King's Bounty II is a turn-based tactical role-playing game developed by 1C Entertainment and published by Prime Matter that was released for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 24, 2021. It is a direct sequel to the first King's Bounty game released in 1990 and follows the 2008 spin-off title King's Bounty: The Legend, also developed by 1C.[1]
| King's Bounty II | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | 1C Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Prime Matter |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | Switch, PS4, Windows, Xbox One August 24, 2021 PS5, Xbox Series X/S September 7, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Tactical role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay edit
King's Bounty II is a tactical role-playing game played from a third-person perspective. The player assumes control of one of three main playable characters and participates in both world exploration and tactical turn-based battles. World exploration involves completing quests for others, while tactical turn-based battles take place from an isometric perspective in which the player assumes the role of a commander in charge of battling units.[2]
Release edit
King's Bounty II was initially announced for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 14, 2019, and the Nintendo Switch version was announced on March 26, 2020 in a Nintendo Direct Mini presentation.[3][4] The game was eventually released on August 24, 2021, after initially being scheduled to release in March of the same year.[5] It was also released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 7, 2023.[6]
Reception edit
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 63/100[7] PS4: 57/100[8] XONE: 73/100[9] NS: 63/100[10] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 6/10[11] |
| Nintendo World Report | 6.5/10[14] |
| PC Gamer (US) | 59/100[12] |
| PCGamesN | 6/10[13] |
| Push Square | 5/10[15] |
King's Bounty II received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[7][8][9][10]
Jonathan Bolding of PC Gamer praised the game's "naturalistic" world design and visuals while bemoaning their presence in the context of the game's slow movement speed, janky movement, sterile characters, and dull overworld activities.[12] Jarrett Green of PCGamesN wrote similarly, stating that while combat was both fun and challenging, the game was hindered by unexciting presentation of story, characters, and derivative mechanics.[13] Leana Hafer of IGN criticized the game's inconsistent voice acting, lack of storytelling nuance, inability to form relationships, and its predictable characters and story in contrast to its well-crafted setting. She also pointed to the abundance of technical blemishes, stating, "from the general glitchiness of the camera to the phoned-in story cutscenes, I still got the sense that the developers at 1C bit off more than they could chew."[11] John Rairdin of Nintendo World Report criticized the incredibly poor image quality and resolution exclusive to the Nintendo Switch version of then game.[14]
References edit
- ^ "King's Bounty 2 Is Coming To Nintendo Switch In 2020". GameSpot. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ Dobson, Richard (2021-06-02). "The Twin Gameplay Loops of King's Bounty II". TheXboxHub. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ Romano, Sal. "King's Bounty II announced for PS4, Xbox One, and PC". Gematsu. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ "Nintendo Direct Mini 3.26.2020". Nintendo. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
- ^ "King's Bounty II delayed to August 24". Gematsu. 2021-02-11. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "King's Bounty II now available for PS5, Xbox Series". Gematsu. 2023-09-07. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ a b "King's Bounty II for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ a b "King's Bounty II for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ a b "King's Bounty II for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ a b "King's Bounty II for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
- ^ a b Hafer, Leana (12 September 2021). "King's Bounty 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ a b Bolding, Jonathan (12 September 2021). "King's Bounty 2 Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ a b Green, Jarrett (12 September 2021). "King's Bounty 2 review – blue blood". PCGamesN. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ a b Rairdin, John (12 September 2021). "King's Bounty II (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Mini Review: King's Bounty II (PS4) - Turn-Based Battler Not Fit for a King | Aces high". Push Square. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
External links edit
- Official website
- King's Bounty 2 at 1C Company official website