It’s been nearly seven years since the last King’s Bounty game. In that time developer 1C Entertainment has gone back to the drawing board with the aim of overhauling and reimagining the beloved fantasy series for a new and modern audience. Their plan? Combine the tactical combat of 2007’s King’s Bounty: The Legend with a Witcher 3 style open-world adventure. The result, King’s Bounty II, shows glimmers of promise, but struggles to make the most of either inspiration.
I played through most of the preview build twice, each time with a different character. Aivar is your stock mercenary fighting man; gruff, grumpy, and adept at punching his problems away. Katharine is a sharp-witted noble, as deft in arcane magic as she is at delivering one-liners. My journey through this small slice of King’s Bounty II only provides a limited amount of exploration and problem-solving scenarios that are specific to these characters. Anything that requires magic to bypass – having to interact with a rune for example – is out of the question for Aivar. For the most part though, both characters are free to navigate situations however they see fit.
The main story doesn’t really grab me. It's a hodgepodge of magical prophecies, political intrigue, and impending doom, and you’ll no doubt have seen versions of all of these things before. With the exception of some choice NPCs, the wooden voice acting and bland writing doesn’t make investing in this heroic quest particularly tempting. You hit the same plot beats no matter which main character you choose, and NPCs treat every character the same way.
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