When Knights of Pen & Paper (the first one) came out a few years ago, tabletop RPG fans everywhere were instantly enamored. This felt like a game tailored for D&D dungeon masters, as you controlled how the story unfolded at every step of the way, with each character just responding to your decisions. Sure, it cost $5, but that almost made it even more appealing, as you could just pay once and then play as much as you wanted.
Not long after it became clear that Knights of Pen & Paper was a bona fide hit, Paradox Interactive released a sequel, cleverly named Knights of Pen & Paper 2. To some people (okay, I’ll stop being coy: to me), this seemed like a cynical cash grab. The way I figured it, Paradox knew that everyone who wanted to buy Knights of Pen & Paper had already bought it, so they couldn’t really continue making money on it. Instead, they released a free sequel that was almost surely infested with ads, in-app purchases, or both. I stayed away from the sequel and just kept to the original version.
Fast-forward a few years, and I’ve switched from iPhone to Android, which means I don’t have access to my purchase of Knights of Pen & Paper 1 any more. This meant that when I got an itch to play a smartphone RPG, I finally decided it was time to try Knights of Pen & Paper 2. I was pleasantly surprised by the game in almost every way, and am truly sad I missed out playing it for so long because of the assumptions I made.
To start with, Knights of Pen & Paper 2 looks almost identical to Knights of Pen & Paper 1, with the exact same arrangement of the RPG table and the fantasy combat around it. This means anyone who has played the original will have no problem learning the sequel, and they even acknowledge this by giving you an early chance to skip out on the tutorials. For those who don’t know, basically you control the DM and all the players, so you can either follow the pre-written story or stop and grind/explore when you feel the team isn’t quite up to snuff for the next boss. It’s a lot of fun, and really feels like the best type of RPG for a smartphone.
Anyways, the main difference between Knights of Pen & Paper 2 and Knights of Pen & Paper 1 is that the sequel just feels so much bigger. The story seems better written and more funny, as well as more expansive. The introduction of equipment and crafting adds a whole new layer to the game beyond just leveling up skills, and the quests just seem to be more involved. Playing Knights of Pen & Paper 2 for any amount of time will show you this is the farthest thing from a cash grab, as they improved upon the first in almost every way.
Is there DLC? Yes, there is, which I feared almost confirmed my initial fears about the sequel. You can, however, buy the DLCs (and literally everything else in-game) with in-game currency, so if you grind enough you literally never have to spend a dime. This makes the sequel overall cheaper than the first one, even though the original was pay-once-and-play. The one thing I will say is that the original seemed more forgiving than the sequel, as the sequel can get hard quick, causing you to save up a lot of coins to resurrect party members. This just ends up adding a nice challenge to the game, not ruining it.
If you were like me and loved the original but have been on the fence for Knights of Pen & Paper 2, I am here to wholeheartedly recommend it. It’s free to download, so you have nothing to lose by checking it out. Instead, I’m pretty sure you’ll find a new favorite smartphone RPG, especially if you already fell in love with the original.
Download Knights of Pen & Paper 2 for iPhone or Android
