past King Bounty games. That said, if you are a fan of RPGs with vast main quests and story-driven plots, Kings Bounty II is definitely a title to keep an eye on.
Kings Bounty II: Improved Tactical Battles and Unique Skill System
In the Kings Bounty series, battles were always a fundamental part of the core gameplay, and in Kings Bounty II, this remains much the case. The Battles are also now improved with unique mechanics such as a line of sight for range units and more elevated terrain, whereas before, the maps in earlier games were flat.
The units also have an Age of planetfall appearance where each unit has multiple soldiers and transverse the map in a hex-based grid format. There are also 50+ units that consist of a ton of unit variations such as humans, elves, dwarves, trolls, and even undead and a dragon! The player can also hire and recruit many of these units throughout their journey in the game and form bonds with them. These units also have their unique appearances and sets of skills and abilities to help you gain that edge you need to turn the tide of battle. Along with this, players will be able to cast all matter of spells from a vast school of magic to help aid their units in the thick of battle.
Battles in this game look very solid, and exactly, the kind of thing Turn-based RPG fan needs in the turbulent time of 2020. I’m very excited to see how they will play out in the final release and the unique unit compositions players will be able to build with the 50+ units.
Kings Bounty II, along with decent Battles, also has some interesting features that include the skill system. The skill system has players leveling into either four skill trees: Power, Anarchy, Order, and Finesse. These, along with giving the player unique skills and abilities, also serve as the game sort of alignment/karma system. Whereas depending on which you choose, it will open up dialogue lines with various NPCs and paths of progression in the game. I think it’s an interesting system, and I’m very excited to see how it plays out in the final release, as it seems to be geared towards providing players with a unique role-playing experience akin to none on the market.
